To think we shouldn’t have had to pay?

[MamToTeens]

Took DH, 2 DC and BIL out for lunch today. After ordering, it took 10 minutes for the drinks to come (not too long considering, but they were literally cans that we could see from the table). We then had to wait another hour and a half for food! There were 2 cooked meals and 3 sandwiches. The cooked meals were burned and the bread was stale, basically inedible. We are a bit but couldn’t manage much. We were then told that it was cash only, even though it hadn’t been clearly advertised (argument was that it was on the door, which was open so we couldn’t see the sign). It was around £60 for the 5 of us, so I couldn’t afford it with cash. We walked out without paying and they threatened to call the police. Haven’t heard anything yet. AIBU to have refused to pay? And will they be able to do anything when they don’t have names or anything?

You better hope they don’t have CCTV, you’ll be named and shamed on fab

You need to leave contact details if you are doing that as it protects you legally.

I think some people on here are being a bit OTT, especially calling the OP scummy
And 5 cans of pop is hardly going to be more than a fiver. It wasn't like they ordered bottles of wine and pints of lager.
Frankly, waiting an hour and half would have been enough for me, I've walked out of places after 45 minutes before if I've not received an update or apology, or complimentary drink at the very least. £60 for inedible food- no chance. And what modern business doesn't have a card machine?
If they do put your picture up online I would make a formal complaint to the local trading standards team. I would also report them for the awful, off, food before they make someone unwell.
From what the OP said, they did ask for an update and were told not very much and not given an apology or gratuity. And it was mentioned to them the food was terrible.
I don't genuinely see what the OP did that was wrong.
The worst I ever had was in a small cafe, there was hardly anyone in there, I ordered a sausage sandwich and a bacon sandwich. It took 30 minutes to arrive, to be slammed down with not so much as an enjoy your food.
Probably because the bread was stale, you wouldn't have fed it to birds. They sent the bill over with a tip added on. We said the food was disgusting and we would pay for our teas only. The woman got the right arse and said we best pay her tip.
We put the money on the saucer provided, and wrote "here's a tip, buy fresh bread and decent fillings" and walked out.
The establishment that the OP went to will no doubt go the same way as the one I mentioned above, and go swiftly out of business.

Your waiter should gav6e verbally told you cash only. Not your fault. I woulď call and talk to manager. Tell tgem you were disappointed, not to their usual standard but will pay when machines working and u r in the area. Any self respecting manager will appreciate you contacting them and comp u the meal.

And 5 cans of pop is hardly going to be more than a fiver.

Are you kidding?

Surely you should have complained about the hour wait never mind the quality of the food. The staff should have mentioned the issue re cash when taking your order, but you should have organised to either go to atm there and then or at least offer your name and address (with proof) and promise to return with cash. You have stolen from the establishment.

As the law stands you should have paid what you felt the meal was worth, not paying anything is breaking the law.

You need to go back, apologize, pay and tip your server well for your horrible behavior.

It's very easy to take cards these days - the Inland Revenue certainly considers cash-only a red flag.

As people have said it's not always cost effective for small businesses. And HMRC don't see it as a 'red flag' - speaking from direct experience. There's even an option on the tax return to state you're a cash business.

You are not my cf sil by any chance? She pulls this shit all the time, it was a complete rip off so we didn't pay, it was inedible so we didn't pay, not out problem they only took cash they obviously didn't need our cash or they would of provided a debit card machine so we didn't pay. Stop making excuses and stealing if hard working business. It's up to you to check what they accept, theres been a couple of occasions I've wrongly assumed they would accept debit cards but no problem I've nipped out to the nearest cash machine whilst my family awaited my return and paid up. Bad food is no excuse, that business still have overheads to pay, staff that need paid yadu!

@MamToTeens your behaviour was perfectly justified.
The wait was unreasonable - you complained
The food was useful - you made them aware
You drank the drinks - you paid for them!

Can't see a problem!

@MamToTeens *Awful

You shouldn't have just walked out.
If the food was not of the quality expected you could have made an offer based on what it was worth,but it was wrong not to pay for what you did eat, did none have you any money?

@Betty1119 presumably your correction to 'awful' was because 'justified' was a typo?

Lovely example to set children
Yes complain about the food and come to some arrangement but to actually steal from them is very wrong.
You should return and pay part of your bill.
How can you live with yourself?

5 drinks came to a £5????? Really????

