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.

Have you tried putting baking soda on it?

My view is that if you buy an item of clothing which cannot be washed then you take responsibility for the fact that accidents happen. One day, something was going to mark that coat; it was just unfortunate it came so soon after buying it. It could just as easily have been your child with an icecream, or you eating a mouthful of something messy when out and about that you accidently dropped down your front.

Apart from the fact that I wouldn't buy a coat I can't wash, personally I would have folded it away and not left it on the back of my chair in a busy restaurant. You have to accept some responsibility here. It's a bit like the parents who send their kids to nursery in designer clothes and then moan when they come home covered in paint.

Thanks for all the comments, including the anti dog ones and the definition of an upmarket restaurant 😀all appreciated.

I will admit to putting 2+2 together because I didn't directly witness the cutlery falling, I only heard it clatter directly behind me. But if the coat was completely clean when I walked in and then had these awful grease stains on them, I think 2+2 makes 4 really. I don't see what else could have happened. A load of dirty cutlery was dropped very close to where my coat was and my coat was subsequently covered in grease.

The response of the waitress was just off. There was no apology, just straight away 'i was nowhere near your coat' when she clearly was walking directly behind my chair time and time again. Only reason for giving her approximate age was to confirm she wasn't an inexperienced youngster. The women were eating their mains as we were seated and the plates looked to be fairly messy. I wouldn't know how to contact any of them which is a shame because there wouldn't be one person in there during that service that wouldn't remember. Several pieces of cutlery falling from a decent height makes a right noise and it was the kind of noise that quietens a restaurant for a few moments afterwards as people look at each other and wince.

A manager wasn't apparently on duty when I reported it, there was no phone call later that day from anyone and an email I sent to follow up that night wasn't fully responded to until 4 days later, placing the blame firmly on me. I just don't think that's good enough, from any establishment regardless of it's upmarket-ness.

I'm not an arsehole, I do accept that accidents happen all the time but their response has been bizarre. If their customer base is people who try it on to get free meals, I'm going to have to rethink my own definition of an upmarket restaurant 😂I also might stick some numbers on the lottery. I mean, how lucky do you have to be to wander into a restaurant with the idea that you can somehow pass off some hideous grease stains on your coat as the restaurant's fault and then, bingo, some waitress drops a load of cutlery behind you and gives you the perfect foil. 😀

I previously worked for a chain restaurant and sometimes had to deal with accidents like this. We had a procedure for it and would pay for dry cleaning/replacements, or comp the bill, if a staff member was at fault. This never came out of the staff members wages, I’m sure that sort of deduction would be illegal.

If this restaurant is part of a group then I’d try escalating to their head office. If you need a contact name then the senior team may be on their website or on LinkedIn. Be clear about what you want - a replacement coat, or dry cleaning bill paid.

If this is a one unit business then I’d assume the Manager is already aware so nowhere to escalate. In this case I’d send another clear communication, and then follow small claims process if not resolved.

Hope you get this resolved 🙂

personally I would have folded it away and not left it on the back of my chair in a busy restaurant.

Sorry but I think it's pretty common practice to hang your coat on the back of a chair in a restaurant. Where on earth would you put it when you folded it away?

I don’t think falling cutlery would leave such well-defined stains but I accept there seems to be no other cause.

It is really annoying but take a deep breath and let it go. I once had a leather jacket stained on a school trip I helped with. Didn’t cross my mind to expect the school to compensate me. Rubbish things happen and this in the category of annoying but ultimately trivial.

I am part of the hating dogs in restaurants club and have had dogs nuzzle my shoes, coats and bag many times. I would love to sue the owners. Or throw grease on their coats…

I actually think this is so bad, and no way would I be letting it go!
It’s so obvious what happened, the stain mark clearly looks like something was dropped down it and as you say it’s at an angle that would be hanging off the back of the chair.
Continue to speak to the manager and say you will have to choice but to seek further advice, this may or may not prompt them into action, but out of principal they could have at least offered you a gesture of good will!

I agree, and I imagine this is what the restaurant concluded too. Falling cutlery would have had to have landed on the coat and sat there for some time to produce those marks.

I thought guide dogs only were aloud in restaurants 😲 a post the other day about a pug being carried around supermarket and now this.

Let it go, you are rich😁

I haven’t read full thread but if the coat is hanging off the back of a chair how did it get such a deep imprint. How did the knife land to make such a mark?

