To be upset husband has booked a ‘novelty’ restaurant?

[trapperjohna]

It’s my 50th next Saturday. DH told me he’d book a nice restaurant and I was really looking forward to it as we rarely ever eat out. I was expecting to go somewhere nice in central Liverpool, he knows I love the waterfront so I was thinking he’d book somewhere around there.

Today he’s revealed he’s booked a place in Sheffield (which is annoying enough in itself, 90 minute drive for a meal and it won’t be relaxing at all) which is a novelty restaurant where the staff are intentionally rude to you and it’s all part of it. He’s booked it for the teens as well. I asked why on Earth he’d booked that and he said because he was curious about it and thought it’d be fun.

But it’s not me at all. I’m very self-conscious and even though it’ll all be a joke the thought of the staff verbally abusing me makes me anxious. I’ll end up taking something to heart and getting upset.

DH is annoyed I’ve asked him to cancel it and says I’m a spoil sport, but it’s my birthday dinner.

Ffs I’ve made it into the Birmingham Mail.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/weird-news/wife-gobsmacked-over-husbands-plans-23932399.amp

I’ve been honest with my DH about starting the thread and ending up in the Birmingham Mail and we’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t go anyway now in case the staff/other people there are trying to identify us since I gave away the time we’d be there and a description of us.

We are going to go for DSS’s birthday in a few months and I’ll suck it up.

I’ve checked the menu the prices are shocking for basically burger or chicken chips etc, I’d rather stuff from our pizza place as a birthday treat at these prices 200 yards from us 90 minutes each way for this not on your life, book something else has others have said enjoy yourself.

I don’t do meals out now unless in-laws are with us birthday I’m having pizza at home then my stranger things s4 so glad it’s on a Sunday this year.

Well that’s a result op! Problem solved. I bet your dh feels like an idiot now. There is no way I would ever go the that restaurant, it’s so misogynistic. I find the whole Karen thing deeply offensive, especially as it’s my name. The place looks awful and the food looks grim.

I totally get why you wouldn't want to travel for 90 mins to Sheffield for a meal - and at a novelty restaurant to boot. It does looks quite funny though 'We want your complaints...book a table and be KAREN' and the emoji face with the Karen haircut 😂

I’m glad you’re not going. The moment you explained you didn’t want to go, your stupid husband should have cancelled and booked something else that would actually be for you, and not him. He shouldn’t have tried to bully you and railroad you into it, and call you names.

I'm sure they'd be pretty pleased with you for the free advertising!

@trapperjohna - hooray, result!

So you just need to carefully stage a migraine for DSS Birthday and you're sorted 🤣

More importantly - Where are you going for your 50th?

I live in Birmingham. We normally have more news than that.

But good result for you op! (Unless you did want the empty house takeaway

Your DH is completely out of order for booking something for him on your birthday.

id hate something like this.

if you’d enjoy it, then of course but knowing you’d hate it, why on earth did he book it?! And the strip about you asking for something you’d actually enjoy on your birthday? Is he normally this inconsiderate?

Would you have gone otherwise and sucked it up? Does your DH and DSS understand the meaning behind this restaurant and still want to go in a few months? Please change your behaviour in being compliant in order to please your DH and DSS as now you have taught you DD to do the same. How would you feel in the future if your daughters partner did similar for a big birthday for her and she accepted it like you? I know you expressed that you were unhappy but I still think you would have gone. I think your DH and DSS are selfish to still want to go in a few months time. I would never pick somewhere to go for my birthday if it made any of my loved ones uncomfortable to be there.

I’m going to ‘stop waiting for permission to be me’.

Well done OP - I’d like to think the straight talking did its job but I suspect it was the press pick-up that actually did it.

Enjoy your 50th doing something you want to do! 🥂

Now your H knows about this thread, I hope you have shown him the responses.

Completely thoughtless that he decided to go to a place he wanted to visit rather than organising something you want to do on your 50th.

I hope he's making the effort to plan another restaurant for you to eat at.

I knew this threads would make the news. It’s not exactly their kind of fodder.

Are you sure it isn't some elaborate wind up as a joke? A bad joke not well thought out.

Even if you did go you wouldn't get in unless your teens are old enough. Apparently it's an eighteen plus only place 🤷🏻‍♀️

That being said YANBU. Tell him to go by himself, grab snacks and a film and have an evening in with your DC's

I really feel for you that the restaurant wasn’t cancelled as soon as you said you would hate it, and it took an article in the paper to do so. And even then, it wasn’t because he realised how much it would upset you, but because he didn’t want to get recognised.

You deserve much better than this.

Tbh I wouldn't even go for the DSS' birthday. He and his dad can go.

OP,

What a unpleasant man you are married to.
Such a shame that when he heard your views he ploughed on.

I can only imagine what life must be like living with someone so thoughtless.

Why anyone would wish to visit such a place is beyond me.

I wasn't bullied at school and I think I would find a place like that stressful.

How you would enjoy food in such a place, in such an environment is hard to imagine.

What a little man.

I really hope your DH sees this thread now and the general disdain of 95% of women out there. I hope the penny drops that his behaviour in this, is hardly glowing.

I am really sorry it took a newspaper article for him to cancel the booking and he didn't do it sooner. He needs to take you somewhere you want to go. Please tell us that he has had a teachable moment from this.

I really hate that there is a diner that has misogynist branding when it didn't need to. No problem with 'theatre' restaurants but why did it have to be called 'Karen's Diner' - just to have a dig at women.

I’m sorry your DH is so selfish OP. I hope you have a good birthday somewhere lovely now.

@trapperjohna glad you're not going now. Let your husband take your step son for his birthday, you don't have to go.
They can have a 'hilarious' time together.

He deserves it.