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AIBU?

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Original poster

To walk out of restaurant without paying in full?

75 replies

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 14:37

Just been out for lunch, on holiday in Europe. Real locals place, no other Brits in there. My husband is fluent in the language but the staff spoke no English.

Ordered food and drinks. Drinks turned up, no food. Six other tables who walked in after us all started getting their food, but still we have none.

We chase up, and waiter looks blank faced. After about another 10 mins, one dish of four ordered turns up. No apology, or mention of the other food on its way. We chase again. Other food eventually appears. One of dishes is way too salty and inedible. We point this out to them and he pretends not to understand even though we've spoken the local language.

We give it up as a bad job and ask for the bill. Bill doesn't appear. We ask again. No bill. At this point i lose my shit and suggest we leave €20 on table and leave. The bill was probably around €30. Husband disagrees and thinks this is stealing. He eventually agrees to do that but is now in a huff as he thinks I made him break the law.

What would you have done in this situation? I think we'd still have been day there now and I can't bear bad service.

OP posts:
riesenrad · 23/06/2022 14:43

I have done similar with my parents. I was going to an uni open day. We went to a pub for lunch before the event started, and after 45 minutes the meal hadn't arrived. So we walked out.

We had told them we were in a reasonable hurry and it wasn't busy.

Thinking about it now, you usually pay upfront for meals in pubs these days so we would have been a bit stuffed now!

Restaurants are terrible for bringing bills quickly. No I am not ordering another drink/dessert because you are arsing about. Just bring the bill and let me pay and go. I am surprised more people don't just walk out.

Ardmano · 23/06/2022 14:44

I think 20e sounds generous! Different perhaps if they had brought the bill but they didn't so serves them right tbh.

SandyWedges · 23/06/2022 14:46

I'd do that in the UK but probably wouldn't elsewhere unless I knew the "done thing". Is your DH definitely fluent in the language?

BronwenFrideswide · 23/06/2022 14:47

Not being au fait with the Law where you are but in the UK you can deduct what you consider to be a reasonable amount from the bill for poor service, food not of the required standard, etc., provided you have raised the issue with the staff and it is not theft and the restaurant can do nothing about it.

I doubt very much the restaurant you went into will bother chasing you down and you are not likely to return to it are you?

Original poster
chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 14:49

Yep, he's definitely fluent. And no, we won't be returning.

OP posts:
Bournetilly · 23/06/2022 15:45

YANBU, you asked for the bill twice and they clearly ignored you

swimlyn · 23/06/2022 15:55

It’s insulting behaviour on their part. I’d have left €10.

In my experience, there’s too much of this going on in popular places. On more than one occasion we’ve walked out. They don’t even seem to notice.

In one place they served our drinks quickly and easily. After a ridiculous wait they brought ONE dish as ordered, there were four of us at the table. Then we were completely ignored in favour of locals just having drinks. As we were on a terrace we also had to put up with those drinkers smoking as well. One person ate the dish, as we stupidly expected the rest… It never came.

I spent time inside the restaurant giving them grief (in their language) over their service. They just stared and shrugged. Our embarrassed friends wanted to pay in full. (what for?) I left €3 on that occasion. They would’ve taken around €70 if they did their work properly. So weird…

Keepingthingsinteresting · 23/06/2022 16:09

BronwenFrideswide · 23/06/2022 14:47

Not being au fait with the Law where you are but in the UK you can deduct what you consider to be a reasonable amount from the bill for poor service, food not of the required standard, etc., provided you have raised the issue with the staff and it is not theft and the restaurant can do nothing about it.

I doubt very much the restaurant you went into will bother chasing you down and you are not likely to return to it are you?

@BronwenFrideswide On what basis can one deduct from the cost in the UK? You don’t have to pay the option service charge on the bill, but you can’t just say I’m paying a fiver instead of £15 because you were slow bringing the mayo for my chips….

SandyWedges · 23/06/2022 16:19

They haven't bought you the bill after repeated requests so it's fair to assume it is up to you. Otherwise you're trapped.

Original poster
chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:26

Well I'm glad to get agreement. My husband was proper stressing and wanted to leave more than enough to cover the cost. He's the most honest man on the planet. But the restaurant will never learn a lesson if customers let them treat them like crap. I think they didn't want non locals in there. I didn't see anyone else struggling with the service.

OP posts:
Ohthatsexciting · 23/06/2022 16:31

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:26

Well I'm glad to get agreement. My husband was proper stressing and wanted to leave more than enough to cover the cost. He's the most honest man on the planet. But the restaurant will never learn a lesson if customers let them treat them like crap. I think they didn't want non locals in there. I didn't see anyone else struggling with the service.

