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Waitress poured hot soup on me, restaurant did absolutely nothing
- Thread starter Two Words
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Astral Dog
Member
Don't return to that restaurant again see how they feel after loosing their best client 😈
The Albatross
Member
Restaurant should have definitely done something for you. They're not running a good hospitality business if they didn't do that for you. The hospitality industry is about one thing... Hospitality.
I worked in restaurants in my teens and 20s and if we ever did something like that, we almost always comped the meal and told them to send their dry cleaning bill to us.
Ridiculous that they didn't do anything.
I don't get why so many people here act like making a thread about it is such a big deal. All I did was make a thread how a bowl of soup got spilled on me, I didn't make a big deal about it, I have good reason to think management knew about it, and that I was surprised that they didn't feel compelled to address the issue in any way outside of the waitress apologizing, and asked if others that work in this industry think it was mishandled. Apparently that is some huge endeavor that clearly shows that I'm obsessing over it like it's a bad breakup.
I don't know why people think it's a big deal. Maybe it's that you're ignoring all the people that say you should have raised the issue with management rather than assume and yet you're still here, ignoring your actual failure to complain and the actual point of your initial post, to make some meta commentaries about apparent ad hominem attacks on your character.
Lol what are you saying? Why would one of my co-workers do that? We talked about while we waited for our food. I said that I wanted to see how the restaurant will handle it and I didn't want to make a scene over it. And I've explained several times how I have good reason to believe management knew. The whole restaurant knew, and it was a very small place. And even if the manager didn't know, the right thing for the waitress to do is bring it up. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but it is also the safer thing to do. I could have possibly decided to talk to management after I saw I was billed. At that point, if I told the manager I got soup spilled on me and the manager didn't know, I assume they would be very upset at the waitress for hiding it. So if I were the waitress, I would have owned up to it.
I've done something similar. I worked at GameStop when the PS4 was coming out. I mistakenly preordered an Xbox one for a customer instead of a PS4. So that customer wasn't going to be able to get a PS4 like he ordered. I felt really bad about it and I found another store that may have been able to get him one in a couple of days. I don't know how it turned out for the guy. My manager never heard about it. I told him about it though because he had more leverage to rectify the situation, you should own up to your mistakes, and if the customer talked to him later to complain he would be more upset that I tried to hide it and wait for the problem to go away.
Yet the entire reason this thread has gone on as long as it has is because he could've but didn't and chose to instead whine about it after the fact on a message board, which is something he apparently refuses to or simply cannot grasp. And I see he's not the only one.
I just had a steak come out rare that was ordered medium yesterday. I told waitress. No comp on it. I kind of was alright with the rare steak and ate it anyways and let her know that, just wanted to let the chef know. Didn't really expect a comp, but I sort of figured they would have done something as it was a $27 steak. Oh well.
MisterR
Member
You're paying $27 bucks for a steak and it's cooked wrong, send it back. No honor in being a doormat. That said, the chef actually did you a favor.
Yeah I wish I had that problem. Usually I have a problem with them overcooking the steak.
As for OP, you say nothign to the management and you act like it's ok, I'm sorry, I think you're being the unreasonable one here. At best since you insisted on saying nothing and acting gracious about it, it's a minor annoyance that they didn't do anything for you (like, oh, well I thought they would). Not something to go on a major bend about like you are doing. If you are that upset about them not doing anything, then you should have said something to them. You don't need to raise a ruckus to do so. You can say something and be entirely reasonable about it. Just stay calm, say something like, "Hey, I realize it was a mistake but now I have soup all over my clothes, is there any way you can comp the soup/pay for my drycleaning?" (it does help to actually say what you expect them to do about it, even if it is comp me something (and let them decide) for my inconvenience).
Wait you ate it anyway? "excuse me, this isn't what I ordered." and explain the mistakes.
It wasn't my soup, so I don't know what it was. It was a thinner soup.
Westbahnhof
Banned
If you think these threads are odd and amazingly weird, you really should visit more.
