Crying Child At a Romantic Dinner?

Quoted message said:

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

i don't agree with this at all. you said the food and service were great but you
didn't tip the waiter. i don't think it was the waiters fault. those folks work
for tips so you basically make him work for free due to something that was not
in his control. you didn't hurt the manager at all. he still got his money and
corkage fee. it was nice that you commended the waiter on his service but
stiffing him was the wrong thing to do in my opinion.

Is the Saddleback Inn a hotel? If so, travelers or guests are invited
to dine in any of their restaurants. I would think kids in a restaurant
in a hotel would not be a surprise.

It sounds like you were grouchy from the onset.

Karen

"A.C." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
|
| [email hidden] wrote:
|
|
| > I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
| > the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
| > tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
| > service.
| >
|
| i don't agree with this at all. you said the food and service were great
but you
| didn't tip the waiter. i don't think it was the waiters fault. those folks
work
| for tips so you basically make him work for free due to something that was
not
| in his control. you didn't hurt the manager at all. he still got his money
and
| corkage fee. it was nice that you commended the waiter on his service but
| stiffing him was the wrong thing to do in my opinion.

I agree with you, AC. OP, you took out your frustration with the unpleasant
situation on the poor guy who gave you great service. That, IMNSHO, sucks!
Not only did you make him work for free, you actually cost him money since
he will pay income tax on the tip he should have received based on the cost
of your meal which, based on your description, I suspect wasn't cheap.

Gabby

Quoted message said:

I am curious as too your comments.

While I can sympathize with your frustration, you gotta admit it's a
bit silly to expect a controlled environment in a public place. Next
time you're looking for a romantic dinner, ask for some kinda
assurance you'll get some peace and quiet ...that and slip the host a
bigger tip.

nb

"A.C." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

i don't agree with this at all. you said the food and service were great
but you
didn't tip the waiter. i don't think it was the waiters fault. those folks
work
for tips so you basically make him work for free due to something that was
not
in his control. you didn't hurt the manager at all. he still got his money
and
corkage fee. it was nice that you commended the waiter on his service but
stiffing him was the wrong thing to do in my opinion.

I agree to the point where I think he should go back the same night this
week,
with any luck find the waiter and make amends. He is owed a tip. And an
apology.

nancy

Quoted message said:

The ownercame by our table and refused to speak to the
family and told us we could be moved to a louder part
of the restaurant if we didn't like the noise from the
child. Since the romance for the evening was ruined,
we decided to move. I was too upset to accept any
compensation offered

[ ... ]

Quoted message said:

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

I'd be interested to know what compensation was offered. Beyond that,
I really would have walked out. Since that was not possible, though, I
would have sucked it up and left a tip since the waiter wasn't the cause
of the problem, but I would have let the manager know I would not be
returning, and why. The manager/owner may not have a choice as families
may be welcomed as guests of the hotel.
I never do romantic dinners at restaurants anymore, and your situation
is why. It's just not pleasant to try and have an intimate, romantic
dinner (or a movie, or nearly anything else) with arguing couples,
cranky babies, or yammering teens with cell phones attached to their
heads around.

Stacia

On Wed 06 Jul 2005 08:44:23a, wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

Having experienced similar circumstances before, and preferring not to dine
near disruptive children, I would simply have left and gone elsewhere. As
you said, the romance of the evening was already lost.

Since you did stay, and the food and service were good, you were wrong in
penalizing the waiter by not tipping.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

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* said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

I am curious as too your comments.

"as too"

I don't believe your story, not a word... you are an obvious troll.

Sheldon

[email hidden] wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

[snip ASCF fantasy]

You were wrong on several counts. You also missed a multitude of
opportunities that were available at several points during this
"romantic dinner" which could have and would have made it salvageable.
Instead, you slunked out, tail between your legs, and whined about --
after-the-fact.

The Ranger

<I was too upset to accept any
compensation offered>

What did they offer? Why would you not accept compensation?

<but still shocked that on my $86
tab they charged me a $10 corkage fee on my bottle of
wine.>

Is the corkage fee posted on the menu or elsewhere? If so, they are
fully in line to charge you for that.

<I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.>

I feel this is wrong, VERY wrong. As A.C. noted, you only hurt the
waiter, whom you commended for good service. That makes no sense. You
get good service, you tip. How is this supposed to affect the owner?

Sounds like you were just trying to make an unfortunate situation worse
by being difficult. The owner has no control over his guests and if he
offered to move you to a different table, away from the crying child,
why didn't you just move and get on with your romantic dinner?

<While I think I should have walked out, my wife was
looking forward too much to her Duck breast with a
Lobster Tail>

What did your wife think?

