General How would guys have handled this

[JWL]

That’s crap - I would have left. Hopefully word gets around. If customers were not told the deal when they booked the reservation, it crosses the line from stupid into shady imo.

 

[jason73]

for 95 bucks the hostess better jerk me off under the table

 

[MountainMedic]

I would have been knocking shit over on the way out..

"Fuck your drink station too!"

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

for 95 bucks the hostess better jerk me off under the table

95 USD. That's a years wages for us.

 

[Meohfumado]

Assuming my CC hadn't been charged beforehand...

When the food came out and they said "you have ten minutes" I'd have NOPE'd the fuck out of that place, and not paid for a damn thing.

If my CC had already been charged, I'd call my CC company on the way out of the door and dispute the charges immediately.

 

[luchalibre]

So my daughter made reservations last night for dinner with her boyfriend and 5 other couples for New Years eve. Spoke to the restaurant several times, yep not an issue, we have your party of 12 all set for 5 oclock.

My daughter gets there early and there is a sign on the door that says parties of 2-5 have 1.5 hours to eat, parties of 6 or more have 2 hours. The sign also mentions mother's day and local graduation only due to being busy but nothing about NYE.

So my daughter and her boyfriend get sat waiting for the rest of the table and she see a menu list in front of her. States it is 95 dollars a head. You have a choice of appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert. Drinks are extra.

None of this is mentioned during the reservation. They thought it was just the regular menu.

My daughter asks the waitress, is this all we can order and do we really only have 2 hours to finish everything? Server said yes, they do this on NYE.

So of course some of the couples are late and everyone finally arrive by 5:20. Appetizers get ordered, meals get ordered.

Appetizers come out at 6. Tick tock.

6:30 the server tells the table you have to be out by 7. My daughter said we haven't even gotten our meals yet. They will be right out.

6:45 meals finally come out, several of them were messed up but they just ate.

6:50 server comes up and says you have 10 minutes, what would you like for dessert and we will pack it to go for you.

7:00 they were basically kicked out. My daughter and her boyfriend paid 300 dollars alone not including tip. Everyone was so pissed that they just came back to our place and hung out with me and mama san instead of going to the bar to celebrate.

I told them all I would have just got up and left, none of that bullshit was disclosed during the reservation process or on their social media.

As a restaurant owner I can't imagine ever doing that to a guest. My daughter said that other tables were grumbling and shocked by it. They totally fucked themselves for any future business. I hope the money and pissed off people was worth it.

But I fed them drinks for a couple hours and they were able to finish their desserts.

Would you have just grin and bared it or noped the fuck out. I would have been gone in 2 minutes.

100% gone. I dont go out on big days like NYE for this exact reason. Restaurants prey on people who splurge on holidays and give subpar food and service. Fuck that.

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

Restaurants prey on people who splurge on holidays and give subpar food and service.

My wife and I usually go out for dinner on new years eve, nothing crazy just leave little dude with the grandparents to get some 'us' time, and we're finding this to incredible the case. Food is fine but the service is terrible.

 

[luchalibre]

My wife and I usually go out for dinner on new years eve, nothing crazy just leave little dude with the grandparents to get some 'us' time, and we're finding this to incredible the case. Food is fine but the service is terrible.

I feel like they get the cheaper cuts of meat to be honest. Choice instead of prime beef, wet pack instead of dry scallops. Just silly stuff like that. They're more interested in turning tables for overpriced food then providing a great experiance.

We noticed it a few years in a row with even high end restaurants and we just stay home now.

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

I feel like they get the cheaper cuts of meat to be honest. Choice instead of prime beef, wet pack instead of dry scallops. Just silly stuff like that. They're more interested in turning tables for overpriced food then providing a great experiance.

We noticed it a few years in a row with even high end restaurants and we just stay home now.

We just did an Italian spot. Same prices, same food, terrible service.

 

[luchalibre]

We just did an Italian spot. Same prices, same food, terrible service.

Italian is hard to cheap out on. It's one of the easiest foods to make cheap and consistent. That's a good plan for dining out to be honest.

 

[Mutant]

A lot of dine in restaurants or fancy places have a NYE experience and they have slots so people in later slots are not waiting forever at stragglers. Sounds like people rolled in late and that messed up the time slot. Lesson learned and next time no matter where they know to ask about these things!

 

[Jamie999]

American obsession with turning over tables. It's disgusting and completely destroys the dining experience.

Next time they should find a good bar/grill/pub that serves excellent food and doesn't care how long they stay.

Lesson learned, don't go somewhere for a holiday or event that puts a 2 hour cap on you.

 

[Jamie999]

As for handling it. Probably would have bitched a bit but ate it. I mean you can't just change plans last min on new years.

Never ever ever would give that restaurant another penny of my money, and if it's a group probably reluctant to spend money at any of their other restaurants as well. Fuck them.

 

[kvr28]

A lot of dine in restaurants or fancy places have a NYE experience and they have slots so people in later slots are not waiting forever at stragglers. Sounds like people rolled in late and that messed up the time slot. Lesson learned and next time no matter where they know to ask about these things!

I get that, they should have disclosed that when they took the reservation.

 

[Mutant]

I get that, they should have disclosed that when they took the reservation.

This will happen with minimum wage people they don't give a fuck. No you know to ask fur these things on celebration nights!

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

I get that, they should have disclosed that when they took the reservation.

Whether or not you're on a time slot shouldn't determine whether or not you show up on time.

 

[kvr28]

Whether or not you're on a time slot shouldn't determine whether or not you show up on time.

I agree, it's one of my pet peeves. But in today's society it is the norm, we don't take reservations but can have a large party show up and say yeah, everyone is going to be here at 6, so we sit the first 2 and then thirty minutes later the rest of the party shows up while I could have used those tables and sat the large party somewhere else. My wife wants to make a rule that we don't seat you until everyone is here but I think that will cause larger issues then it's worth.

 

[supersonic]

For a place to be that militant a few things need to happpen. The service and experience need to be top tier, the food better be dialed and on time to the minute, and the customer knows what's up beforehand. Problem is most places have no chance to pull all of that off. As for the place, they would be forever boycotted and I would have taken as many mints from the hostess stand as I could fit in my pockets.

 

[Rasputin]

I agree, it's one of my pet peeves. But in today's society it is the norm, we don't take reservations but can have a large party show up and say yeah, everyone is going to be here at 6, so we sit the first 2 and then thirty minutes later the rest of the party shows up while I could have used those tables and sat the large party somewhere else. My wife wants to make a rule that we don't seat you until everyone is here but I think that will cause larger issues then it's worth.

Here in Montreal the party of 12 will not be seated unless at least 8-9 of them have arrived.

Not sure if their 2-3 hour time slot starts running when they seat or at the time of the actual reservation.

We are all in our 30's 40's these days everyone gets there on time its just respectful for everyone

 

[BeardOfKnowledge]

I agree, it's one of my pet peeves. But in today's society it is the norm, we don't take reservations but can have a large party show up and say yeah, everyone is going to be here at 6, so we sit the first 2 and then thirty minutes later the rest of the party shows up while I could have used those tables and sat the large party somewhere else. My wife wants to make a rule that we don't seat you until everyone is here but I think that will cause larger issues then it's worth.

If I ran a restaurant it would be out of business in a half hour.

 

[Lamont Cranston]

I wouldn't have gone to a restaurant that has a time limit.