With threads like "Fellow Americans, do you realize how much people envy us?" and "My sister made a pot pie and did not tell me "other" meat (Lamb) was in it", every day is a riot.
Even being seemingly harmless titles like "I thought my headphones were plugged in but they weren't", there are stories about a guy jacking off basically next to his sister.
Offtopic is where adventures are.
Iorv3th
Member
So you didn't comp his PS4? You basically said aplogized like the wiatress did to you, even though in your case you still got your meal.
Maybe everyone in the group was in on it and told the waitress to spill it on your lap as a practical joke.
Byakuya769
Member
Terrible service. But since you didn't raise a stink, manager may not have even known about it, because the waitress likely didn't tell him.
Not sure why expecting more than an "I'm sorry!" after your clothes get stained is entitled. But people will often chose to do the bare minimum, so if you care, raise it. You don't have to be biligerent, but you shouldn't be silent either.
Not sure why expecting more than an "I'm sorry!" after your clothes get stained is entitled. But people will often chose to do the bare minimum, so if you care, raise it. You don't have to be biligerent, but you shouldn't be silent either.
Westbahnhof
Banned
It wasn't his lap though, it was his back. And it was no spill, but rather, the plate was dropped on him, or some such.
Waiting tables is a hard job. For starters, one small mistake and it can cost you and the restaurant a lot of income. If they granted a free meal every time a mistake was made, restaurants would go out of business pretty fast. So most do so for people who complain or demand it, to try and make them happy. The OP didn't complain, and the outcome is to be expected.
Two Words, if you want a free meal next time, demand it. You'll get it. But I don't think the restaurant is mandated to give you one when the situation was mutually and amicably resolved.
Personally, I don't ask for or expect free food because someone made a mistake, because people are human. I've returned a few items that were not made to order or super bad quality and said I wasn't paying for (or eating) that item, but that's as far as I'll go. As a result I don't get free meals.
Two Words, if you want a free meal next time, demand it. You'll get it. But I don't think the restaurant is mandated to give you one when the situation was mutually and amicably resolved.
Personally, I don't ask for or expect free food because someone made a mistake, because people are human. I've returned a few items that were not made to order or super bad quality and said I wasn't paying for (or eating) that item, but that's as far as I'll go. As a result I don't get free meals.
I don't really have an opinion, but thought I would add my own story, which happened about 2 months ago.
I was dining in at an amazing Thai place for the first time (I had ordered delivery many times). A busboy dropped our food off at the table. He also had some sort of...flaming shrimp dish. It was shrimp in a bowl, which was in a larger bowl, which had hot coals in it. This was going to the next table down.
The busser bent down, lost control of his platter, and the shrimp + hot coals fell to the floor. A few moments later, my ankle felt tingly. I look down - and I'm literally on fire. It was quickly put out. My sock was scorched and my skin slightly red and tender. I washed up in the restroom and the manager gave me some lotion and an ice pack.
Apparently our actual server missed 100% of this happening, and we were charged full price for our meal.
I was dining in at an amazing Thai place for the first time (I had ordered delivery many times). A busboy dropped our food off at the table. He also had some sort of...flaming shrimp dish. It was shrimp in a bowl, which was in a larger bowl, which had hot coals in it. This was going to the next table down.
The busser bent down, lost control of his platter, and the shrimp + hot coals fell to the floor. A few moments later, my ankle felt tingly. I look down - and I'm literally on fire. It was quickly put out. My sock was scorched and my skin slightly red and tender. I washed up in the restroom and the manager gave me some lotion and an ice pack.
Apparently our actual server missed 100% of this happening, and we were charged full price for our meal.
Jawmuncher
Member
A waiter once spilled the entire contents of 4 cups on my sister when he tripped holding the drinks. We didn't even complain and the management came out and apologized and did everything else. We still payed though since it probably would've came out of the waiters pay. Since it was an accident.
However the fact the restaurant didn't even try to compensate you in any way is really odd. Seems like the management itself is fucked.
