..to expect something off the bill when the waitress spills red wine all over me?

[furrycat]

I went out with some friends last night for dinner - we hadn't seen them for years, they live abroad and had recently got married so it was on us as a kind of belated wedding present.
At the end of the main course, the waitress removed my plate (from my left). I said thanks, picked up my (full) wine glass with my right hand and she somehow bashed the plate into it, sending a shower of red wine all over me.
She just kept repeating "oh, a collision!" and got me some paper towels to clean myself up with. About 10 minutes later she came up, apologised and said she'd personally pay for the dry cleaning..I said don't worry, it would probably come out in the wash (it would probably have been her entire wage for the night).
I was soaking wet and it ruined the last hour of the meal, but I didn't want to make a fuss and spoil it for everyone else. I thought they'd offer us at least a complimentary bottle of wine but nothing. It was an accident, and I accept these things happen, but surely the resturant should have knocked something off the meal?

FurryCat...

I think you are right expect something off the bill as a goodwill gesture, even if it's just the cost of the wine the restaurant staff spilt...would you have to pay for your meal if the waiter dropped the plate on the floor before giving it to you??

The exact same thing happened to me in a posh restaurant, the waiter knocked a whole large and expensive glass of red wine all over me. Fortunately, I was wearing man-made fibres that repel stains, so it cleaned up really easily. The waiter was very apologetic, as was the manager, who offered to pay for my dry cleaning. I told them that was unnecessary.

I was really shocked when my boyfriend said they had not knocked anything off the bill. We calculated that at least £15 worth of wine must have gone down my top! Very poor customer service, we never went back, and it closed down soon after, which I wasn't surprised about because the Maitre'd was really stuck up until I ended up covered in wine! So, HA!

blimey I don't think it's a proper night out unless I come home covered in wine

Chill - she probably tried to hide it from the manager in case she was fired

It was an accident