Walked a table at dinner last night (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Rock]

I feel that I gave them every opportunity to "make things right", and they failed.

It seems you gave them time, but not much else. You didn't give an opportunity to the person who could actually do something to help you, the Manager. 

The waiter was trying to cover his tracks and hoped it would work out with nobody knowing. So how would someone who cared know if all you did was try to make eye contact with the same person?

 

[Ned Ryerson]

So for the introverts that are uncomfortable talking to the manager of a restaurant to voice your frustration, does that carry over to all walks of life?  If your time is being infringed upon by the airlines, do you also not talk to the customer service rep to see what can be done?  If time is as valuable to you as you say, why would being an introvert prevent you from having a conversation with a person who can potentially change your situation.  Why the hell would anybody wait 45 minutes for nothing to happen when they can spend 1-2 minutes of conversation with the one person who could alter the course of the evening for you?  

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

See my earlier e-mail.  That's what I kept saying to my friend, and he kept saying, "why complain, when they did me wrong, and they should know they have done me wrong".

 

[cockroach]

Well, you technically were stealing the slurpee by drinking it.

Yes, you wait and pay. If you have no cash, go to the atm. 7 elevens have ATMs.

I'm fine with people stealing soft drinks.  Everytime you buy one you're essentially being robbed by the markup, so it's fair to jack back occasionally.  Next time you go in to order ask for a water cup and fill it with coke.

 

[Peyton Marino]

Silent follower of this thread for a few days.

I just walked an Uber... How does that compare?   I ordered one that was less than 10 minutes away.  25 minutes later... no Uber, but a cab shows up that can take us, I take the cab. 

I'm new to Uber... I wont be charged right?

lol

 

[Tom Skerritt]

So for the introverts that are uncomfortable talking to the manager of a restaurant to voice your frustration, does that carry over to all walks of life?  If your time is being infringed upon by the airlines, do you also not talk to the customer service rep to see what can be done?  If time is as valuable to you as you say, why would being an introvert prevent you from having a conversation with a person who can potentially change your situation.  Why the hell would anybody wait 45 minutes for nothing to happen when they can spend 1-2 minutes of conversation with the one person who could alter the course of the evening for you?  

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Because the waiter said it would be the next one out. I was good at this point. When he said the same thing 10-15 minutes later, that's when I consider walking. I do not need to have another conversation with anyone. When I see our waiter make a few more trips through the restaurant with nothing, not even eye-contact, I'm out.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Paying my bill would have wasted more of my time

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Not really germane to the discussion, but it's an odd thing to give an assurance of accuracy followed immediately by an admission of potential inaccuracy. 

"I assure you that my times are accurate.  If anything, they are inaccurate."

I think this is one of those "It's funny until it happens to you..." moments. I probably would have said this to someone else. You got me.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

I was never mad. Annoyed maybe, but not mad. Just didn't want to sit there and be taken advantage of any longer.

 

[RokNRole]

I always thought the phrase "walking a table" was a stand-up comic thing where they get so bad, or dirty, or whatever ...to get people to get up in the middle of their show and walk out.  

Never heard it apply to walking out on a check.  [Dine & Dash]

When I saw the title I thought it was like when a bunch of mafioso meet for dinner and you have to walk around the entire table and kiss everyone

 

[Vanilla Guerrilla]

So for the introverts that are uncomfortable talking to the manager of a restaurant to voice your frustration, does that carry over to all walks of life?  If your time is being infringed upon by the airlines, do you also not talk to the customer service rep to see what can be done?  If time is as valuable to you as you say, why would being an introvert prevent you from having a conversation with a person who can potentially change your situation.  Why the hell would anybody wait 45 minutes for nothing to happen when they can spend 1-2 minutes of conversation with the one person who could alter the course of the evening for you?  

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I AM GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

I will just never ever go there again is how I've dealt with it.  Maybe, if it was a really nice place to eat where the meals are expensive, but the places I've quit shopping at/eating at are never great places.  There are almost always alternatives going forward.  And comping my meal doesn't do anything for me.  The night is already ruined for me by the service, and I won't go back regardless.

It's not a fear of talking to management.  It is knowing/believing that it won't effect my view of the place.  I know he's kissing up because it is his job, not because he actually cares.  If he cared and was a competent manager, no one would have been sitting at their table for 45 minutes.