Quoted message said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

"The Nest" is a 4 star restaurant nestled in the
romantic Saddleback Inn, Lake Arrowhead, CA. After
waiting 20 minutes past our scheduled reservation, we
were seated at a quiet booth that was available the
entire time. Soon (8:15pm)a family of 4 with a tired 2
year old crying to go home was seated behind us. After
10 minutes of non-stop crying, we spoke with a
waitress about the disturbance caused by the child.
The ownercame by our table and refused to speak to the
family and told us we could be moved to a louder part
of the restaurant if we didn't like the noise from the
child. Since the romance for the evening was ruined,
we decided to move. I was too upset to accept any
compensation offered, but still shocked that on my $86
tab they charged me a $10 corkage fee on my bottle of
wine. The food and service is worthy of 5 stars, but
owner is a horrible manager and will sacrifice your
romantic evening at the expense of a crying child.

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

While I think I should have walked out, my wife was
looking forward too much to her Duck breast with a
Lobster Tail. By that point McDonalds was good enough
for me.

I am curious as too your comments.

You handled it badly. It was time to call the manager over to tell him
you were leaving. Politely; he wasn't the one crying.

As for "compensation offered," it sounds like you were determined to be
annoyed. Restaurants are in the business of selling food and drink.
Doing all the service elements is included in the price. Bringing your
own food or drink in is rather rude.

Stiffing the competent server is too crass a gesture to discuss.
Essentially, you waved your arms to no avail like a child, and screwed a
working person.

Pastorio

notbob said:

Quoted message said:

I am curious as too your comments.

While I can sympathize with your frustration, you gotta admit it's a
bit silly to expect a controlled environment in a public place.

Wanting to have a decent dinner without the distraction of crying bratz is
not expecting a "controlled environment".

If the OP had gone to some dump like Applebee's or Chuck E Cheeze or
Kalifornia Pizza Kitchen they'd have no place complaining. From what I've
read this place is considered upscale and "romantic" So their concerns are
quite valid.

Next

Quoted message said:

time you're looking for a romantic dinner, ask for some kinda
assurance you'll get some peace and quiet

Since the place is apparently upscale, it should be up to the management to
ensure "peace and quiet". The disruptive family should have been moved or
even asked to leave. And the OP's dinner should have been comped or at
least their bill should have been reduced.

And for those concerned about the tip that the OP did not leave, I'd suggest
that the waiter take up that matter with his manager - who should pay the
waiter's tip out of his own pocket.

--
Best
Greg

Quoted message said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

"The Nest" is a 4 star restaurant nestled in the
romantic Saddleback Inn, Lake Arrowhead, CA. After
waiting 20 minutes past our scheduled reservation, we
were seated at a quiet booth that was available the
entire time. Soon (8:15pm)a family of 4 with a tired 2
year old crying to go home was seated behind us. After
10 minutes of non-stop crying, we spoke with a
waitress about the disturbance caused by the child.
The ownercame by our table and refused to speak to the
family and told us we could be moved to a louder part
of the restaurant if we didn't like the noise from the
child. Since the romance for the evening was ruined,
we decided to move. I was too upset to accept any
compensation offered, but still shocked that on my $86
tab they charged me a $10 corkage fee on my bottle of
wine. The food and service is worthy of 5 stars, but
owner is a horrible manager and will sacrifice your
romantic evening at the expense of a crying child.

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

While I think I should have walked out, my wife was
looking forward too much to her Duck breast with a
Lobster Tail. By that point McDonalds was good enough
for me.

I am curious as too your comments.

You punished the waiter for your bad decision to wait for ten minutes,
before calling attention to your plight. That waiter was not even
your server at the first table, so what was he guilty of? Your
annoyance at a corkage fee and not questioning it? The decision of
the management not to deduct something from your bill or offer free
dessert?

I must have missed something in your post. You could not possibly
want to execute the messenger, or did you do just that? Commending
him to the chef, will not pay his rent or other expenses.

Bob (this one) said:

As for "compensation offered," it sounds like you were determined to be
annoyed. Restaurants are in the business of selling food and drink.
Doing all the service elements is included in the price. Bringing your
own food or drink in is rather rude.

I thought bringing your own wine was acceptable? I wouldn't do it
myself -- if I want my own wine I serve it at home with my own dinner --
but I hear of a lot of people doing this and restaurants often charge
corking fees now, in response to this trend.
Still, a $10 fee compared to an $86 dinner seems high, but if it was
clearly listed on the menu or otherwise posted, it shouldn't have been a
surprise.

Stacia

notbob said:

While I can sympathize with your frustration, you gotta admit it's a
bit silly to expect a controlled environment in a public place.

