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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

if you owned a restaurant what would you do ....

245 replies

EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:25

Went to gp today, they said I could attend at short notice .... Had to wait for ages with two young kids to actually be seen … got out at 1730 , it's quite a long drive home.... so I decided to take them to pizza place over road. Have been many times before and just pay using my phone. Didn’t have purse with me as was in other bag and left in a hurry.

Had our food , just as I was asking for the bill my phone died. Had a charger in car…which was over the road.

I apologised profusely as it was totally my fault. I alerted the waitress as soon as I realised. She went to get the manager.

Again I apologised profusely and admitted it was my fault. The manager was really really abrupt and a bit of a bully about it, and said I wasn't allowed to leave!

-she wouldn’t let me go and get my charger , saying that I couldn't leave without paying

-She wouldn’t let me use their business phone to call DH and have him pay over the phone (it's also a takeaway so they take payment over the phone)!

-She wouldn’t let me go home to get money…..

-I offered to leave my name and address and all contact details!

They just kept saying “you can’t leave until you’ve paid, you will have to contact someone to bring you some money"

Me: "But my phone has died and you won’t let me get my charger or use your phone”

“Well that’s your problem, but you can’t leave without paying or we will
CALL THE POLICE"

Went on for about 20 mins and my kids were both going mental by this point and I was struggling to contain them . Eventually I said “look I’m just going to have to leave, phone the police if you like. I’ll call up and pay when I get home”

An elderly couple who had overheard the whole thing came over and said they’d just pay our £20 bill as the was ridiculous…
So the couple paid, I said goodbye to them at my car and thanked them grovelingly. I insisted on taking their bank details and mobile number, and within 5 mins I had charged my phone and transferred them the money (and texted them to confirm).

Is it just me or were the restaurant really mean??!!! I would have expected them to let me get my phone charger or call my husband ?

yes it was totally my fault, i apologised profusely I will never rely on just my phone again

I like to think I would have just let the person get their charger?!!

OP posts:
MountainAshley · 17/02/2022 20:27

I would have let you go and get your charger. That was a ridiculous way for the restaurant people to react.

BertieQueen · 17/02/2022 20:29

The restaurant were in the wrong, what did they expect you to do? You would have still been there at closing time seeming as they weren’t going to help you.

I would leave a bad review and I don’t say that often.

YouMuckyDuck · 17/02/2022 20:30

I think they've had to deal with people doing a runner before. I can see their point but they wouldn't let you use their phone? That's mad

purpleme12 · 17/02/2022 20:30

Jesus that's ridiculous
Waste of everyone's time or what

I mean I've been at a cafe which only accepts cash. Not had cash on me so I've had to go to cash machine. Which they had no problem with!

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:31

Thank you. I feel cross about it. The manager was so horrible about it and I was visibly struggling with two young kids. Every solution I offered she refused !! I feel I want to complain , but I don't have a leg to stand on really as it was my fault!

OP posts:
Poppins2016 · 17/02/2022 20:32

If I was the business owner I would have allowed you to borrow the phone to make a call/borrow a charger/get your own charger (worst case, someone could have accompanied you to your nearby car).

I'd be making a complaint to the owner about the manager's behaviour. Of course if was your fault (as you say), but sometimes things happen and this is a scenario that was unintentional and easily rectified with some common sense.

LizzieSiddal · 17/02/2022 20:33

Absolutely ridiculous behaviour from the restaurant. If I were you I’d have left my name address, phone number, with a note saying what had happened and that I would be returning to pay in 5 mins once I’d charged my phone. Which I would then do. If they called the police, so what?! You were had every intention of paying.

LizzieSiddal · 17/02/2022 20:34

You should complain! The attitude of the manager was awful!

devildeepbluesea · 17/02/2022 20:34

Blimey if that had happened to me I’d be shouting it all over social media. Absolutely terrible way for them to behave.

purpleme12 · 17/02/2022 20:35

Yes the police would have got there and seen you would be willing to pay anyway if they'd come

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:35

Can you imagine if the police attended and got the full run down ... like what would they actually do, other than tell the manager to let me go and get my charger 🙈 it was so embarrassing , the manager was so loud and people were overbearing. Thank goodness for the nice couple !!

OP posts:
thewhatsit · 17/02/2022 20:36

Yes I think this is ridiculous. They were probably hyper sensitive to you just leaving without paying because it’s happened before but the fact is you had no means of paying without them letting you go.
Not quite the same but I’ve experienced card machine outages before at places and various businesses have been quite relaxed about it - taken my phone number to call up and arrange payment etc. Not the same thing as a faulty card machine is their fault not mine but at least the general assumption that the majority of people will pay..

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:36

I feel slightly vindicated by these responses thank you. I felt like the worst kind of scum on earth earlier. Having to take money off an elderly couple !

OP posts:
Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:37

Overbearing = overhearing

OP posts:
ENoeuf · 17/02/2022 20:37

Would they let you go if you left the kids? Like if they were old enough for you to run over and get it? I can see they might not want to let you leave but utterly ridiculous to not let you call your dh.

Slimmer2018 · 17/02/2022 20:37

My card wouldn’t work once years ago in a cafe Nero… I left my kids there as collateral and ran to the cash point lol… I won’t even get train tickets on my phone though, I just don’t trust that I can rely on my phone for payment, tickets etc… my fault as I’m rubbish at ensuring it is always fully charged plus it’s an old iPhone so battery doesn’t last more than a day…
They were being unreasonable though, they could’ve asked you to leave something while you nipped out for a charger!

emmetgirl · 17/02/2022 20:37

I own a restaurant. I would never have done what this place did. That's terrible!!

BeyondMyWits · 17/02/2022 20:37

I'd have made a lame joke about the kids doing the washing up and told you to just go get some means of paying.

Cleothecat75 · 17/02/2022 20:38

There were so many ways the manager could have helped you, yet they chose to be really shitty with you instead. I’m really glad the other couple stepped in to help you, it would have been a ridiculous waste of police time if they had been called out for this.

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:38

@ENoeuf I could have if they were older but they're only 2 and (just) 4 and they were getting quite upset by this point.

OP posts:
Akire · 17/02/2022 20:40

Totally stupid from them! They should let you use their phone or one them gone at got your charger from the car. Almost like they didn’t want a solution.

LockdownLisa · 17/02/2022 20:40

I can (sort of) understand them not wanting you to leave to get your charger, but it was ridiculous to not allow you to phone your DH! How exactly did they think you were going to be able to pay your bill???

Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:40

If I ever see this happening to someone else, I will be the person that offers to pay. A random act of kindness. Most people are honest.

The lady of the couple that helped me did make a point of saying how ridiculous the manager was being.

OP posts:
Original poster
EezyOozy · 17/02/2022 20:41

@LockdownLisa I don't know, she just kept saying "you need to phone someone and get them to bring you the money" 👍 with my non-operational phone.

OP posts:
KilmordenCastle · 17/02/2022 20:41

I work in a restaurant. I would let you use the phone or borrow a charger if we have one. Or I would let you leave to get your charger as long as you left your phone or something valuable with me (would put it in the safe until you come back).

The manager was being ridiculous!

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