Restaurant dilemma

[Pakpak]

Hi all,

Very superficial one but wanted to get opinions. My husband won a £500 voucher in a raffle for a very hard to get into restaurant in London back at the beginning of the summer. He was not interested in using it so suggested me taking my friends.
I have a group of five of us including me that tends to meet for dinner /drinks/nice things so I put it to the group and of course they were very excited at the prospect.

Unfortunately as I quickly found out it is almost impossible to book for weekends or evenings which is annoying.

After a few months of trying one of the group decided to use a contact and managed to get a booking for one evening.

On the WhatsApp group one of them can’t make that evening and the other two haven’t replied.

Question is: is it bad form to go ahead with the booking even if only two of us can go? I really want to use the voucher but don’t want to be mean. I would probably ask a couple of other people to join instead though to spend the money.

I appreciate that this is totally first world problem but is making me feel anxious. Would you be offended?

Definitely go. You can't carry on trying to suit everyone. Just tell them it's booked for whatever date and if they can't go let you know by tomorrow evening so you can ask your cousin/neighbour/postman or whoever you wish. If they don't reply by tomorrow evening then crack on and invite your reserves.

Totally understandable, go ahead and use the voucher.

Hell yes, book it. All the more spends for the few who can organise themselves

Just do it!

You'll easily spend that at a high end place.

If your non-responsive friends whine later, tell them "you snooze, you lose"!

Have a great time :)

Thank you all, wonderfully supportive and much appreciated. I’m not concerned about the spending the money bit just the tricky relationships! X

You've managed to book a night. It's a tough restaurant to get a booking. Let them know this is the time and date. If only two of you can go- does this voucher includes wines? £500 for two will get you a nice wine list.........🤤

I’ll come!

Yep, definitely use it. You’d have to be a twat to mind.

I'd do a final warning on the whatsapp group, saying it's been really hard to get it booked, so if they don't respond by end of tomorrow (or whenever) you're going to go ahead without them.

If you book for 4 and only 2 turn up you may get charged an additional cover for the other 2- depends on the restaurant or even turned away.

Go ahead! The Ivy is a nightmare to get a table in.

Confirm the booking for four asap or you will lose the table. And in another four weeks or so it will be Christmas outing time and there will be no chance of booking. If grumpy friend can't make it then that's not your fault, you tried your best.

It's your voucher, you wanted to treat them, it's absolutely not your problem if they're not available on the only day this can go ahead (after one of your friends' contacts helped get the booking). If you want to make up numbers I'm sure you could invite someone random from work etc? As for the 2 who haven't bothered replying about this incredible treat you're offering, they're being incredibly rude!
It might have been difficult to get the booking purely because it was for 5 people. If you're sure only 2 of you are going, let the restaurant know so they're not holding a bigger table that could go to someone else who may be having the same amount of trouble making a booking.

If your mardy mate who can't make it gets the hump it's their look out

I would message again and say "Oh such a shame X, it's the only date available whilst the voucher is valid. Y & Z let me know by Friday as A & B will come instead if you don't want to. See you for our regular Nandos and Shandy night in November."

It's a lovely treat and if they don't want to take it up that's their look out.

Can I come instead please? I’m really nice and I love fine dining!