Ever refused to pay the bill at a restaurant?

Question

A few weeks ago I went to a very popular chain restaurant, but had a terrible experience. Service was slow and extremely unpleasant. Once the food came it was almost inedible. I tried to eat it but it was cold and tasted funny. I tried to find the waiter but he was no where to be seen.

Finally I had to walk into the kitchen and track him down. He offered me a new meal but by then I had a sick feeling and did not want to wait another twenty minutes for another likely poor meal. I asked to have my meal scratched off the bill. He refused and said the manager was busy. I threated to leave without paying for my meal and then he got angry and said they would call the Police. If decided to pay, so I would not be arrested.

What would you do in a similar situation?

Answer 1

My friend had a similar experience, but she worked as a waitress so she knew all the "rules".  You should have insisted that you see the manager after you asked him to scratch the meal off the bill. (Make a scene if you need to!)  Most restaurants will do it provided you're being reasonable (an unreasonable situation would be like the time this lady wanted me to take something off her bill because it was "inedible" yet she managed to eat 90% of it. This does not sound like the case in your situation.  If you hadn't really touched the food, he couldn't have called the police because technically you hadn't used the restaurant services.  If you had however, I think he could have.  Next time something like this happens (hopefully never!) don't let some pushy, obnoxious waiter tell you the manager is unavailable. He was probably just afraid of getting fired.

Answer 2

If I were you, I would have gone to another waiter and asked for the manager.  I would not have paid the bill.  Since you already paid, I would save my receipt and call up and speak to the manager.  This waiter needs to be let go if he is treating customers like this he needs to go.  I assume you will make it clear to the manager your experience and inform him /her you don't think you will be in his restaurant again.  The economy is getting so bad I wouldn't be surprised if he refunded your money or offered you a free meal.

Answer 3

You can not be arrested for not paying for a nasty uneaten meal. I would have waited until the manager became "unbusy"

It wasn't as if you were trying to skip on the meal. I would not have paid, and threatened to call the police my self to have the waiter arrested for serving me dog food.

Answer 4

I would like to hear the server's point of view. Were you pleasant or were you demanding?

Why didn't you speak to the manager yourself? I'm sure another employee could track him or her down.

To be honest, it sounds like you walked in trying to get a free meal, and the server was smart enough to not let you get away with it. It is illegal, by the way, to not pay your tab. You can and would be arrested.

Answer 5

Here's your solution: if it was at a very popular restaurant chain, send a letter to their corporate office.

Your waiter more then likely just sealed his/her fate by not allowing you to talk to the manager.

They would not have called the police....  The manager would have questioned it and more than likely realized it was his server's fault.  A letter or E-mail to their corporate office will MORE THAN LIKELY result in some gift cards, especially with a story like that.  But, since you already left, that's about the most compensation you'll get for your crappy meal.

I just went through almost the EXACT same thing about a week ago at a Denny's...  I know I walked right into it by going to Denny's but..  Our cheese fries had unmelted shreded cheese on top at first, my burger was honestly unchewable, I had 2 drinks the whole time, meal lasted 2 1/2 hours, and when I wanted to complain the server was no where to be found.

Answer 6

I totally agree with Stephanie. 100% accurate answer!

I would have NEVER left without speaking with a manager, I have never heard of one that was too busy to speak with a customer.

Answer 7

i would definetely insist on speaking with a manager, or i would request a phone number to call.  hopefully, you remember the waiter's name and can go back to notify the manager and have him provide some sort of compensation.  if i were you, i would definitely go and tell the manager on duty about what happened.  no employee should be able to make the kind of decisions and threats that your waiter did.  at least, not without the consent from a manager.  make sure to include the fact that he refused to allow you to speak with the manager.  chances are, he didn't grab your food when it was up or he forgot to put your order in and he didn't want his manager to find out, so he told you they were busy.  (i was a manager.  the manager is never ever too busy to help an unsatisfied guest.)

Answer 8

I have to tell you about one time we were in St Louis going to a Cardinal game. There were several people with us. We went into Hooters to eat before the game. We waited over an hour for our meal to arrive. One couple got really upset after ordering their meal and after an hour...they said "Forget it, we are leaving to go find our seats" So our food came. We told the waitress that the one couple had left because it was taking way too long. So they wouldn't let us leave until we paid for the couples meal!! Can you believe that!!??

Answer 9

Sardine may be on to something.

I'm sorry but you say you waited 20 minutes for your meal & it wasn't right and you couldn't wait another 20 minutes for it to be prepared properly?  Sounds like you really didn't want to eat in the first place.  You have balls enough to go back into a restaurant's kitchen to find the waiter but you couldn't raise your voice, make a scene or talk to the manager.  And when you're threatened with having the police called on you, for nothing, you decide to pay.  You got suckered!  It's your money, you should've demanded to speak with the manager immediately & this was before you went into the kitchen.  I'm sure there were other employees at this establishment that you could've chosen to speak to in order to get the manager.

Again, I must reiterate, how dare you walk back into a kitchen - danger zone, NOT speak to the manager & still pay for poor non-service!

Answer 10

Wow!  Every time I am disgusted with my food they always take it off the bill and are understanding.  I would have raised my voice a little and made a scene so they would "want" to get me out of there asap.  Also, I would show the waiter, manager, cook, whoever, my meal and ask them if that looks good.  I just would have been a pain in the (you know what) until they gave me what I wanted, even if that ment not paying the bill.

Answer 11

If it was that bad- I would have tried to talk to the manager- and if no success- I would just have left when the waitor wasnt around. Thats a horrible experience.

Answer 12

I would avoid making a "scene" and pay the bill, but mark it with "Paid under Protest".  Then I would begin a written complaint campaign to the Better Business Bureau and the Company.   I would also tell all my friends, because "word of mouth" is an effective means of communication.  I would even go one step further and call my Investment Managers and inform them to NOT invest in shares of their company stock.  And I'd eMail Jim Cramer with my story and tell him to avoid them as well.  You would be amazed what just ONE person can do if they are determined.

Answer 13

say call the ******* cops then, like i care"

Answer 14

Ask to see the manager immediately, if he is too busy to see you start to speak louder and louder about how bad the service and the food have been so that other customers will hear you, the manager won't be too busy to see you if you do that.

Answer 15

The manager is NEVER too busy!

The manager's job it to take care of problems like this, especially a corporate chain.  Your server was trying to protect him/herself by keeping you from the manager.  He or she may have already been on thin ice with the management.

I tell you from 5 years of waitressing that you are entitled to 100% satisfaction.  As your server, if you are not happy with your food, I would apologize emphatically, offer you something new or go to the manager and have it taken off the bill, if you prefer.

If you are still upset by this, I would encourage you to contact the corporate office.  There will be some contact number for you on their website.  Some even have a form you can fill out online.  It is possible, and you should get it, that they will send you a gift certificate.  I assure you that they want your business and will do whatever is needed to get you back as a regular customer.

Don't ever let yourself be pushed around by the wait staff.  Although, walking into the kitchen is a big no-no and even a saftey issue for you.  The kitchen floor is covered in slime and the staff wears special shoes for crews to protect them from a slip and fall.  

Go get a hostess and insist on speaking with the manager.