re: WWtOTdo or was I in the wrong?

You should have asked if you could break out food from another place. That's pretty rude to the staff and ownership.

Did you try communicating with the waiter?

"Yeah I got this down the street but the place was packed. We figured we'd grab a few drinks while we ate so didn't think this was going to be a problem. We're going to drink a few beers and probably get an app and/or dessert too. Is that ok?"

I promise you no one is turning you away if you're going to continue spending money in a non-full place.

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Did you try communicating with the waiter?

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Yes I did, after he said what he said, I told him what our intentions were, and said the deli across the street doesn't have places to sit and eat, and before I could finish my sentence that we will order some apps or dessert, he rudely interrupts me and says no. I never lost my cool or was rude, I simply downed the beer, dropped a five, said I don't need the $3 coke, and walked away.

I worked F/B for years (from waiter/bartender/management), and I am quite a generous tipper. Instead of this waiter having one of his many empty tables sat with paying customers, he had another empty table.


Like someone said in this thread, there is probably not a single restaurant in BR/NO that would have a problem with this during the slow hours of operation.


I did not want bar & grill food, I wanted a NYC deli sandwich (which was awesome BTW).


A couple beers, couple Cokes, an app, and a dessert would have been about $40 ($50 with tip), instead, they got $5 and their money spent elsewhere.


And NYC people are pretty rude as it is, from the ones I met. Actually the friendliest people we met were in the subway, helping us find our way.

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I can honestly see both sides of this issue

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Me too

On one hand, he's pretty empty and the beer and coke provided him revenue.

On the other hand, you are sitting in his restaurant/bar and he is assuming liability at that point. If a chair or table break, or you slip on an unsigned wet floor, he is liable to cover injuries. Meaning if you're going to sit there, you should be spending money to help him offset that insurance cost.

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I did not want bar & grill food, I wanted a NYC deli sandwich (which was awesome BTW).

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Then eat your shite somewhere that served that. Or anywhere other than a competing business's private property.

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On the other hand, you are sitting in his restaurant/bar and he is assuming liability at that point. If a chair or table break, or you slip on an unsigned wet floor, he is liable to cover injuries. Meaning if you're going to sit there, you should be spending money to help him offset that insurance cost.

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That makes no sense. I didn't have to order food from there, I could have sat there and had a beer and a Coke, I just could not sit there and eat food from the deli 100 feet away, while I drank their beer and Coke.

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frick em. Shouldn't have put tables outside, and there was no need for him to be a douche and lose your business for both him and the bar 

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Agreed.

NYC is the kind of place where they have signs saying the bathrooms are for "paying customers only". While you didn't exactly "break the law" you broke an etiquette protocol of sorts.

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didn't pay for the Coke. I told him I wasn't paying for the Coke because you won't let her sit here and drink it.

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You stole a coke, that is wrong. You ordered it, you must pay for it. As for the food aspect, unless my kid was under 4/5 yo and had special food for them, I wouldnt eat someone elses food at another restaurant. Most, especially in NYC, have a no outside food or drink policy. You should have asked first.

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Because he was in hells kitchen

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Depending on where he was, he might not be that far away. There are also a few other parks in the area and the water front.