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Message
How would you react
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:38 pm
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:38 pm
This happened a couple of weeks ago, and I guess I'm still perplexed by the whole thing so I wanted to see how some of you would have reacted.
Restaurant with great reviews has advertised happy hour: half off drinks, half off tapas, 5-7. You know dinner service doesn't start until 6:30, but you are there for drinks and tapas (which might have led to dinner, or dinner another night if you really enjoyed the food). You arrive at 5:45 to an empty place. You are told the kitchen is closed, bar is open, tapas will be available in 20-30 minutes. You feel like an unwanted guest, or maybe the woman in the kitchen belting out "I'm fixxxxxxxxxing the motherfricking breadddddddd" was serenading you. You have a drink. Relax. Chat. Patiently waiting for tapas time. You have another drink. And nobody offers you anything...no menu, no tapas, nothing. You notice the bartender seemed to be pretending he was muddling your head instead of the berries in your martini in which he used a completely different vodka than the one the cocktail menu said would be used. Dinner service begins (as evidenced by the only other people in the place, a young couple with reservations), and still, nothing. So you pay and leave, pissed off, vowing to yourself to never go back or visit any other establishment owned by these people (at least that was my reaction).
Was I supposed to demand a menu? Demand attention? Did I have a reason to be upset?
Restaurant with great reviews has advertised happy hour: half off drinks, half off tapas, 5-7. You know dinner service doesn't start until 6:30, but you are there for drinks and tapas (which might have led to dinner, or dinner another night if you really enjoyed the food). You arrive at 5:45 to an empty place. You are told the kitchen is closed, bar is open, tapas will be available in 20-30 minutes. You feel like an unwanted guest, or maybe the woman in the kitchen belting out "I'm fixxxxxxxxxing the motherfricking breadddddddd" was serenading you. You have a drink. Relax. Chat. Patiently waiting for tapas time. You have another drink. And nobody offers you anything...no menu, no tapas, nothing. You notice the bartender seemed to be pretending he was muddling your head instead of the berries in your martini in which he used a completely different vodka than the one the cocktail menu said would be used. Dinner service begins (as evidenced by the only other people in the place, a young couple with reservations), and still, nothing. So you pay and leave, pissed off, vowing to yourself to never go back or visit any other establishment owned by these people (at least that was my reaction).
Was I supposed to demand a menu? Demand attention? Did I have a reason to be upset?
11
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:41 pm to TigerGrl73
I think I would have done the same thing. Would have already gone through all the emotions, wonder, amazement, perturbed, pissed, skrew it...
ETA: was this in LR? if so, mind saying?
ETA: was this in LR? if so, mind saying?
This post was edited on 7/16/10 at 3:43 pm
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:42 pm to TigerGrl73
I probably would have asked what was up before I left.. I would be irritated..
**ETA: If i knew i wasn't planning on coming back i would have risked pissing some people off by asking what the F was going on
**ETA: If i knew i wasn't planning on coming back i would have risked pissing some people off by asking what the F was going on
This post was edited on 7/16/10 at 3:44 pm
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:43 pm to TigerGrl73
where
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:45 pm to TigerGrl73
Can't blame you for leaving. I can get a vibe for a place in a hurry and if seems like I am going to have a bad time, it is not worth staying.
If you really wanted the food, it wouldn't have hurt to ask for the menu, but they def. made it sound like they didn't care about your business.
Do tell which restaurant?
If you really wanted the food, it wouldn't have hurt to ask for the menu, but they def. made it sound like they didn't care about your business.
Do tell which restaurant?
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:46 pm to TigerGrl73
Call them out
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:46 pm to notiger1997
Really wouldn't have hurt to ask for a menu, huh?
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:56 pm to Ole Geauxt
It was in Miami at Talula, owned by Frank and Andrea Randazzo (she is/was on Top Chef this season, I don't watch the show much though). I don't think I've been so uncomfortable in my life. They recently opened a new place and I guess they are focusing their energies there.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:59 pm to TigerGrl73
I would have done the same as you...left and vow never to return.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:59 pm to TigerGrl73
I can't stress enough how important it is to have people in the front of the house with good attitudes and it is especially true of the bartenders.
I like to pop into restaurants from time to time just to sit and have a drink and read the menu, etc. to see what they are about. Sometimes I might get an appetizer or something, but usually it is more or less a scouting mission to bring my wife or a group back for dinner.
I like to pop into restaurants from time to time just to sit and have a drink and read the menu, etc. to see what they are about. Sometimes I might get an appetizer or something, but usually it is more or less a scouting mission to bring my wife or a group back for dinner.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 3:59 pm to TigerGrl73
quote:
You feel like an unwanted guest
Why did you feel this way? Simply because there was nobody else there?
I'm still trying to figure out what exactly was the big deal, besides you not getting a menu and having the bartender "muddle your head."
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:02 pm to EliPorter
quote:
Why did you feel this way
It was like we were bugging them just sitting there. The attitude was oh crap we have people here now, although that didn't stop the servers from sitting down and reading their books.
quote:
I'm still trying to figure out what exactly was the big deal
First, don't advertise you have happy hour from 5-7 with tapas if your kitchen is closed and you aren't serving tapas. Second, when your kitchen does get around to having tapas available, tell me the kitchen is open. Offer me something. Is that difficult when we're the only people there?
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:03 pm to TigerGrl73
for me, that kind of scenario could piss me off to no end. depends on the day and my mood.
you did have a reason to be upset. i probably would have asked about the vodka, especially if it was at a lower price point but i was still paying a premium martini price.
the bartender didnt have great read and act skills. with that said, i probably would have inquired if only to point out that i wanted something like food when i walk into an establishment with a kitchen. he would have probably been too oblivious to realize that he failed at anticipating your needs.
you did have a reason to be upset. i probably would have asked about the vodka, especially if it was at a lower price point but i was still paying a premium martini price.
the bartender didnt have great read and act skills. with that said, i probably would have inquired if only to point out that i wanted something like food when i walk into an establishment with a kitchen. he would have probably been too oblivious to realize that he failed at anticipating your needs.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:07 pm to TigerGrl73
quote:
First, don't advertise you have happy hour from 5-7 with tapas if your kitchen is closed and you aren't serving tapas.
Ah, I didn't realize that they were supposed to have tapas starting at 5. Sorry.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:23 pm to TigerGrl73
quote:
Did I have a reason to be upset?
YES... It's called Humans Failing Miserably Part 9887350285125
You did nothing wrong. Good Lord, you're there to be catered to, which is why it's called the service industry. Don't you dare feel anything but disgust for idiots like that. Your mission now is to tell every single human you run into to never darken their door, and hopefully they will be shut down and we can all sleep better knowing another failure has fallen.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:27 pm to TigerGrl73
I would pay, leave a $0.05 tip...and never go back.
This post was edited on 7/16/10 at 4:29 pm
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:34 pm to TigerGrl73
quote:
Did I have a reason to be upset?
Dunno. But you sure are a wordy little cuss.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:36 pm to TigerGrl73
Can I be enlightened as to wtf tapas are? tia
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:45 pm to LSUballs
quote:
Can I be enlightened as to wtf tapas are? tia
It comes from Spain, and is basically small portions of food which usually accompanies drinking. Like tastings.
Posted on 7/16/10 at 4:47 pm to LSUballs
Make sure when you pronounce it that you make sure what your friend/woman hears is tapas, not topless. I have been given the what the hell look a few times when I have told a few of the uninformed that I was going to a tapas place for dinner and they heard it the other way. 
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