They won’t learn a lesson!

from their perspective you scarpered before paying the full bill.

nothing to learn other than keeping a closer eye on customers near the door!

Ohthatsexciting · 23/06/2022 16:33

Do let let a dodgy meal spoil a day’s holiday by your husband being “in a huff” and you posting on mumsnet and then somehow thinking that because some anonymous posters agree with you, you are “right”.

Head out for a walk and enjoy your holiday together!

Original poster
chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:34

Well if they gave a shit about providing a service then maybe they should try to understand why someone would do that. And not ignore issues raised by pretending they don't understand. Twats.

OP posts:
Ohthatsexciting · 23/06/2022 16:34

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:26

Well I'm glad to get agreement. My husband was proper stressing and wanted to leave more than enough to cover the cost. He's the most honest man on the planet. But the restaurant will never learn a lesson if customers let them treat them like crap. I think they didn't want non locals in there. I didn't see anyone else struggling with the service.

All you have done is surely confirm to them that they would rather not have non-locals there surely as they have a tendency to make a run for it

Ohthatsexciting · 23/06/2022 16:35

chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:34

Well if they gave a shit about providing a service then maybe they should try to understand why someone would do that. And not ignore issues raised by pretending they don't understand. Twats.

Bloody hell.

so much for the holiday spirit!

OfCourseIDontMind · 23/06/2022 16:39

I'm guessing you're in Spain?

Ohthatsexciting · 23/06/2022 16:40

. He eventually agrees to do that but is now in a huff as he thinks I made him break the law.

if he didn’t want to pay less then he shouldn’t have. Presumably you didn’t have him in a headlock. So HE made the decision and he should own that rather than getting in a “huff”

And this is precisely why I adore my single parent holiday with my children. No silliness like this to put a dampener on things

Iamnotamermaid · 23/06/2022 16:43

Nope, the restaurant did not provide an even adequate level service. They were capable of it as you saw other diners been served in a timely manner.

€20 is generous- I would have done the same as you. And if this is France the French would not have put up with that service either & probably left even less.

Kerrrmieee · 23/06/2022 16:51

I've done the same in Spain. I thought it was very brave of me as it was only me and 10year old DD.

We had drinks and starters, both lovely, but the main (we both had same was awful!).

I did complain and say I wasn't happy, and as we'd had starters, and drinks that I'd pay half the bill.

They agreed, gave the bill with some liqueur thing and a sweet for my daughter. I left a tip for the waitress.

I was sick as a pig all night. Reckon it was the liqueur 🤣🤬

I think you were very reasonable OP.

Original poster
chocolatesaltyballs22 · 23/06/2022 16:51

OfCourseIDontMind · 23/06/2022 16:39

I'm guessing you're in Spain?

I don't want to say, but interested as to why you've come to that conclusion?

OP posts:
zingally · 23/06/2022 16:52

I sort of did this once in an airport branch of Frankies and Bennys. I was there on my own. They were really slow to seat me, other customers are looking at me while I just awkwardly hover at the entrance.
I eventually get seated and order a drink... which never comes, and no one comes to take my food order, despite trying to catch someones eye, and hollering "excuse me!!" over the surrounding tables.
20 minutes later, I just get up and walk out. Crap.

Sunshine10012 · 23/06/2022 16:56

As a waitress I’d say it’s fair to walk out and pay for the drinks only on this occasion.
any other restaurant would have given you something for free anyway.
I put through a wrong order the other day which meant the lady didn’t get her meal until after her family had Finished, so she got her meal for free.
it’s only fair.

VestofAbsurdity · 23/06/2022 17:15

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

10HailMarys · 23/06/2022 17:16

I had a similar situation to this once. After asking for the bill twice and waiting ages, I eventually approached a waiter and said 'We waited an hour for food, and now we've waited an hour for the bill, which we've twice asked for. If we don't get it within the next five minutes, we will leave without paying. Do you understand?'

The bill did not arrive and we walked out.

MatildaJayne · 23/06/2022 17:29

We had a similar experience in Amsterdam once. We were ‘invited in’ by the chap employed to drum up business. Fine, we were looking for somewhere like that restaurant. It then took ages for a waiter to take our order, then ages for 3 of the four meals to turn up. I queried it and they said it’s on its way. We started, expecting it to arrive. The rest of us finished and it still hasn’t arrived. I queried it again and was told it was on its way. Nothing complex, burger and chips. I went to the bar and asked again. Oh, they’d given it to someone else, they’d do another one. Waited again, still nothing. So I said, look, we’re going, give us the bill. No bill, more waiting. I went to the bar again. Still no bill. In the end we left some money on the table and left. They didn’t even try to stop us. Guy outside was still encouraging people in. 🤷🏼‍♀️Poor DS2 got a McDonalds on the way to our hotel.