Whilst I don’t necessarily condone walking out because there was no card machine I can completely understand how the OP could end up waiting up to an hour and a half for her meals.
I was in a similar scenario, a group of us at a busy-ish time of year, had booked a table at local pub - nothing upmarket - cheap and cheerful! We got our drinks and ordered our meals about ten minutes later - after 30 minutes we started getting antsy. After 45 minutes my husband was getting hangry, he went to the bar and asked where our food was, they said it was coming, ten minutes later he went back - it transpired that the chef had passed out, they had driven to collect another chef who then started to make our meals. We waited after the initial 45 minutes as we were told “soon” the after nearly an hour they said very soon and at that point it would have taken longer to drive somewhere else and order and wait for another order to come!! They did come out about an hour and half after ordering - mainly ok I must admit, but the manager ended up charging us only for our drinks as we’d waited so long. Why they’d not communicated their issue to us in the first place they could have saved themselves a lot of hassle (we had small children with us so it would have been a lot better)
The OP should have told them she was not paying for her meal and why - and then left, after paying only for the drinks.

I’ve been tempted many a time. How often we are met with this sort of crap service and poor quality food in the UK and expected to pay for it.

I’d have probably asked them to cancel the order instead of waiting so long, paid for the drinks and then left.

Not sure you’ve been totally unreasonable as it sounds rubbish and serving stale food a bit of a piss take but you have put yourself in the frame for a witch-hunt if the place can be arsed and morally, it is wrong.

Just cancel the order and walk if the service is poor.

How can you live with yourself?

I have been watching some Judge Judy over the hols and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who are happy to accept money as a loan but then refuse to pay it back. The person who lent the money suddenly becomes the baddy - I believe this not paying for a meal which has been eaten is a similar mind set. As JJ says, no good deed goes unpunished.

I wouldn't have been happy waiting 1.5 hours for food but would probably have asked them how much longer the food would be. 10 mins. for drinks sounds reasonable. You should have been told it was cash only by the staff.
I think yabu to walk out. Quite shocked. You should complain and try to sort out, but not walk out. You were dishonest and I now feel sorry for the staff who have worked/provided food for free. Also not a good example to your children.

I'd have paid for the drinks and told them after 45 minutes that we were leaving now, and didn't need the food.

I'm all for being reasonable, but if they can't serve in a sensible amount of time they need to say so.

You are being unreasonable. You shouldnt of just walked out until a mutual understanding over the stale food was agreed. Probably all over social media by now

£60 for 5 is cheap anyway - I'd just write it off to experience.

I'm not buying it that it was 90 mins for 2 cooked meals and 3 sandwiches and you still waited for it.

As Judge Judy says, if it does not sound right then it is likely it did not happen.

Most likely, you waited 45 mins (most people would wait this long). You say that you ate a bit and then were asked to pay cash. In the OP, you do not mention complaining about the food to the restaurant when you noticed it was stale which most normal people would do if it was inedible.

If you're brazen enough to walk without paying then you are certainly capable of giving feedback about your food at the time.

One of you should have left and got money and then come back. You are using these excuses as you did not have the cash.

2 different issues getting muddled here.

Firstly issue about only cash - annoying, but can happen. Op, if they had taken cards, would you have paid or still worked out without paying? It feels like you're using the cash only thing to justify what you did but actually that wasn't the issue. Other people have been in this position without cash or enough cash before - they explain it to the owner and make an arrangement - ie to return later with cash, or one person to head off to cash machine, or to pay electronically or whatever.....they don't just walk out to never return and pay.

The poor food and service is a separate issue to how they accept payment. If you are dissatisfied it's really important to have a genuine issue and make it very clear. You speak to the manager and you say clearly if you do t think you should pay all or some of the bill and you discuss it and try to reach agreement. You don't just walk out. In this situation it might be there was (or wasn't) a valid case - perhaps if a complaint was made reasonably and politely to the manager, they would have offered or agreed a discount - fine.

Simply leaving without a genuine discussion about reducing the bill first does seem like theft. It seems like theft which the thieves are trying to justify by talking about poor food and the system by which they take payment, rather than taking responsibility for horrible behaviour.

Op, I think the best thing you could do is return tomorrow with cash. If you want to have a discussion with the manager about the poor food and service and discuss a reduction in the bill that is fine - that would be the right thing to do,mrathrather than worrying about being pursued or put on Facebook. DO THE RIGHT THING which a grown-up would do and return, discuss the issue and try to reach agreement. Anything else is cowardly, immature and irresponsible behaviour.