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.

So write, the restaurant had a deal on for their all you can eat buffet. Five diners , one eats free. So we brought our toddler, bought a 5 quid meal for them, had four of us for the all you can eat and our toddler didn’t count!

😂

Good plan, OP. That'll learn 'em.

Don't forget to make sure that he uses his real name.

@Charlenedickens - I don’t think businesses can rely on everyone having the same common sense opinion. Much better to make sure their Ts &Cs are watertight.

Can you let us know when it’s done? Desperate to see the restaurants response as they try to politely call you a CF

I wouldn't have let it bother me this much. I would have just got on with it and enjoyed my birthday. If the meal was good and this was the only problem then I definitely couldn't be arsed with a shitty Google review. Life is too short to obsess about such things.

Well of course it means 5 full paying people

He can leave as many beautifully penned reviews as he likes, but the fact is 84% of voters on this thread think you are BU and the Tripadvisor (or whatevs) readers may feel similar.

Personally, I would have let you have the deal as a one-off gesture of good will (whilst mentally rolling my eyes) and then update all advertising to clearly say children's meals do not count as part of the offer.

All promotions like this always apply to full paying adults. Not many people would assume that a child eating a kids meal counted. Bet the restaurant change their T&C's sharpish. I really wouldn't let £30 quid ruin my birthday and I wouldn't leave a snotty review either, not for this.

As the OP has been asked many times to link to the offer and hasn't I'd lay money on the terms being perfectly clear that it's adult meals only that count.

Now you are indeed sounding like a cheapskate - trying to get a voucher out of them because your previous attempt to get a free meal didn't work. And all because the day cost you a fiver more than you expected to pay?

4 x £30 meal (one of five dines free) = £120
4 x £30 meal (four adult diners) = £120, plus 1 x £5 child meal = £125 total.

Why are you making such a fuss, unless you're just a freeloader desperate to get something for nothing?

Unless she has the thread deleted for "being outing" - I. e. not liking the replies. 🙄

Yes, I did wonder why she didn't double check at the start.

Yep that's what I assumed too. You get a lot of food/meat

Someone is sure to read it and recognise her instantly.

It's only 30 quid..... how can that "ruin" your evening? And obviously the 5 diners won't include small children. In future, OP, just check!

I feel like offers like this are usually the type where the cheapest meal is free anyway rather than the specific meal eaten by the birthday person. Presumably to avoid situations where 4 adults order cheap meals and the birthday person then orders a 20oz steak for free. In this situation I think the restaurant could have possibly compromised and offered the cheapest meal (the toddler’s £5 meal) for free but to expect their meal to count as one of the 5 and getting a £30 reduction in the bill is a bit ridiculous and taking the piss.

If one adult showed up with 4 kids under 5, would you expect them to get the free all you can eat?

Why on earth would you think the restaurant offer the birthday deal out of the goodness of their heart?? People go out to dinner to celebrate their birthdays, restaurants know this. Birthday deals exist to encourage you to take your celebration to that particular restaurant, not because they want to give you a birthday present ffs.

For what its worth I am piss poor and I think you are being a cheapskate.
I also think you were being a right chancer taking your toddler for a £5 meal and still expecting them to count as one of the five 'diners'.
I also don't think the manager looked 'sheepish' as you put it, probably just embarrassed for you that he had to explain the obvious.....
Not all people on a lower income lack basic common sense, I really don't think the restaurant will be as bothered as you think if you don't go back.

I'm surprised you assumed a child's meal would count towards the offer or didn't check beforehand. Why did it ruin your dinner? It's a blip at most and you'd had dinner by then

Smart wedding dresses for an overweight 57 soon to be bride?? Help!

Please please let us see your review and their reply. I’m sure you wont get the voucher you want.

You were chancing your arm with the offer. If people abuse it or complain about it the restaurant will get rid of it for everyone

I think you've posted to the wrong thread.

Sorry for your meal12 of us turned up.
Offer won't be applied to our booking we were told.
4 of us ate. 4 had drinks. And the rest sat fuming without anything..
Why did so many of your party have NOTHING?!! @Whereismyfleeceblanket

It’s not even that, it’s a fiver!