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 is one of those posts where no one comes out looking great. The restaurant made a mistake by not clearly setting out all the conditions - and they’re a business, they should be clued up on this stuff. They should have honoured the deal and learned from this.

However, it’s pretty obvious it was an error and times are not easy in hospitality. I wouldn’t have insisted on the offer in op’s shoes and if everything else was fine I certainly wouldn’t be trying to damage their business.

I would bet quite a lot of money that the OP comes back to the thread with a story of how the restaurant came back to her, eager to kiss her arse and gave her a free meal with champagne for her family and a dozen friends. Or some other way that has her ending up as the winner.

When did we start having to have everything meticulously written down for people to understand?

Because of chancers like @Heatherstory who will always try it on.

I assume this is a joke, goady thread.

No sane adult would get their arse on over this.

Lordy 'pen a suitably toned review'

Sincerely,
Outraged of Tunbridge Wells

In the spirit of birthday celebration, which the restaurant were trying to project, the manager should have explained there is a restriction to adults, apologised, then let it go, framing it as a gift to OP. Then make sure that the restriction is very clear to future customers.

They should not need to specify that they mean people eating a grown up meal not a toddler eating a child's meal. Anyone with a brain would realise that.

Also, I say again, that it is usual to ask about a deal or present a voucher at the START of the evening not the end

Your DH will look stupid if he writes to complain that a child’s £5 meal doesn’t count towards the birthday offer.

Anyone reading that review with an ounce of common sense will realise that and they’ll think he’s deranged.

I actually look out for low star reviews just for the entertainment value. 😂

No, he really should not. His only mistake was assuming that people have brains and use them.

Always state an offer you are using before you start I’d say.

as an aside, I’d be incredibly pissed off if I’d gone to a friends birthday dinner or a family member and they were saying the meal had been ruined because they had to pay an extra £7.50.

You've said the food and service was very good. If my husband was planning to write a shitty review based on a technicality/omission of the industry obvious (deals based on paying adults) I'd be having a cataclysmic dose of the ick.

I imagine the restaurant will reply as such, whilst slapping their arses on both sides that you've vowed never to return. Indeed they might well shout you a voucher for a different place, on the condition you keep your promise never to return to theirs.

Apologised for what? Her getting it wrong and not asking or at least assuming.

I'd always assume children's meals didn't count, especially something at only £5, thats barely cost price. I think its so obvious its not really a big deal that they weren't specific about it.

If children's meals counted you'd get two adults going with three children expecting to get an adult meal free, the restaurant would go bust so fast.

Are you sure there was no additional small print you missed? I do agree that it should specifically specify it. But I also would absolutely never assume that a toddler meal of £5 would be included in the deal, and would be very surprised if it actually was.
I also always check on any deals/vouchers etc when I arrive at a restaurant to ensure there’s no small print exclusions.

The onus was on you to state that it was a birthday and that you would like to take advantage of the offer at the point when they seated you and gave you your menus. YABU, and you would be bang out of order to leave a shitty review.

Wouldn't it have been only sensible to check that the offer based on five people dining applied to a party of four + one small child before you relied on it? If they'd said no, would you have booked elsewhere?

The hospitality industry is in terrible trouble partly for political reasons and pandemic fallout, but also because people - not just you - won't pay a fair price for the hard work, skill and supplies it takes. I'm sorry you were disappointed, but they face daily heartache.

Well, given that you won't be returning, a voucher won't be any use to you will it? If you do get one, I guess you would donate it to someone who can't afford to go out for a meal.

🤣

What an awful thing to do. Especially as you say its a lovely restaurant. You are an idiot if you thought buying a fiver toddlers meal would qualify for the offer. Also ridiculous comment that your birthday meal was ruined. It wasn't ruined, you just paid a fair price for it. Leaving a bad review is nasty.

I do hope instead that the restaurant firmly maintains its position, as it will be clear to any sensible people reading the review that you were being unreasonable in including a toddler as 5th diner! Please don't embarrass yourselves.

@Heatherstory
Please give us the name of the restaurant so we can check the small print for you before you make a fool of yourself. Also, I'd like to know if it's near me so I can go as it sounds lovely!

If it is Golden Orient it says five adults.

I think they probably mean five adults, but the Ts and Cs could be clearer.
It would have been a classy gesture if they'd explained this to you, allowed you the discount as a one-off and wished you a happy birthday. If that happened to me I'd definitely keep going back.
As it stands, though, while I think 'ruined' is a bit of an over-reaction, the restaurant behaved inflexibly and in a jobsworth way and I wouldn't be inclined to go back.

Yet it's only applying the same logic as you have. It doesn't apply to £5 kids' meals, that should've been obvious without having to state it. It sounds like you're determined to lean into the ruined birthday and get some bile out in the review, but really you made the mistake and had a nice meal so it's not this big deal, just a misunderstanding.

It is really shitty of you to expect a fiver for a toddler meal to equate to a £30 adult meal. If I were the manager I would have given you the free meal, if you paid the £30 for the toddler. It is even more shitty if you, or your dp to leave a negative review. You are BVVVU!