I have to agree with those saying that doesn't look like a stain caused by a falling greasy knife. It looks more like you leant on a greasy surface or your coat sleeve brushed a dirty plate.

Unless maybe your coat sleeve was dragging on the floor and the knife fell directly onto it?

Aww that is a very noticeable stain. Fairy liquid is great for greasy stains, you have tried that. The other liquid I use on stubborn greasy stains is Elbow Grease spray. That seems to help too. I usually spray some on and then use a soft brush to get into the fabric. I can’t imagine re-waxing would remove the stain, the other thing I would suggest is taking the jacket to a dry cleaners for advice. I would be sending the bill for professional cleaning for reimbursement.

It looks more like you have leant on a stain than a knife falling.

I'd let it go, and probably wouldn't go back to the restaurant if their response bothered me that much.

Or, I'd accept shit happens, and carry on going if I had enjoyed the food etc. Your coat is inappropriate for the job it has, she accidentally dropped something, management could handle it better.

I definitely wouldn't call it a tricky situation, you get to choose your next move.

I'm not sure but it seems we have several CSIs in the thread,perhaps they could enlighten us.

I wouldn’t be fobbed off. I don’t often do this (and frequently leave good reviews) but I’d be posting the details publicly on their social media, stating that you are disappointed in the response. Trip Advisor is your friend here….

I think I'd let it go as well. I see the knife shape you are talking about, but I don't think it could have made that impression falling. There would be a track mark from where it 'first met the coat' to where it slid down. Unless the coat was on the floor and it landed directly onto it and stayed there for a minute.

Also unless they serve fried chicken in bowls of oil I don't see how any knife could be that greasy. I think you touched against something. I got an ugly brown line down my coat before from a fence that was recently varnished.

I work in a restaurant and I dropped a bowl of red cabbage all over a man wearing a lovely white shirt a few months ago 😭 Shit happens. However I did apologise profusely and my manager told him to send an invoice for the dry cleaning and the restaurant would cover it.
Personally if that waitress had been me, I genuinely might not have noticed where the cutlery went. It’s so embarrassing when you drop something and if you don’t directly see where it’s gone you’re usually too wrapped up in trying to tidy it up before you notice if it’s stained anything. However seeing as you mentioned it at the time, I definitely would’ve apologised and if no manager on duty, would have told you to send an email and we’d cover the dry cleaning, or if not possible I’d have given you a free round of drinks as a gesture.
However, there is a possibility that it might not have been the waitress! Maybe the table next to you knocked something down? It’s a bit of a grey area here but I definitely think the manager should’ve offered a gesture of goodwill.

The thing is though there’s no proof that a falling knife made that mark unless gravity stopped still for a minute. Splatters on a hanging coat could be expected but a full-on imprint can’t be proven to be from a falling knife.

I can't figure out how a falling knife could cause that much damage (and be that greasy?!).

It would make more sense if the sleeve had been trailing on the floor and cutlery had been dumped there on top of it for a while. Or, if somehow cream or butter had been transferred onto the jacket and stayed there.

Even a lightly waxed jacket shouldn't have stained this badly...the wax layer has failed or been compromised. I second suggestions to contact the manufacturer for more guidance and looking into if you have any sort of personal cover that you may be able to claim on if you don't get anywhere with the restaurant.

As it stands, unfortunately you've no solid proof of what happened, you are only suspecting and didn't notice it at the exact same time as the clatter. So it's essentially your word against the waitress and if neither her nor the restaurant will admit fault then you may not get anywhere with them in terms of the compensation you are wanting. It's a shame but I suppose things like this happen.

Have you gone in, in person, to see a manager? Sometimes they will be more reasonable dealing with a person rather than an email. Especially if you take the jacket so they can see it in person.

Also unless they serve fried chicken in bowls of oil I don't see how any knife could be that greasy.

Gravy would do it.

Bit lost at upmarket restaurant that allows dogs, and leaves their diners coats hanging on the back of chairs
buy some wax and get over it
next time don’t go there

Ask for their insurance company and go straight to them? Small claims court?

Ultimately if the restaurant pays up for a replacement of the monetary value thereof it will probably come out the waitress's wages. Up to you if you are more comfortable with that or just sucking it up yourself.

A restaurant will have public liability insurance for damage to third party property. That said, this is likely to be less than their excess. However it is very much the employer’s responsibility to pay, not the employee’s.