To think I should have been told about the change of dinner plans?

[rockyyroadd]

I asked my friend if she wanted to go for dinner. Explained it would need to be fairly early and quick as I only had a baby sitter for a short time. She agreed and said she'd book the table.

A couple of days before the date my friend messages to say she's invited one of our other friends and they have booked the table. All fine.

Day arrives and I go to the restaurant. The waitress hands us all a menu each, which is for a 2 hour bottomless brunch. I explain that I'd like the regular menu as I'm not drinking. Waitress says the table was booked for a bottomless brunch therefore I'm not allowed the regular menu. It turns out the friend who booked had had a chat with the original friend and they'd decided to do bottomless brunch and then go on out after to continue drinking.

What should have been a quick meal with a coke turned in to me only being allowed a set menu with mocktails instead, for the hefty price of £50 each.

AIBU in thinking one of my friends should have told me the change of plan so I could have made a decision whether to still go or not?

I agree that it would be courteous to let you know what is booked and to check if you have any concerns as there is a minimum spend per person.

I don’t really understand why you asked to go out for a “quick” dinner and then pointed out the 2 hour slot. Are you saying 2 hours is too long? I think that’s a reasonably short time to spend with friends socially, so maybe “quick dinner” is ambiguous and perhaps you needed to be clearer that you can only spare X amount of time. It’s not like your lunch break at work for example where it’s understood you need to be in/out in an hour.

Also I think if I was your friend and I noticed you were in a situation of overspend against your wishes, I’d offer to cover part of your bill, especially if you just had the food and gave your friends your alcohol for example.

OT but if its dinner time it's not brunch!
Also it's never the "brunch" that is bottomless anymore, just the drunks!

Anyway, YANBU if anyone books a table for a group no matter what size and chooses a specific menu or option they should relay that.
If the deal includes alcohol they should check everyone is drinking.

Your friend has been really really rude and inconsiderate. You issued the original invitation making clear it was for dinner. She shouldn't have invited someone else along, she shouldn't have changed plans without consulting you first. This was a really shitty thing to do and I'd let her know that. She's not much of a friend.

Would you normally not drink? Do you drink at all?
One of the many (many!) problems with these bottomless brunch options are that the menu is often very limited and quite crap, and if you’re not drinking at all then it’s even more of a waste of money. But the ones I’ve been invited to (and politely declined) have the stipulation that the brunch must all be taken by everyone in the group. I presume some of this is to stop people ordering more drinks than they are drinking but passing them off to the people who aren’t paying for bottomless brunch.
Anyway, if she wanted to go out on the razz she should have arranged to meet the other friend after having dinner with you, she’s a weirdo!

I'd have left.

@TheChosenTwo I don't drink that often really. They knew I was driving as didn't have much time.

The menu for the bottomless brunch had only 4 options for main meals, none that I would have normally picked. I wasn't even allowed a coke for the £50, apparently that would have cost me extra!

Her opinion is obviously more valid than yours

She's overwritten you

@JosiePosey me too.

@JosiePosey It did cross my mind to leave, especially as my friends were getting annoyed that I was 'arguing' with the waitress about not wanting the bottomless brunch menu.

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Wow £50 without a non alcoholic drink! What a joke! Your friend sounds like a dick!

You should have.

Like fuck would I pay 50 quid for something I didn't want from a ridiculously small menu and some fruit juice.

Yeah they were rude and even more so for getting annoyed with you.

Well then that’s even more shit, if it was conceivable that you may have had a few alcoholic drinks but were just a bit pressed for time then maybe she thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Just to be clear though I think she was out of order! Very rude indeed.

I think the restaurant were at fault for not allowing you a single main plus a coke. Also your friends should have involved you in booking it in the first place really.
If you only had an hour, then it's understandable they might want to stay on for a fair bit longer than that though. But it wasn't what you had in mind so I can see your disappointment.
Next time you choose the place and timings and just invite the one friend. If there's two of you a quicker meal is more feasible.

I don’t think a 2 hour meal was an issue in itself. The package was a 2 hour unlimited drinks (probably from a limited selection) and a set menu at a set price. Completely pointless and extortionate for someone that isn’t drinking.

OP I would be very annoyed at being sprung with that change of plan. Telling you in advance would have given you the option to drop out or leave the car at home.

I wouldn't have paid £50 for a meal and mocktails that I didn't want. I'd have left. Your friend is not much of a friend, is she?

Yeah I'd have been annoyed YANBU, that sort of thing needs agreement from everyone beforehand!

Brunch for dinner? 2 hrs when you had said quick bite to catch up! No she sacrificed your evening for another personally I would have backed out had a coke and chat leave them to it.