My parents...

[MaggieTheCat]

My parents went out to dinner tonight. The restaurant they went to used to be known for having really good food, but then it fell under new ownership/management and the food wasn't so great. At first it was still pretty okay, but the quality has declined over the years to the point that the last time my parents went (a couple of months ago, over the summer) they decided the food quality wasn't worth their time or money and they weren't going to go back.

Well, they went back tonight to give it another shot and again were disappointed. The wait staff ignored them (there was only one waitress, but the place isn't big and wasn't very busy and she walked past my parents table several times without asking how things were or if they needed refills on their empty drinks) and the food was apparently pretty bad.

Before they had sat down at a table to order dinner, my parents had sat at the bar for a drink and asked the bartender to start a tab for them and add their drinks to their dinner order after they had eaten. Well, when the check came at the end of the meal, it was just for the meals and not for the drinks. My dad was about to let someone know, but my mom stopped him and said that since the food and the service were so bad, why should they bother being honest and paying for the drinks when it was the bartender's fault for not letting the waitress know they had started a tab? So they paid for the food and left without paying for the drinks.

I can understand why they were upset, between the subpar service and the bad food, but I told them, they should have told a manager, or at least someone, that they were so unhappy, instead of just leaving it. As it is, they didn't tell anyone that they were unhappy with the food/service and they're not planning on trying to get ahold of a manager either, because "what good will it do? I don't think it's going to change anything" according to my mom.

[figures]

You should be honest for honesty's sake, not as a reward for doing proper work. Lowering yourself to stealing negates any complaints IMHO. A low class establishment simply should not be patronized. Asking for a refund on inedible food is perfectly fine, (Although an often abused option by the moronic customer) but that was flat out wrong.

It's hard to be an honest person, when the whiners and complainers get rewarded. I'm not 100% positive I'd pass this test myself, to be honest.. But I'm an admitted bastard..

[surreal20]

well, you could put it this way.

It's the holiday season. Maybe they will get a gift card for their poor service. With that, they can re-gift it to someone they aren't as close to :P Because we all know, we'd never wanna grant that sadness to someone we REALLY like. LOL It's just a thought.

[GiggityGiggityGoo]

Haha, they did well

[bainsidhe]

Walking out on their tab was theft. I feel for them because of the lousy service, but they needed to tell management. If management wasn't very helpful, they could've insisted on a reduced meal. But to just walk away from paying for something you used, that grinds me a bit.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

They had a responsibility to honor the contract they clearly made at the beginning: to pay for the drinks at the end of their meal. And they failed to do it. If they wish to feel justified, they would have told the truth and then complained about their service. Having been honest about the drinks would have merited them compensation for lack of service, and they would have gotten a discount and might have left the place better than it was. But now the restaurant is off, and the bartender may end up getting in trouble.

[Raveni]

First thought that came to my mind was that the waitress thought that the drinks were paid for at the bar and not the kind that came with complimentary refills. Thus the lack of offering to refill them when they didn't order drinks with their dinner.

Still sucky, because she should have asked when their drinks were low if they wanted water or something else.

[Sapphire Silk]

I agree with the majority that your parents should have paid the bar tab.

They got lucky that the bartender didn't notice they were leaving: the police could have been called.

If they paid by credit card, the police still might be.

It was bad form, even if they get away with it.

If service is bad, complain! Don't be passive aggressive.

[TheSHAD0W]

So the bartender's going to get penalized for the lost drinks, while the waitress gets away with it?

[lvsssycat]

^^^^what P said^^^^^^^^^^^^

Your parents really should have asked to speak to a manager about the issues.

I work for a small family owned restaurant and it upsets me as a staff member when another one gives bad service.

As for the changes in the "quality" of the food. Once again, if you don't tell mgt that you are not happy with the changes, they don't know.

[South Texan]

So the bartender's going to get penalized for the lost drinks

My thought exactly.

What your parents did is theft. Plain and simple. The bartender had to answer for the unpaid tab, and neither the waitress nor the restaurant were informed of the problem regarding the lousy service or the poor food quality.

I usually applaud creative ways of being passive aggressive when it makes a point, but theft is not something I can condone.