However the fact the restaurant didn't even try to compensate you in any way is really odd. Seems like the management itself is fucked.
I tried to find him a new one, and he might have. Stock isn't always easy to secure at launch. My manager also gave his info to corporate and explained the issue, so maybe they helped him out. I kinda wish the incident happened on launch day. If it did, I would have let him purchase my preordered PS4. Unfortunately, he came in the next day after I had already bought and set up my PS4.
I get the whole "squeaky wheel gets the grease" thing. But I do think a responsible management should feel compelled to step in regardless in certain situations. I mean, lets just say you're the manager and let's assume you knew it happened. Wouldn't you personally feel compelled to proactively address the issue if a customer got a bowl of hot soup spilled on them? That's really all I'm saying here. I don't think I was legally owed anything. I'm just asking how others would have handled the situation themselves. That's what is so weird about all of the "entitled" arguments some people are throwing around here. It's like some people are acting like it is being entitled to think somebody did a bad job.
NervousXtian
Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Westbahnhof
Banned
Completely right. If they KNEW it happened.
You keep talking like management willfully ignored it.
If they didn't know, they didn't do a bad job by not acting. If you still complain to us in this case, you are acting weirdly entitled by acting like they should have done something.
Any decent restaurant manager WHO KNEW.
Why do some people keep acting like the manager just stared at OP while doing nothing?
OP simply assumed the manager knew. It doesn't work like that.
There are two arguments that have been going on.
1. That management may have not known. I have good reason to believe they did know, but I obviously cannot be 100% certain. I can accept that this is a possibility. In that case, I would say it was a failure on the waitress for not telling management. Not only because it is the right thing to do so management can address it, but also because it is the safer thing to do. I could have made a complaint after seeing my bill and I'd expect the manager would be upset to find out about the incident much later since the waitress tried to hide it. So if I were the waitress, I'd inform the manager. I've done similar things in the past working retail and I told management.
2. Management did know and they didn't do anything because I didn't complain. The post I made that you quoted addresses why that case is the management doing a bad job.
So basically, either management did a bad job or the waitress did a bad job trying to hide it.
I agree with this. But I (and it looks like around 90% of the replies) disagree that this is one of those situations. The reason people think you sound entitled is you are literally saying you are entitled to a free meal despite not complaining or asking for one. You asked a question in the OP, everyone responded, and you are not liking that response. It happens.
As far as how I would have handled it were I the manager:
If she said the customer was really mad, I'd say to offer a free meal.
If she said he's accepted her apology and everything seemed fine, to not. And that's assuming she told a manager; she might have not wanted to get in trouble, since the customer was not complaining.
Consider things from her perspective. Her job might be on the line. It's reasonable to not escalate incidents that are resolved without complaint.
I am making the argument that rather than the waitress doing a bad job, or management doing a bad job, you did a bad job as a customer of communicating how unhappy you were or what your expectations were. If you did, and were not compensated, then they would be at fault.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
You already said before that people agree with you. So what are you looking for? At this point it's hard to tell if you're trolling to keep the discussion alive or that you truly want more validation for your inaction that you clearly seem to regret. Was $15 a lot for you or something?
If you read the posts from people that do or have worked in the service industry, they are pretty much all saying that management should have done something. So I have to strongly disagree with your 90% figure.
And I am not being entitled. I feel like management should have done something. That isn't being entitled. If I felt that they must do something or else, that would be entitled. I don't feel that somebody must hold the door open for me if I'm right behind them, but I think they should as common courtesy. Thinking that way isn't the same as feeling I am entitled to have the door held open for me.
UserNotFound
Member
I'm torn.
In your case, offering to at least pay for dry cleaning would've been fair and reasonable.
At the same time, you didn't indicate to the waitress that it bothered you a little bit. Would it made a world of difference if the soup was scalding hot and it led to burns?
In your case, offering to at least pay for dry cleaning would've been fair and reasonable.
At the same time, you didn't indicate to the waitress that it bothered you a little bit. Would it made a world of difference if the soup was scalding hot and it led to burns?
