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.

Ah, that is annoying. It's a shame you didn't notice there and then.

At this point (if you're sure it's ruined) I would be tempted to pop it in a pillowcase and try washing it in the machine on a gentle wash with a small amount of detergent.

DH had a similar stain on a jacket he thought was ruined. This done the trick.

Worth a shot if all else fails. I would try the other suggestions first before doing this. This would be a last resort.

A dropped knife wouldn’t leave a knife shaped grease mark though would it, it would surely just brush past. I think you need to forget about it, your coat never had any longevity if it can’t be cleaned.

And you weren’t in an upmarket restaurant if you brought your dog!

I’d contact them again and say you’re disappointed that they’ve failed to own up to what happened and you will pursue this through legal channels. In your letter/email make it clear what recompense you want and the amount.

They’re hoping you give up and go away.

I have been crying into the void for years about using an before a vowel. Yes, there are exceptions, but it is the norm. So much harder tp say a apple than an apple
But hey, 'language evolves' according to the lazy people, so those of us who were taught correct SpaG have to suck it up.
And now 'fashion' clothing is pretending to be utility clothing but is neither use nor ornament...
This country is so going to hell in a handcart 😀

I agree with this. I don't think that is an obviously 'falling knife' mark at all. Its annoying but I don't think its likely it was caused by the waitress dropping the knife.

@sleepwouldbenice You think the responses demonstrate jealousy??!!
What are they jealous of? A coat from toast? That the OP can afford an 'upmarket' ( but not that upmarket according to a later post) restaurant?
You need to look up the definition of jealousy

It’s not ‘an’ before a vowel. It’s ‘an’ before a vowel sound.

An hour.

OP I’d chalk it up to experience and let it go.

Are you defining upmarket as anywhere that doesn't allow dogs? I've been to plenty - granted mostly in France, that have allowed dogs, a few in the UK, it wouldn't be how I'd define upmarket, but you probably know best about most things!

YA 100% NBU. I wouldn't want the waitress personally to be out of pocket but at the same time, why should you be £175 out of pocket? That stain is not likely to completely come out and you will need to buy a new coat.

The fact that the restaurant is denying it would annoy me.

Do you have a photo of the coat before you went into the restaurant?

I agree it should come out of their liability insurance.

What a cheek!! I’d be so frustrated if I was you….. surely the restaurant has CCTV. So insulting to accuse you of being a liar on top of it all. Talk about customer service. Where is this restaurant I want to avoid it!

Depends on whether the coat sleeve was brushing the floor. If a lot of cutlery was dropped at once, as OP says, the knife may have come to rest on the sleeve and the mark made worse by the fumbling around to pick up all the dropped items. I think it’s pretty clear that if, as OP is saying, the coat was unmarked beforehand, then it’s likely the mark was as a result of the incident.

Try Dr Beckmann Stain devil - you can get one just for cooking fats and oils. They are brilliant on normal fabric so worth a try on the wax material.

"It's a shitty thing to happen but she didn't do it on purpose. I'd let it go as it's likely to come out of the wage of someone poorly paid already but understand if you feel differently and want to insist on compensation."

I completely disagree with this. And frankly I'm not sure why the OP is getting such a hard time. Id want an apology at the very least. And while there's not much that can be done for a coat that can't be washed they could offer the OP a meal / some drinks / whatever rather than implying she's lying!!

OP it would really piss me off as well. I once had a long Jigsaw woollen coat when I was about 25. I'd saved up for it and freaking LOVED it. I was getting off the train home from work one evening and because it was long (sort of ankle length) as I stepped onto the platform it was momentarily on the floor of the train, where a drunk guy stood on it and it ripped half way up the back. It was clearly his fault because who stands that close to someone on a half empty train? He said sorry to be fair but there was nothing I could do about it really. I was devastated. So I feel your pain.

I would email again and explain you want to avoid the small claims court. Please may they cover the cost of the coat or it’s dry cleaning ‘as a gesture of goodwill’.

I dropped a plate once as a waitress. Some food went on a customer’s jacket and shirt and I apologised profusely and told my manager. She comped their food and I offered to pay for dry cleaning. I think this is the normal response rather than defensiveness or hiding.

If you want to go all on It, is there like a local Facebook page where you can try and find out one of these women?

do you think they noticed what happened?

I would also got to the small claims court, surely something in your favour is the time when it happened, it would make it clear whether the table with the ladies had recently sat down (hence cleanish knife after a starter) of if the waitress was clearing up after a greasy main.

Put cornstarch on the stain and leave for 2 days. It should draw it out.

Do you have personal cover insurance ? You will need the receipt.

I'd expect them to pay for it to be professionally cleaned.

Did you not speak to a manager before you left? If so, surprised they did not take money off your bill and apologise. Run a restaurant and that’s what we’d have done.
Harder afterwards and we do receive bogus emails but would have called you to discuss.

Elbow grease spray will get it right out

Weirdly on here Ive noticed that so many people ascribe jealousy to the most ridiculous things, I can only think that they are jealous and think it's a normal reaction whereas disgareemt is entirely possible with no element of envy at all

No of course not!! Don't be daft. The restaurant should pay.

The stains look slightly saturated, as though liquid was dropped/splashed, or your sleeve had been trailing on the floor. I can understand why they're saying it doesn't look like damage done just by a knife hitting it (I can't see a knife holding that much liquid - a spoon maybe?). I don't think you'll get anywhere with this.

I can see a knife print. It is bad not to offer to clean the coat and not accept the waitress dropped a knife onto it.

I’d push back again, if it’s part of a larger chain ask for management.

Pre Covid I was sick after eating at a Cafe Rouge. Definitely their food. I wanted to get some sort of refund and I did, cost of my meal which was approximately £50 but they added extra onto it I assume because they thought I might take it further. But I had to push for it and went through another resolving website.

I can see a knife print. It is bad not to offer to clean the coat and not accept the waitress dropped a knife onto it.

I’d push back again, if it’s part of a larger chain ask for management.

Pre Covid I was sick after eating at a Cafe Rouge. Definitely their food. I wanted to get some sort of refund and I did, cost of my meal which was approximately £50 but they added extra onto it I assume because they thought I might take it further. But I had to push for it and went through another resolving website.