Examples of places I won't go (Some no longer are in business): I cut up my Blockbuster video card back in the 90's and only went to Hollywood Video.  Then Hollywood Video jacked me.  I actually talked to the manager at Hollywood Video and got the "Sorry, Corporate Policy" that we won't give your money back for what was obviously a cracked up and busted DVD.  F them.  I'm not an early adopter of new things, but in that case I gave this new company called Netflix a try.  For $4 or $5 it is not worth my time and effort to fight a crappy corporate culture and argue with some pimple-faced kid with a manager nametag about customer service.

Also Quiznos, Arbys (probably just the ones that used to be near my office building), Best Buy and Circuit City.  The haircut place right by my house, I'll drive 15 minutes to go to one where they aren't slow.

 

[General Malaise]

I was never mad. Annoyed maybe, but not mad. Just didn't want to sit there and be taken advantage of any longer.

What about your wife?  Can she ask to speak to the manager and explain what's going on or is she introverted too?  

 

[swirvenirvin]

Went to buy some firewood on Christmas Eve day.  The place I go to was closed but they had a couple of tons of wood chopped and piled in the yard.  Just grabbed enough to make a couple of fires that night. Figured with all the business I gave them over the years they would want me to have it.

no relation to this situation

 

[5Rings]

Took my Mom and family out to a real nice place for dinner last night.  Small Italian place in SF.  They were hosting a wedding party in the small back room.  Kids were getting antsy because our food was taking so long.  We nicely asked the manager what was going on.  Manager comped us a bottle of wine and brought out crayons for kids.  Waiter updated us on the kitchens progress.  Waited 45 minutes for food, and then they Comped us desserts too.  

Maybe this was a nicer place with better staff than OPs restaraunt, or maybe we just were nice, but at no time did I think of walking.  

That said, I don't fault OP except for not talking to manager.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Took my Mom and family out to a real nice place for dinner last night.  Small Italian place in SF.  They were hosting a wedding party in the small back room.  Kids were getting antsy because our food was taking so long.  We nicely asked the manager what was going on.  Manager comped us a bottle of wine and brought out crayons for kids.  Waiter updated us on the kitchens progress.  Waited 45 minutes for food, and then they Comped us desserts too.  

Maybe this was a nicer place with better staff than OPs restaraunt, or maybe we just were nice, but at no time did I think of walking.  

That said, I don't fault OP except for not talking to manager.

This is a perfect example of how things should have been handled.  Humans make mistakes and have bad days--which means businesses that are run by humans will also make mistakes and have bad days.   I personally don't buy the OP's introvert schtick for one second.   Decides to go out on the Friday night before xmas weekend (one of the busiest nights of the year)--orders and enjoys drinks at a bar with company (pays for those)---and then gets seated at a table (orders and consumes some salads and beer)--but then suddenly becomes "introverted" and decides to bail without paying for those consumed goods--because service is taking too long?  On top of that--he then complains about his experience (the experience where he essentially probably got $30-40 worth of salads and beer for free) on an internet thread for thousands to read and respond to.  That doesn't seem like introverted behavior to me.  

With all of that being said--the only thing the OP should have done is speak to a manager or a member of the restaurants establishment.  Even if all he said to the manager or the server is "I want to inform you that my party and I are leaving and we will not be paying for the stuff we ordered and consumed as our experience here has been terrible.  We ordered our food a long while ago--have been told over and over again that our food was to be next out--and at this point--we are beyond the point of being able to salvage any sort of positive experience here"--that would have been great.  Instead ---just trotting out without saying a word like a theif in the night--and then complaining about a free experience to hundreds/thousands of people on the internet--while at the same time defending the way he handled things on being introverted--is just not a good look in my opinion.  

A business making a mistake is annoying--but it does happen.  This is life--and this is one of the reasons why they have managers.  Managers are there to manage mistakes and to do their best to right the mistakes of their businesses. 

A customer being dissatisfied with a business is a bummer--but it does happen.   With that being said--there is zero excuse for a customer to steal because of dissatisfaction.  Talk to a manager, write an accurate yelp review, email the businesses coporate offices..etc.  A dissatisfied customer taking it upon him/herself to walk out of a business after consuming/taking a product without paying OR without any acknowledgment from that business is stealing.  Customers don't have the right to pick and choose when to impose vigilante justice in the form of stealing as a justification for being unhappy.