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.

People here love to label the rest of the worlds customs and traditions as “sexist” but in actual fact you’re a tiny island, and the rest of the world still in this day and age live a much more conservative way of life in comparison, and while no country is ran perfectly, it works for them. So don’t speak like you’re the majority.

All you have to do is look around and read on here to how your modern values are failing women 😂

Ah see it is possible for restaurants to make it clear on their adverts. It’s a shame the one OP went to didn’t do this.

I wasn't labelling the rest if the world's customs & traditions as sexist, I was just saying that you are, for judging a man not to be able to provide for his woman (even though OP clearly said that they paid the bill so there is no evidence of this) & for pointing out to the restaurant their own t&cs. You've made so many leaps over several of your posts, you're probably now in a town far, far away, safe with your own judgement and with any luck, no wifi

“I don't know where you're from but it is obviously a very sexist place” that is literally what you wrote you daft woman 😂😂 And I don’t care who thinks I’m sexist, I just expect better from men.

Label my home country sexist all like but look at your own country ‘s values (or lack of them) before making such statements… A country full of men who will impregnate you and never marry you, leaving you high and dry financially when you split up.
Men who will shack up with you, and expect you to contribute 50/50 financially while you birth the children, do the majority of the housework and childcare.
And now we have this clown who’s going to oh so bravely take to the internet because his wife didn’t get a freebie meal at an all-you-can-eat buffet for her birthday 😂 the gift that keeps on giving, he’s pathetic.

But hey at least you can shout liberation. But what have women actually gained from it, aside from allowing you to have a louder mouth.

This is not how most of the world live. And for good reason. It’s a breeding ground for entitled men who defy any sense of responsibility. And women who do value themselves enough to demand better.

I’m giving up responding to you now as you’re breaking your back to defend such bottom-feeder behaviour I’m not wasting my time.

This

We don't know it didn't do we? OP has been asked what the exact wording was but, surprise surprise, she has not replied

I only said this because you included the area you're from when you made the statement, along with many other sweeping ones 🙄. It's sad that that is your experience of men but it isn't my experience. Maybe you're a poor judge of character?

My teens obviously eat off the adult menu so I would reasonably expect them to be included but not a child eating off the kids menu. You should have checked on booking / arrival…

I disagree with the majority.
The party was 5, as stated. It didn't state 5 adults, you complied with the offer exactly as stated.

tbh I’d probably fall for this too - I’d be expecting there to be a condition on child’s meals so go online to check, find no conditions, so therefore expect the child would be included.

Has anyone seen the carefully penned and suitably toned Google review yet?

Agreed - these things always mean a full adult meal - it doesn’t need spelling out because it is obvious. Completely OTT to say it ruined your birthday

I don’t think a business should rely on things being obvious - some people will actively look for loopholes (I’m not saying that this is what the OP has done), so it is in the best interests of the business to make sure they close the loopholes.

I agree with you, I just don’t think this was a loophole, and if the op posted a link it would be clear it was 5 people eating at the all you can eat. She’s so determined to get her 30 quid if it really was ambiguous I’m positive she’d have posted a link, tthe fact she’s not, and also waited till the end, tells me there never was a loophole, they just chanced it,

You may well be right, @Charlenedickens.

If the OP's OH submits his review tomorrow it may take a few days for it to be on TripAdvisor or similar. If anyone finds it, please post it here!

@Livpool

People keep saying it doesn't need spelling out, but the fact is that it DOES need spelling out to some people.

Several people have said in this thread that if it had been them, they would not have realised that the offer only applied to adults.

Maybe they could have knocked off the fiver for your child. I would have assumed 5 full price. As a PP has said, you could take 5 children and pay £20 for the whole party.

I'm shocked the OP even thinks it's a reasonable expectation.

@Heatherstory exactly this. The hospitality industry is really struggling and people like you are part of the problem. Where's your personal responsibility? If your evening out was dependant on you getting the deal why didn’t you check when booking or even discreetly when you got there? There doesn't seem to have been any embarrassment about making a scene with the manager afterwards.
Just remember what goes around comes around. A suggestion to the restaurant that they clarify the offer with regard to child meals is reasonable. Trying to damage a business with a negative review for spite and the expectation they will compensate is just nasty.

OP claims it did not say it didn't include toddler meals. She has not posted the deal or given any proof, just her word which I wouldn't take as proof. Most places say something like free meal*. The asterisk means it is on you to read the fine print. Deals like this also say in fine print to read details online. At most you have to ask for the deal before ordering. But now thanks to her refusal to believe she is wrong the restaurant may well remove the deal altogether ruining it for others who do read the small print. If she is so convinced she is right why not say the restaurant and everyone can look for themselves? Because she knows she is wrong and just wants something for free.

I can probably understand some people maybe not immediately understanding the terms. But surely the second the restaurant pointed out the limitation, you’d understand why? At that point it would mean you wouldn’t start a thread on AIBU or leave a shit review?

@Bundleflower

But surely the second the restaurant pointed out the limitation, you’d understand why?

Yes, fair enough. But I'm more responding to people who are saying that the restaurant didn't need to specify the offer was only for adults because it should be obvious to everyone - when, as has been pointed out in this thread, it's NOT obvious to everyone.

Things do need spelling out to some people.

Well she has now that you listed it all together! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I think the OP’s response here is interesting. She completely ignores the cost question.
If she genuinely believes a toddler’s meal counts for the deal then surely she would say so here. Or comment that makes sense I understand why a toddler meal isn’t included:

i think there are two possibilities

1. She didn’t think the toddler meal would count but knew the T and Cs weren’t clear so tried it

2} This is a reverse and is the restaurant posting to see what people think.

Things do need spelling out to some people.

They do, and people’s impatience and intolerance about it just makes them look like arseholes to be honest. Plenty of them on this thread.