To ask how you'd HONESTLY react if a waiter spilt beer all over you and your phone

[EnlightenmentwasaPassingPhase]

Was in a pizza and pasta chain restaurant the other day. The hapless waiter dropped a glass of bear on a table with a family at it. The glass smashed and one of the diners (woman with young kids) got absolutely drenched. Whilst she didn't exactly laugh it off, she calmly wiped herself down with napkins, dried her phone and her kid's tablet, then sat down and waited for her meal without a face on.

Hopefully, the meal was on the house but I was impressed with the way she handled it. I was with my SiL who said "by God I would've kicked off BIG time"

And she would indeed. Once she'd finished creating a scene in the restaurant, she would have been on Twitter, FB and TripAdvisor.

I was a waitress and spilt a drink over somebody's head once, full glass, right over the top of their head. I was very, very sorry but the customer couldn't have been nicer about it.

This happened at our office Christmas party!

It was a nice meal at a local place (middle nice place- not a chain). Kids at the next table were running RIOT whilst two disinterested mums chatted over salads. One pounced out from behind their chair and onto a waiter who was carrying a large tray of drinks (including hot tea and coffee) 😡

Poor waiter stumbled back and dropped the tray, hot tea/coffee all over a guy at our party and a glass of cider straight over the kid (4 ish years) head!

The guy at our table handled it VERY well in my opinion and told the waiter not to worry - whilst glaring daggers at the mother who COMPLETELY lost her shit at the waiter and demanded to see the manager!

When the manager came- we were very eager to tell him exactly what had happened and that it was entirely the mother/child’s fault. They were asked to leave.

Had the mother just apologised and handled it a bit better, rather than trying to get the waiter in trouble/meal for free - we probably wouldn’t have tattled on her!!

Haphazard. You lost me at that word.

It was an accident no need for personal attacks.

Haphazard. You lost me at that word Eh?
No one's said that word.

Apologies, not read the entire thread, but really people ought to put their phones on a loud ring tone so they can hear them put/stick them in a pocket/bag..
I personally think, if you have your phone out, on the table, in a cafe/restaurant etc you have to suck up what might happen in this instance 😏

MeteorGarden92

😱 She should have been thanking her lucky starts that it was only cider that went over her child, what an idiot!

@ClaryFray who said what that has offended you? Who personally attacked whom? A little more explanation is needed. I’ve read everything here and don’t recall anyone using haphazard or anyone called haphazard.

Embarassing to make a scene.

It would really annoy me deep down but id laugh it off. Only a scumbag would get really angry at a waiter for accidentally spilling something.

If the phone was broken from the liquid they can pay for a new one. Simple.. No need to make a scene

Anyone getting angry at anything spilling annoys me.

If I'd had to eat my meal, wet and smelling of beer, I wouldn't expect to be charged for it. I wouldn't have kicked off, we would have just left and picked up a pizza from Domino's round the corner.

Happened to me, no apology from the waiter just zero do we left without paying for the drinks. I got changed we went elsewhere and never went back.

It was a relatively "posh" Indian restaurant I felt their attitude was just appalling.

I didn't kick off though.

It depends how the situation was handled. Accidents happen and I never "kick-off". If the waiter was appropriately apologetic (like peo0le.in general should be) it would be fine. I have had opposite experience so that time I was not happy.

I'm British, I'll apologise for beet being spilt on me and my phone, then buy the waiter a new phone for ruining my phone then go home and complain about now apologetic I am.

If the tablet and phone were broken, it would definitely be a case of recording the incident, writing to their head office etc. Otherwise an apology, an offer of something on the house from the staff - depending on generosity, their drinks or main courses. If they kicked off a lot then the whole thing free, but they wouldn't be popular, these things happen. I worked in a well known pizza chain for 5 years. I did pour beer on a man on a date once, of course I gave them something free, but I think the way he handled it also added kudos to him with his date!

Haha shortandsweet96! So true.

Surely an accident but hey why be rude and have phones and tablets at dinner table

I've been that waiter, I was 16 and mortified, accidents happen

I had a full cup of coffee spilled over me when I was having a meal before a night out. Luckily it wasn't scalding but I was annoyed that my evening was ruined, I was wearing pale clothes and it looked awful and once the heat went out of the coffee I was cold! I didn't kick off but they could see I was upset and very grudgingly took my meal off the bill.

When it happened to me it was cider instead of beer, but I reacted in a similar way. I just wiped myself down with all the napkins on the table, they brought a towel to help and took my cardigan to put on the radiator. I carried on with the rest of my evening.

The meal was on the house for me (not for the rest of my party but there were 15 of us!). And they insisted I have dessert too, which wasn't difficult to persuade me to do.

Children running in restaurants are the bane of waiting staffs lives. Even if they say it's okay, they are moaning out the back in the wash up to the KPs.

I think if you kick off in this scenario it's a real dick move and that's what everyone watching will be thinking, it's an accident, shit happens, as long as it's sorted ie cleaned up, drink replaced, and apology given, then it's all good.

It's no different to if you personally spill a drink on someone, you'd really hope the person didn't kick off and be a dick about it.

TBH, the broken glass would have bothered me more than the beer, depending on how smashed it was.
Potential for glass in the food, glass on the floor, on the table - easy to miss small pieces and unpleasant if you find one in your mouth, or in fingers or toes.

I think I would also have had an initial sweary reaction - definitely a very shocked and "argh" one - but again, if the waiter was very apologetic (and they'd have to be a total turd not to be) I'd try to calm them down and say "don't worry, it was an accident".

But the wet phone - that might have been more problematic as well later so yes, I think I would have had a word about that. As far as I know it should be covered by the restaurant's accident insurance? But I'm no expert, so who knows.

I certainly wouldn't have gone ballistic at them, and absolutely not slated them on social media. That's reserved for deliberate rudeness and cunty behaviour, not for accidents.

Ah, just re-read and seen that the meal wasn't already on the table - that's one less hazard to deal with then! But if it had been, I would have wanted it replaced.

ClaryFray

Hapless!! Hapless!! She didn't say haphazard!

Hapless means unfortunate!

Much like the woman it happened to. Because I'm not a prize prick.