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Not Comped for No Reason

Parmhero

By Parmhero
in New York: Dining

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Parmhero

Parmhero

Posted
Posted (edited)

The "Comped for No Reason" thread made me think of the times when bad things happened at restaurants and there was no compensation offered.

Example 1) My wife, daughter, and I were eating at a nice country restaurant in Westchester, when the waitress stumbled and spilled a glass of water all over my wife, splashing water all over the table as well as me and my daughter. The waitress apologized but no other compensation was offered.

Example 2) I was eating lunch in a diner-like restaurant in Manhattan with a co-worker--uptown, mid-40's, off of Madison Ave. There was a brand new bottle of ketchup on the table. It was summer. When I opened it, the ketchup, apparently under pressure in the heat, flew in the air and all over the front of my white business shirt. The waitress and manager apologized. I thought they would offer to pay the cleaning bill for my shirt or comp the meal, but nothing was offered.

I never returned to these restaurants, but probably would have had they shown a more tangible level of caring.

Anyone else have some horror stories to share?

Edited by Parmhero (log)

"Yo, I want one of those!"

judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted
What kind of compensation would you want for an accidental water spill?

At the very least free dessert all around for the party! And if the waitress did to them as has been done to me (she was practicing her "Bunny dip" and dropped a full pitcher of ice water down my back. In the winter time. In north Texas.) my choice of dessert would have beem tete du waitron with whipped cream!

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

hhlodesign

hhlodesign

Posted
Posted

Here's a cut and paste from a recent trip to Michael Mina in SF. I realize its not NY, but found the topic fitting:

I should also mention that Ling and I ordered a half bottle of burgundy to go with our main courses. The bottle did not show up until 15 minutes after our mains had arrived. We took small bites and eventually stopped eating so that we could enjoy our wine with our meal. When it arrived, I noticed that the vintage was not the one printed on the wine list (2002 on the list, 2001 on the bottle.) This was not a big deal, but I would have liked them to point this out to me, rather than the other way around.

You can read about the whole expreience here:

Michael Mina

I thought they should have at least comped the bottle. Asking too much?

Henry H Lo

On Food and Architecture

the cool kids at belltown lofts

Parmhero

Parmhero

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
What kind of compensation would you want for an accidental water spill?

Well, I thought that if it were my restaurant and that happened to guests, I would feel that I should offer the guests a free dessert or drink or something. We all realized it was an accident, but it wasn't pleasant and it happened in that establishment. It's kind of customer service 101. A good will sort of thing.

Restaurants generally don't do bad things on purpose--like overcook your food or forget to serve you something. But good ones generally will make a gesture to restore good will.

Edited by Parmhero (log)

"Yo, I want one of those!"

FabulousFoodBabe

FabulousFoodBabe

Posted
Posted
I thought they should have at least comped the bottle. Asking too much?

You are correct; they should have told you and given you the option of choosing a different bottle Comping the whole bottle is, in my opinion, too much to ask. But comping the difference in price should have been offered.

(BTW, you've hit on a major peeve of mine. I've found that sending back the main if the wine isn't on the table when it arrives, works well for speeding things up.)

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
Sneakeater

Sneakeater

Posted
Posted
(BTW, you've hit on a major peeve of mine.  I've found that sending back the main if the wine isn't on the table when it arrives, works well for speeding things up.)

It's a major peeve of mine, too, and I'm grateful to learn a way to deal with it.

Busboy

Busboy

Posted
Posted
Here's a cut and paste from a recent trip to Michael Mina in SF. I realize its not NY, but found the topic fitting:

I should also mention that Ling and I ordered a half bottle of burgundy to go with our main courses. The bottle did not show up until 15 minutes after our mains had arrived. We took small bites and eventually stopped eating so that we could enjoy our wine with our meal. When it arrived, I noticed that the vintage was not the one printed on the wine list (2002 on the list, 2001 on the bottle.) This was not a big deal, but I would have liked them to point this out to me, rather than the other way around.

You can read about the whole expreience here:

Michael Mina

I thought they should have at least comped the bottle. Asking too much?

Nothing makes me crazy like the wine not arriving in time.

Once I was on my own and on an expense account (dangerous combo) in South Beach, at the Blue Door in the Delano Hotel. When I ordered what turned out to be an excellent lobster, I specifically asked that the order not be put in until my bottle (of white burgundy -- told you I was dangerous) had been brought.

When the lobster scuttled in before the wine steward I gave the server (not my waiter, but another member of the team) a look half-way between confusion and daggers and he asked me was something wrong? I told him about the wine and he swept my lobster away very dramatically. Moments later the manager showed up with my wine, and a few moments after that the lobster -- or what appeared to be a new lobster, as it had not deteriorated in the slightest for being back in the kitchen -- reappeared. The apologies were numerous and almost painfully sincere. Dessert and a glass of sauternes were comped.

I tipped well.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

chefboy24

chefboy24

Posted
Posted (edited)

it should never happen.....

but it happens because the sommelier/captains are doing 201897203481972304198234 other things at that exact moment.

and sometimes you really dont know exactly when a course is going to come out of the kitchen. you know within a range, because you fired the food to the kitchen, but some times you think you have time to get things done before the food gets dropped, but you dont.

not offered as an excuse, but as an explanation.

Edited by chefboy24 (log)
FabulousFoodBabe

FabulousFoodBabe

Posted
Posted

not offered as an excuse, but as an explanation.

Respectfully, chefboy, I think this might be another case of "don't let your problem become ours." I do mean this in the kindest way possible. :smile:

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
chefboy24

chefboy24

Posted
Posted

well yes the difference between 2, 3, and 4 star restaurants is in the details.

4 star restaurants dont let this happen, 2 star restaurants do.

i can't be flawless with every guest every night, but i will sure as hell try. :raz:

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