Advice please - tricky situation with restaurant

[hairbearbunches]

Any advice on this welcome. I'm not sure what to do next other than chalk it up to a poor experience and move on, but I'm pretty cross about it. Went to a pretty upmarket restaurant last week not far from where we live. Second time I've been. DH has been a few times more with work colleagues. The waitress dropped some cutlery behind my chair as she was clearing away the plates of the table next to us - group of 5 women. Loud noise, nothing more than that or so I thought at the time. As we were leaving, DH went to loo and asked me to take the dog who had been sitting underneath his side of the table the entire meal. I took her lead and she started paying serious interest in my coat which was hanging off the back of the chair. When I looked down, it was covered in grease marks, there was pretty much a perfect imprint of a greasy knife up the left hand side of the sleeve as well as other biggish greasy marks. It was quite obvious what had happened so I went and told the waitress who had dropped the cutlery. She looked a bit rabbit in headlights and I got the distinct impression she knew it was already there and had been hoping we weren't going to notice. The coat is a waxed coat from Toast. I got it in the sale but it still cost £175. It can't be dry cleaned, hand wash cold only. I've tried to get the grease out and made a decent stab of it, but it's not the same coat. There are still stains on it.
Anyway, long story short, I finally got an email back from them tonight saying they'd spoken to the waitress and the knife (singular) she dropped was nowhere my coat and therefore they believe that my coat was already greased up before I got there and the dog licking it has made it worse (the dog licked it once).
What would you do? Put it down to bad luck and accidents happen or pursue it further. I'm pretty hacked off with their dismissive attitude. I walked in to their restaurant with a pristine coat and walked out with it in a right mess and they've made me feel like I'm trying to pull a scam on them.

This! Eye to eye!

Some years ago, I was in a pub where one of the staff stumbled and doused me with a tray of beers. Everything cleaned OK (and they paid for the cost of the cleaning) except for my scarf, which didn't. As it was a pashmina (these are the days when they first became fashionable!), I wasn't happy to lose the cost of it and they agreed to refund me the cost if I bought myself a new one.

So, I don't think you should just accept their answer. I presume they have a social presence? You might want to consider using that as leverage if they're going to be difficult. No one likes a bad review.

Erm, that was obviously a rhetorical question. 🤷‍♀️

There are a number of higher end pubs and restaurants around us that allow dogs, maybe because we live in the countryside.

You've now spent several days on this, your meal with friends has become soured and you're no further on.

Accept the voucher offered (gift it to someone if you don't want to return) and move on. Next time be more careful with the kind of coat you buy, hang it up/leave in car if its precious and enjoy yourself. It was an accident. Yes, the restaurant should have responded in a better manner, but they've now lost a customer, and anyone else you tell.

Learn your lesson, move on.

I don’t suppose the dog does go near it if it isn’t smeared with greasy food

Yes, the restaurant should have responded in a better manner, but they've now lost a customer, and anyone else you tell.

Would you really not go to a favourite upmarket restaurant again because someone told you they think someone dirtied their coat?

No. Frankly I think it's all a bit ott from the op. But plenty of people will listen to bad reviews etc and decide not to go.

She must have a very clever dog that earns it's keep as a waitress. The dog didn't drop the knife down the back of her coat, the waitress did.

Say if they do not compensate you, you and everyone you know will vilify them on every social media outlet.

Why would it have been better ?

Not all upmarket restaurants hang up coats. They fight at the Ivy or Chewton Glen.

Where was the snobbery? Because she said the word ‘upmarket’ you need to get that chip off your shoulder.

Probably dropped 5 sets of cutlery.

That comment doesn’t really help does it.

Don’t even bother to answer this people let alone justify yourself. I can’t believe how your post has brought out all the trolls. I own restaurants and I would fully compensate you as we are insured to such events. I know mumsnet can have a few snowflakes ( bitches) but they have really come out for this one.

You really are bitchy aren’t you. I let dogs in my restaurant and the starters start at £18 so probably a bit upmarket. We also don’t have a cloakroom as there is no room for one. So I’d say 🤐🤐

Yet again people commenting that have no clue. Restaurants have insurance. 🙄

Is it a chain that has a head office? I'd email them, if so. Otherwise, email them back again. Mention on TripAdvisor. They must have insurance or a fund for this.

Restaurants have insurance , I know I own three.

Well that's a salutary tale. I'll be hanging my outerwear, if on the back of my chair, inside out from now on.

OP, I really, really advise firmly against leaving a bad review on Trip Advisor or other social media at this stage (and probably at any stage). Stay calm and keep the moral high ground. You have legal rights and they have insurance.

Without outing myself, my bread and butter is defending insured claims against an industry which is not hospitality but which serves consumers. The companies don’t give a toss about the bad reviews and the customers who go in all guns blazing just make themselves look stupid. Your power is your ability to draw out a legal case against them and cause them to incur time and costs defending. Negotiate calmly and reasonably and you are more likely to get a better offer.

I think you have done exactly that so far, for example trying to explain that you are not looking for a like for like replacement- how frustrating that they are trying to suggest you want this: they don’t appear to be listening. Keep it up- just be a calm and reasonable broken record.

Any luck with the baking soda?

Accidents happen, and you have to know how to let things go. It was perfectly reasonable to email them, but once it became clear, they were unwilling to rectify the situation, you should’ve ended communication. The manager sounds so rude, but realistically at that point, he knew he couldn’t/ was unwilling convert your experience. Next time just leave a negative review.

Well no, no it isn’t.