To walk out of restaurant without paying in full?

[chocolatesaltyballs22]

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.

Presumably you checked out reviews before going?

what did they say? Was poor service mentioned?

LOL.

You've clearly never been anywhere and been treated as OP described - purposely ignored because they clearly don't want you there. Local place for local people type vibe.

It's happened to me a few times and it's really unpleasant and uncomfortable. It feels like you're being punished for being there.

I imagine they expected OP to leave without paying. The service wasn't forgetful and haphazard, it seemed intentionally poor, to get them out.

You’re a complete mug if you think paying for shoddy service is ok. 😂

Have you actually tried that? 😂

No, you can't do that. By all means remove the service charge, but that's as much power as you have.

Have been to Spain a million times and that's never happened to me...! I'm baffled to read others had the same experience! I wonder if it's because the staff's a bit unexperienced?
On another note, I'm in Porto and it's the city main holiday tonight! Happy St John's to all!

Presumably you can do this when you haven't eaten the food and after telling the staff that it was unsatisfactory and giving them a chance to pt things right.

Not paying is wrong and unacceptable, or even paying not the full amount. It is stealing of a sort I think.

As for a local place for local people, it happens in this country too though becoming rarer. It would not surprise me if the attitude of some people from these shores when on holiday elsewhere creates ill feelings, never mind Brexit and the embarrassing serial liar who represents us politically.

On the few times this has happened to me, I stand up & VERY slowly faff around with my handbag, jacket, whatever.
If I'm not presented with the bill on my way out, it's their fault for ignoring me.

It's happened to me in this country, when they assumed I was foreign, along with a Greek friend. Went into a little pub in a quaint village and you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. It was just so clear they didn't want us there. The waiter was curt and unfriendly, food slammed down in front of us, practically. They were so incredibly horrible we wondered if we should even eat the food and drink the drinks, in case they'd been spat in.

All the other customers got great service, all chatting and laughing with the staff.

It genuinely felt like we'd crashed a BNP meeting. Hell, maybe we had.

My money's on France

This was my first thought.

Similar thing happened to me in France. Rubbish service, seeing to everyone before us, food coming out cold etc. In fairness our French was pretty poor and my husband’s family are typical Brits abroad.

On the other hand we had some lovely meals out the rest of the holiday and got on wonderfully with the local students who worked at the campsite.

I did this in Singapore..Still surprised I wasn't locked up haha 😅

I think you were justified OP. I wish more people would have the guts to call out rudeness, but in a moderate. proportionate way (not by being obnoxious).

We always used to look for local restaurants in French villages and mostly this worked out well - with friendly conversations with the other customers and a great atmosphere.

But once we were in a small village restaurant where there was a table displaying (what turned out to be the owner's) watercolour painting, all with prices on. I admired them and tried to buy one, only to be told 'They are not for sale'. She had a look on her face...which definitely implied 'Not to you!'

Now, honestly, we are a quiet, unassuming family - no loud laughter or overbearing conversations in English, always polite to staff etc and showing appreciation for the meal. It was weird - and to the PP who blamed Brexit and thinks that's OK as a justification for xenophobia, I don't agree. This was way before Brexit, and I'm sure you get small-minded people in every country. Iwas definitely an anti-tourist, maybe anti-English gesture. It was the only time I encountered something like this (I don't go looking for it) but it was upsetting.

Oh - one other occasion, in the south of France, I got the cold treatment while speaking my best (not very good) French. Then suddenly, the lady said 'Oh - are you English? I thought you were German!' and became warm and friendly. My accent, I guess, and lingering memories of the wars???

No, you can't do that. By all means remove the service charge, but that's as much power as you have.

Read my post at 18.46 @knittingaddict you are wrong.

Buying a meal in a restaurant is a contract for a service. If you don't think you've been provided with the service and you haven't yet paid, you can negotiate with the restaurant for a price that is mutually agreeable, or you can offer them what you think is right and let them sue you if they disagree. If you've paid up front you can ask them for money back and if they don't give it to you you can sue them for what you think the meal was worth.

Because it's an honest disagreement about whether the service requested was provided, it's a civil disagreement, not criminal theft.

In contrast, if you just leave because you just don't want to pay even though you do think you've had what you ordered, that's theft. Similarly if the restaurant take your money knowing they don't have no way to feed you would also be theft (or possibly fraud). Of course, proof of intention can be difficult to prove to a criminal legal standard, so that doesn't guarantee the police will prosecute. But doing things like refusing to discuss (e.g. doing a runner or blanking a customer asking how to get refund for unserved food) could be considered indicators of criminal intent.

I can’t believe some people actually walk out without paying, I think that’s really awful and basically theft. Yes it’s very annoying when the wait staff are slow bringing the bill, but at the very least you should leave some cash to cover it.

Thank you for backing me up @NumberTheory no doubt some posters will still resolutely refuse to believe either of us.

@Getoffmyshoes

why though?! The food was inedible and they were treat with rudeness. Why should anyone pay for that??

We went to a pub for Sunday lunch five of us. Food ordered, drinks were ordered and brought to our table, a couple came in after us and their food arrived before ours,, part of our order arrived, just two plates instead of but five, but no veg or gravy, the next table seemed to be overflowing with veg and gravy. Ours. The rest of the food eventually arrived but DH and I were still sat with congealing meat and a Yorkshire pud. Cold by this time. Daughter went to the bar to complain twice. The manager came to us with apologies and a full refund for the entire table. £79.00
Get this…we hadn’t paid! Told him this and he said “take it”. So we did.

I think the OP leaving €20 instead of €30 was fine. I don’t think it’s fine to walk out without paying anything when you’ve had food and drinks, which some have said on this thread.

I'd never have walked out without paying anything. I just wanted to make a point.

And I'm in Spain.

It’s totally absurd that some strident posters apparently would pay in full for awful food/no food, and bad or non-existent service.

As for anyone adjusting the bill being ‘entitled’ IPMSL. 😆

YES, YOU ARE ENTITLED. Entitled to a decent meal/drinks as ordered, and within a reasonable timescale.

I wouldn’t sweat actually receiving a paper bill if they’re busy. I’ve often paid on the way out, usually with a good tip for the good food and good service.

I’d have done the same as you OP

I'm blame Brexit. 😉

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

I agree. Not bringing the bill quickly when the customer has clearly indicated they want to pay and leave is bad service. See also not bringing the change after the bill has been paid.

OP you did the right thing and 20 euro was more than generous in the circumstances and showed the restaurant that you were unhappy.

If it was Spain, its useful to know that they are required by law to keep a complaints book.

Asking for it can be a good way to get the restaurant to actually fulfil their side of the bargain and provide you with a decent level of food and service to persuade you away from recording an official complaint.