Birthday dinner ruined - restaurant refused eat free offer!

[Heatherstory]

NC’d for this.

Birthday meal out at a local restaurant - they do an offer where the birthday person eats free as long as 1. It’s their actual birthday date and ID is provided to confirm and 2. There’s a minimum party size of 5.

It’s an all you can eat concept where food is brought to the table rather than you go and get it, a great deal as the food is lovely and the offer saves £30.

When we asked for the bill, we mentioned it was my birthday and I said I’d get my ID out of my bag. Someone came over (not the person we asked for the bill) and explained we were not eligible for the offer as only 4 of us had the all you can eat. My 2 year old DD was with us and obviously had a small meal (which we were to pay for).

My DH asked to speak to the manager - the person who came over said that he is the manager and refused to budge. We reluctantly paid.

We’ve checked the offer wording and it’s clearly stated it’s based on 5 dining (doesn’t specify it has to be the all you can eat) which we fulfilled.

It really soured the evening and we will not be returning which is a real shame as it’s a lovely restaurant, but they have been so underhand with this.

This. Op, do you not understand that they are a business and need to make a profit?

OK, what if you and your husband had gone with three kids and you'd paid for one adult meal for your husband and three kids' meals? Would you expect to eat free then?

Ah, you’re one of those entitled people who gets off on trying to ruin someone’s business (when times are tough) because you didn’t get your own way. Grow up.

I actually feel sorry for the restaurant. Does this mean that if you went in there as the only adult with 4 children that you would expect a free meal?
I’m sorry, but you are being really unfair and I don’t think that you will come out of this smelling of roses. When people read the review they will think how entitled you are and that the restaurant doesn’t like people taking the piss. This would actually make me go there!

Regardless of whether you should have had the offer or not- you can’t let things like this ‘ruin’ experiences.
Focus on the time shared with love ones, the lovely food etc. Life becomes miserable if you inflate minor inconveniences.

It’s good to tell them you have a voucher when you arrive.

I hope the manager lets your review go viral and names you so the managers of other restaurants will know you are that type.

I have an ex that was always trying to get something for nothing and trying to buck the system. His soul was a shrivelled thing as he was always working on his next scheme.

I Googled him a few months ago and he is still at it two decades later and has even served jail time for cutting corners that lead to a terrible outcome.

It's really not the way to live your life. Try to find joy in other things.

Exactly.

The trouble is, lot of the time businesses feel forced into "offering goodwill" and the cf end up with the offer of a voucher or something , as the business can't be arsed with the hassle

They will probably think fuck it and do away with the lovely birthday offer though, as with people like the op, is it really worth it?

Some people just want something for nothing and can't take a nice offer for what it's intended, without every eventually being written in small print. Like the example a few posts up of a new restaurant offering free pizza with a drink and people ordering water 🙄

Please e mail directly to them rather than give them a bad review in public. Businesses are suffering and its a misunderstanding rather than bad food.

I'm sorry your birthday was spoilt. However 5 adults dining would be 5 adult full price meals surely .A 2 Yr old is little more than a baby! Even the hungrier tot would struggle to manage a 2 or 3 course meal surely..Ŕestaurants are under huge pressure atm .food cost through the roof .staff wages increases .and so on .check the small print in future and eat some humble pie .you were wrong here I'm afraid

FFS @Heatherstory you are being incredibly:
Miserly
Stingy
Tightfisted
Tawdry

First of all, whenever you want to take part in this sort of promotion, you should ask before you order or when you make the reservation.

Anyone with half a brain cell can work out to make this promotion viable you need a minimum number of people buying full priced meals - spending £5 on your DC's meal and expecting them to be included in this promotion is taking the piss and you are being delusional.

It sounds like this is a local business and they won't have access to corporate lawyers to ensure that the exact wording for this deal is bulletproof to ensure CFers like you don't exploit the restaurant's goodwill.

Leaving a poor review is also such shitty behaviour, particularly as you have admitted you usually enjoy eating there. If your DH leaves a review, I hope it backfires on him as it has done on here. The vast majority of people think you are being twats. Those people who agree with you are probably entitled twats as well.

They didn’t “try it on”. The restaurant failed legally. They would lose in court (provided we take OP’s story as gospel, which is what we should do)

These type of local businesses deserve to fail.

🙄I think OP - You are the sort of person that creates the need for 'Do Not Drink' warnings on Shampoo......

It's perfectly obvious that the offer would be for 5 adults paying, you're not going to get a £30 meal free if one of the five only aid a fiver!

“Half a brain cell”.

You are wrong. There’s a reason why terms and conditions are so vital. OP followed the instructions. How shitty of a restaurant to act like this on a person’s birthday?! Swallow your pride and honour it. It’s a very cheap lesson to learn to tighten up the rules of your promotion. It’ll be an expensive lesson when the review undoubtedly puts more than £30 worth of people off. And they deserve it.

I feel sorry for the restaurant, you’re now trying to get a voucher out of making of fuss when it was your mistake!

Was the food good, was the service good (apart from the bill confusion)? If the answer is yes to both, then I think you are being overdramatic to say your birthday meal was " ruined." Yes, the restaurant could be more clear on the 5 person offer, but as proven here, most people would have assumed that applies to 5 full paying adults, not a £5 toddler meal.

@Pipsquiggle also how dim do you need to be to reference corporate lawyers?! 1) they’re not that expensive, especially when you own a business. I hire them for T&Cs all the time. 2) Chat GPT is free 3) it’s so obvious and takes half a brain cell to know as a restaurant you should be sure to make it clear who qualifies for a promotion.

You're trying to exploit them on a technicality, the business mechanics make it obvious that it referred to adults. You had ample opportunity to check they would bend the rules, and when called out you are planning to blackmail them?

@justnottinghill read my post above your's

No good local business 'deserves to fail' because they don't have access to lawyers to bulletproof a well meant promotion that benefits the restaurant and the customers.

Yes, legally you might be technically right but what's also right is that @Heatherstory (and you) are being exploitative CFers.

Blackmailing cheapskates.

I can't believe the OP would have the neck to go back with a voucher after shaming herself by trying to scam them.

Really? The type of small business that op admits is "lovely" deserves to fail?

Many people on here were able to recognise what the offer meant. I hope they pull the birthday promotion and have a long and successful time as a business in the area

Holy Moly Another one???

Surely it should be clear that someone is not going to get a free adult meal if they paid £5 for a toddler?

Do you need such clear instructions for everything? You sound like the type of person who needs the 'may contain nuts' warning on a bag of peanuts! or "caution hot coffee' on your Starbucks! 😂

I wish I knew where the restaurant was...if I read op's spiteful review, where she admits the food and restaurant is lovely and the only issue was ambiguity over a voucher, I'd take my friends and family for a meal to support the business

Seeing as almost everyone replying on here thinks you were in the wrong and the restaurant was in the right, please don’t leave a negative google review, that is just vindictive.