i wanna be comp'd!

[tanabutler]

Was the partner who made the offer present when you were billed? If not, you absolutely should have said something. He could easily have made a sincere offer but not communicated it to management.

They sound like nice people. A reminder wouldn't have been out of order. Clear communication is always better than bad blood. It sounds like an innocent misunderstanding to me.

[Randi]

Was the partner who made the offer present when you were billed? If not, you absolutely should have said something. He could easily have made a sincere offer but not communicated it to management.

They sound like nice people. A reminder wouldn't have been out of order. Clear communication is always better than bad blood. It sounds like an innocent misunderstanding to me.

He was there. My friend and I wondered if the fact that we ended up using her credit card was the reason they didn't comp me (since it didn't look like I was paying).

But why would they have presented me with a bill at all if they were intending to comp me?

[JohnnyH]

well, one of the restaurants I work at they named a dish after a frequent diner and one after his wife. Funny thing is, I don't know if I have ever seen the guy pay for anything there.

We had a couple of guys like that for a while -- I think the management referred to them as "investors," with a wink and a nod...

[KatieLoeb]

well, one of the restaurants I work at they named a dish after a frequent diner and one after his wife. Funny thing is, I don't know if I have ever seen the guy pay for anything there.

We had a couple of guys like that for a while -- I think the management referred to them as "investors," with a wink and a nod...

Unfortunately, a lot of the time those "investors" are just taking up a table that could have a paying customer's ass in the chair.

[TheFoodTutor]

I didn't know if I should have said something.

Would you?

Yes. Definitely. I would have treated it as if I were eating in my place of employment, and they'd forgotten to give me my employee discount. I'd assume, since I was promised a meal with a friend, that it would be paid for, and I'd have said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you misunderstand. . ."

Now, on the subject of comping, I happen to be a person who gets comped a lot, although I never expect it, and I feel that it would be rude to expect such a thing. Restaurants are places of business, and I never go into a restaurant without the money to pay for what I order. Nevertheless, I am frequently recognized as both an industry insider and a good customer, and free things have a tendency to appear at my table much of the time.

I actually go out of my way at times to not be identfied as such, so that I won't get any special treatment, and sometimes I still get found out, and an extra dessert comes to me anyway. On the industry side, there is the dirty little fact that a lot of us aren't making a heck of a lot of money, compared to people in other businesses, and so we compensate each other for the fact that we're all living on a shoestring, and we don't have that much money to eat out anyway.

But yeah, if someone says, "Come in, and have a meal on me." You'd better believe I'll come and eat it, and I'll budget for the tip I'm leaving the server.

[Milt]

There have been a few (very few) times when I have been offered a meal, a dessert, a drink, a room, etc., as a thank you for various reasons. I have always inquired upon arriving, to make sure that all appropriate staff know of this. I also ask if there are limitations on what I order. Is it any dessert, or is it the restaurant's decision? There still have been awkward moments, but far fewer than might have been otherwise.

[Shelley G.]

I like the concept of "lagniappe" - a little something extra. I adnit that I do this very unexpectedly - perhaps an amuse, a small sweet, a sample of Dragon Pearls. Always something I know the customer will like. The unexpected treat seems to be the thing, no matter how tiny the treat. The thing is, it is always entirely unexpected...

[adegiulio]

Cool thread, I'm glad it was resurrected...

Would you expect the GP you've gone to all your life toss in a free physical once a year to say thanks?

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My dentist gave me and my wife free cleanings the week before our wedding. Probably a wedding gift more than a comp, but I doubt they do that for everyone...

There is one restaurant that I rave about which is in a town that we are building a house in, Red Hook NY. We love it there and really like the people who run the place. We ALWAYS get comped something, whether it is some Prosecco before our meal or a dessert afterwards, or some homemade grappa after that. Usually there is more than one comp per meal. Now THAT is generous. Food is so good that we would love it anyway....

[Timh]

A regular that starts to expect extras, what a nightmare! My experiences have been from "tastings ' of dishes to help decide to bringing their own wines, to plain asking for freebies. This is solely the discretion of the house. Sort of on the same note, If a customer takes more than 1/3 of a dish before deciding they don't like it, they pay for it. This has created controversy for me before but i chose to make my stand.