Mammoth Jones
Member
Unless there is permanent damage let it go. Odds are the waitress would have to pay for that meal out of her own pocket.
What's the point?
What's the point?
Westbahnhof
Banned
What is this good reason?
And it could just have been that since you accepted the apology, the waitress thought it was all good. She would have been wrong, but hey, people make mistakes and stupid assumptions.
But yes. Someone screwed up. But in both cases, you should simply have spoken up.
Darth Pinche
Member
I am considering it from her perspective. I'm saying from her perspective, she took a risky gamble. In this case, things worked out well for her, but it could have been worse.
These are two ways that things could have played out.
1. Let's say I later make a complaint after I see that I am still billed. This wouldn't be an unusual reaction, like most people in this thread have said. The conversation could have gone like this.
Me- I need to speak to your manager
Waitress- Okay, one moment
Manager- How can I help you?
Me- Earlier, a waitress spilled hot soup on me by mistake and you can see all of this soup on my back. I did not want to make a scene about it, but to be honest, I did expect management to do something about it discreetly.
Manager- I'm sorry, this is the first I am hearing about this. You're saying a waitress spilled hot soup on you? Are you okay?
Me- Yes, I'm fine. It was hot, but not skin burning hot.
Manager- Okay, I am VERY sorry that this has happened to you. I am also very sorry that it has gotten to this point. I should have been informed about this right away.
Later, I would imagine that the manager would have chewed out the waitress for trying to hide the incident. The manager is obviously going to feel that it is incredibly important that the staff does not try to hide mistakes like this because management will want to do something about it. That is a bigger issue than the honest mistake because it was a dishonest action.
2. Let's say the waitress decided to tell the manager.
Waitress- Boss, I accidentally spilled hot soup on a customer.
Manager- Oh my god, is the customer okay?
Waitress- Yes, he said it didn't burn him. I am really sorry that this happened and I kept apologizing and tried my best to clean it up. He took it pretty well, but I still feel bad about it happening.
Manager- Okay, you need to be careful. We can't have customers walking out on us upset. Plus hot foods can be very dangerous. I expect you to be more careful, got it? It can't happen again. Thanks for telling me. I'm going to check up on him and see if I can smooth things over with him and his group.
Obviously, these are just two examples, but I think it is clear that a manager would be far more upset if he/she found out that the waitress was trying to hide the mistake regardless of how the customer reacted.
Something happened like this to me in HS. However, it wasnt soup, it was soda.
It didnt get on ME, but it got all over my suit jacket (this was for a prom thing).
The restaurant apologized and gave me a card with the managers number, they said they would pay for any dry cleaning I needed.
So I agree, bad customer service if they didnt offer to at least clean your clothes or pay for your meal.
It didnt get on ME, but it got all over my suit jacket (this was for a prom thing).
The restaurant apologized and gave me a card with the managers number, they said they would pay for any dry cleaning I needed.
So I agree, bad customer service if they didnt offer to at least clean your clothes or pay for your meal.
soundscream
Member
Yet you struggle to understand why women want you to leave the toilet seat down.
Westbahnhof
Banned
If you just assume that either the minimum wage worker will go tell their boss they fucked up, or maybe that the manager has some weird sort of mind reading power he uses to find out if anything is wrong, then that's on you.
Like Austrian artist Stefan Sagmeister puts it in his exhibition about happiness:
"If I don't ask, I won't get"
It's not "advocating" anything. It's explaining how the world we already have works.
Edit: Changed terrible video to less terrible picture. Still bad quality, and didn't change it fast enough...
Hell I was in a sandwich shop, ordered my sandwich, sat down and maybe 5 minutes go by. I start noticing they are calling orders behind me. So I go up and ask about my sandwich. Seems they lost the ticket so they appologize and make it double quick. When it's ready they gave me a few cookies for the trouble.
idk what the hell is wrong with people on this thread. You absolutely should not have to ask for a manager when someone fucks up your shit.
Razorback
Member
Maybe that's how it works in america. That explains a lot actually.
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