To feel guilty after complaining?

[VWdieselnightmare]

Today a friend and I walked our dogs around a local beauty spot and then went for Sunday lunch (pre-booked) at a pub where we'd been told the food was good. I had beef, my friend had turkey. My plate contained two slices of rather rough-looking beef, one slice nicely pink but the other, hidden underneath, still raw in the centre with unrendered fat. I showed the waitress and asked if I could have two slices pink like the first. My plate came back with two tough, well-done grey slices, and half a pint of extra gravy sloshed over the top for disguise. Meanwhile my friend was prodding at her turkey: it was wet and slimy in texture. Spongy. We presumed it had been heavily injected with brine to keep it moist. When you pressed it with a fork it oozed clear liquid. It wasn't nice.

The broccoli was mush, the giant carrot (served whole) was coated in thick syrup. I love my carrots but I couldn't eat this one. The 'crunchy goose-fat roasties' were pale and soft. It was only £15.99 each, so I wasn't expecting perfection, but I didn't expect it to be quite so disappointing.

When the waitress came back and asked us 'Everything okay? How's the food?' my friend showed her how squidgy the turkey was and said 'It's nothing personal, but people told us the food's good here and we were hoping for better.' Five minutes later the waitress came back and offered us free puddings, but neither of us are pudding people so we said thanks but no thanks. Then we put all the meat we couldn't eat (which was most of it) in dog poo bags to take home for the dogs. I went to pay and they had only charged me for drinks. I said thank you, that was very kind of them, but we had enjoyed the Yorkshire pudding and the parsnips and sprouts, and we were taking home half a pound of meat for the dogs, so I was happy to pay for one meal at least. They said no.

Now I feel a bit of a shit. Were we unreasonable?

That's fine - it's the mark of a well-run restaurant that they accept bad feedback with good grace and comp the meals. Sounds like they had kitchen problems on this occasion.

You might give them another try?

You feel unreasonable because they comped your meal because it wasn't cooked right????

Your feedback might help them keep other customers by improving the food. Give them another go as they obviously took your concerns seriously. Don't feel bad, it's good that they respond like this.

I think their customer service was excellent given the issues.

Why do you feel guilty, for bringing sub-standard food to their attention???

Maybe they have a new chef, shit one, tired one? I'd look up reviews and see if others have had issues. If not, I'd give it a few weeks and try it again. They did exactly the right thing!

Not quite the same thing but in a restaurant in the highlands

we booked our table ordered our food and sat there and sat there waiting thought it may be because they were busy but then a couple came in after us and got their meal and we still hadnt been served

this was an hour after ordering so i asked why we were still waiting and as the waitress did a very swift walk into the kitchen realised they hadnt actually taken our order through,

they comped our whole meal and the drinks as well this wasnt what i wanted still offered to pay for the food as it was so good when we did get it, but they wouldnt let me felt a bit guilty as its a village restaurant only one there and the service the first night we went in had been brilliant and the food was excellent

Only £16!!!

Bloody hell for that I'd expect it to be lovely!

It's up to them. That is their policy. Stops people moaning on trip advisor.

No. I feel unreasonable because we came away having eaten about a third of the content of the plate and each with a bag of meat to feed our dogs. It wasn't as good as it should have been but some of it was edible and giving us both meals for free seemed like overkill. Comping one of them would have been plenty.

They handled it well OP. I'm talking as a restaurant owner. Don't give it another thought

@Isseywith3witchycats I think we're cut from the same cloth. I'm happy to pay for the thing that went right and happy to accept a reduction on the bill for the things that went wrong. Particularly when it's an independent business in a more rural area, where running a business can be tricky.

I didn't think of the Trip Advisor angle. I'd hate to think they thought were out to cadge a freebie meal — but more than that, I'd hate to think that other people had eaten fatty raw or overcooked beef and spongy turkey and said nothing.

Thank you, my guilt has been assuaged!

They'd stand to lose a lot more from a scathing review on social media so I'm guessing they'd rather just not charge you in the hope that the worst is you just don't go back and you don't post an online review either.

£16 is cheap for a roast beef Sunday lunch. I don't know where you'd get one cheaper? - I think even a Toby carvery place charges about that. Don't want to be a London-centric idiot though so interested to know where you get cheaper?

Getting comped like this is a sign of a well run establishment that is willing to take feedback and look after their customers.
In this situation, where the offer is greater than expected, I'd be leaving a good gratuity.

Why would you feel guilty?!

I’m guessing the regular chef was away and they had a stand in they knew was struggling

No I think they did the right thing, it’s a restaurant not a soup kitchen, you are supposed to enjoy what you’re eating

You were polite.

They were polite.

Don't feel guilty.

you weren’t unreasonable and it’s good they took what you said on board. Maybe they were just having an off day in the kitchen; it’s good you didn’t have to pay for that. No harm done and I would say they handled it well.

There is place close by which charges £15 for Sunday lunch.
2 good slices of meat
Huge Yorkshire
4 different types of vegetables
Roast potatoes and copious amounts of gravy.
Totally love it.

You feel unreasonable because they decided what to comp you?

You didn't do anything to feel unreasonable about