Edited October 30, 2004 by Timh (log)

[irodguy]

I am comped something every time I go to a particular Sushi bar. I bring them lots of business and have introduced many of the people at the office to Sushi there.

In return there are always several extra pieces of Sushi that just arrive.

It also depends on how friendly you are with the restaurant's owners / management. I go to one place where they keep trying to comp me. I explain that I want them to make money and stay in business and insist on paying.

[Pan]

A regular that starts to expect extras, what a nightmare! My experiences have been from "tastings ' of dishes to help decide to bringing their own wines, to plain asking for freebies.  This is solely the discretion of the house. Sort of on the same note, If a customer takes more than 1/3 of a dish before deciding they don't like it, they pay for it. This has created controversy for me before but i chose to make my stand.

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You're right and I say, stick to your guns! Any time a customer asks for something, it's not a gift. A comp is just that - a gift. Gifts are given freely. It's really presumptuous and rude for a customer to ask for a gift!

[glenn]

...If a customer takes more than 1/3 of a dish before deciding they don't like it, they pay for it. This has created controversy for me before but i chose to make my stand.

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Tim, is this a hypothetical or does it really happen? I can't imagine anyone having the balls to do that. And if it does happen, what do they say when you ask why they took more than a bite or 2?

Just to put some closure on my original post. Shortly after posting, I stopped going to that particular restaurant -- yet another one added to my shitlist. No, not because they never offered a comp, I'm not THAT petty, but I was offended over something else a little more personal. That was weeks ago. And lo and behold, today I got an email from the manager offering a dinner for 2 on the house. Which I politely refused.

[Timh]

Hey Glenn, I just asked them at what point did they decide they didn't like the dish, 1 or 2 bites seems the natural reaction limit, I mean, really, c'mon.... at my regular haunts, i only expect good service and food, if i'm in a jam to be acknowledged, nothing more. i say go back to your old place pay full, go again, and maybe they'll show some appreciation, just don't go in expecting

[MichaelB]

I get comp'd more frequently than I like -- and it makes me uncomfortable every time. I understand why it happens; but I never want the reputation as someone who is looking for something for free.

I don't eat dinner out (in my home city) all that often -- certainly less than once a month on average. So, when I do dine out, it is because I want to give the business to a particular proprietor. If I get all or part of the meal comp'd, I cost the place money rather than the other way around.

When it does happen, the wait staff does very well.

[little ms foodie]

My husband and I get comp'd quite often when dining out. I think it's just because we are generally very enthusiastic about our dining and discuss dishes, preparations, etc. with the staff. Sometimes it's a glass of wine or a dessert drink, othertimes it's the app or the dessert. It's always nice, always appreciated, always tipped on and generally will bring us back because good service is harder to find than good food, IMO.

The only place that we are 'regulars' at is the restaurant where we had out wedding reception. Here there is generally a bit more comping but sometimes nothing. No matter, they alway make us feel special (VIPs in the house!) and the chef and manager always come over and greet us and catch up.

[Smithy]

I haven't been comp'd much, nor have I expected to. My first (and maybe only) time at an Olive Garden restaurant, I ordered something to see how it compared to what I'd been making from recipes. I've forgotten the details now, but it had very little of whatever was supposed to be the main ingredient (for instance, very little meat in the carbonara). The waitress asked how I'd liked my meal, after I finished, and I said I was a bit disappointed, and why. I wasn't asking for comp'ing, nor was I complaining, but she asked for feedback and I gave it. To the restaurant's credit, they really tried to make it right anyway - not that I thought there was any wrong to be righted - wanted me to take a dessert on the house, and by all means, to come back.

One wildly unexpected comp was when I was visiting a friend in Sun Valley one summer oh, 20 years ago or so. We'd walked to a local restaurant, had a long breakfast that lapsed into lunch, all the while talking and ordering more food, all of it excellent. That evening we came back for dinner and basically repeated the performance. Some hours into the evening, after we'd gone through our bottle of wine, the waiter came out and said, "You two have set a record, and because you've been such great customers, the owner invites you to come downstairs and pick out a bottle of wine. On the house!" I forget what we picked - something in the middle, neither the most expensive nor the cheapest - but we enjoyed that on the spot too, and gleefully purchased more dessert to go with it.

We were back for breakfast the next morning. Ah youth! What a vacation!