Wait a sec.... a 4 star restaurant should be a controlled environment.
Screaming kids is what you have to tolerate when you go to family
restaurants and fast food joints where the low lifes cannot control their
brats.

I can understand the owner not wanting to talk to the parents. They are
the type of people who would bring their screaming brat into a nice
restaurant and probably never even consider what a pain in the ass their
little prince or princess is to people who do not appreciate. They
offered to move you to another section. You should have moved, or you
could have left and told the manager why. That would give him reason not
to admit rowdy children in the future.

Quoted message said:

Next time you're looking for a romantic dinner, ask for some kinda
assurance you'll get some peace and quiet ...that and slip the host a
bigger tip.

I really hate the idea that you have to bribe a host or hostess to get
what should be expected of a 4 star restaurant. I feel badly for the
waiter who got stiffed for a tip, but then I have my own thing about
being expected to pay a substantially higher tip for service because the
food is so much more expensive. When you go to a nice place one of the
reasons for the food being more expensive is the ambience. That ambience
didn't do much for the OP because it was spoiled by the brat.

At the very least, you owe the waiter A good tip and an apology.

A romantic dinner could not really be ruined by a crying child. The
parents should have taken the child out, however, if you had a sense of
humor about the whole thing it would have been a lot better. Sometimes,
[censored] happens.

Rosie

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Was I wrong or did I miss something???

"The Nest" is a 4 star restaurant nestled in the
romantic Saddleback Inn, Lake Arrowhead, CA. After
waiting 20 minutes past our scheduled reservation, we
were seated at a quiet booth that was available the
entire time. Soon (8:15pm)a family of 4 with a tired 2
year old crying to go home was seated behind us. After
10 minutes of non-stop crying, we spoke with a
waitress about the disturbance caused by the child.
The ownercame by our table and refused to speak to the
family and told us we could be moved to a louder part
of the restaurant if we didn't like the noise from the
child. Since the romance for the evening was ruined,
we decided to move. I was too upset to accept any
compensation offered, but still shocked that on my $86
tab they charged me a $10 corkage fee on my bottle of
wine. The food and service is worthy of 5 stars, but
owner is a horrible manager and will sacrifice your
romantic evening at the expense of a crying child.

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

While I think I should have walked out, my wife was
looking forward too much to her Duck breast with a
Lobster Tail. By that point McDonalds was good enough
for me.

I am curious as too your comments.

In a restaurant such as you describe, putting up with a noisy child is
completely unacceptable. It is rude and baboonish behavior on the part of
the parents as well as the owner. I do not think that non-stop crying is
acceptable anywhere, from McDonalds on up. You do expect more child noises
at "family" places but there are limits. It is astounding how some parents
are so completely selfish and ignore anyone and everyone around them. And of
course the bratty kids will turn out the same way. It's a good argument for
euthanasia.

--
Peter Aitken

Glitter Ninja said:

I thought bringing your own wine was acceptable? I wouldn't do it
myself -- if I want my own wine I serve it at home with my own dinner --
but I hear of a lot of people doing this and restaurants often charge
corking fees now, in response to this trend.
Still, a $10 fee compared to an $86 dinner seems high, but if it was
clearly listed on the menu or otherwise posted, it shouldn't have been a
surprise.

There's nothing wrong or unusual about bringing your own wine. Good
restaurants charge a fee for the glassware and service. I've seen fees
from $5 to $25.

As to the crying child problem, we ask the waiter/host to ask the
guests to take the kid outside and quiet it down, but it never works.
It's the parents' fault, but the restaurant should make a polite effort
to do something as well. Stiffing the waiter is stupid. Once in a
noisy diner I saw a waitress bring a lollipop to the parent, saying
something like, 'maybe this will help calm the little guy down.'
That's the best response I've seen. -aem

"A.C." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I left a note on the receipt to the waiter that due to
the actions of the owner he would not be receiving a
tip. I also commended him and the chef on their
service.

i don't agree with this at all. you said the food and service were great
but you
didn't tip the waiter. i don't think it was the waiters fault. those folks
work
for tips so you basically make him work for free due to something that was
not
in his control. you didn't hurt the manager at all. he still got his money
and
corkage fee. it was nice that you commended the waiter on his service but
stiffing him was the wrong thing to do in my opinion.

There is some validity to what you say but what other option did the
customer have? Perhaps an angry employee will help the manager change his
ways. The waiter is responsible for certain things that may not be within
his control. For example if there is a really long wait to get your food it
may be the kitchen's fault but it is still the waiter's responsibility and
can validly be reflected in the tip.

--
Peter Aitken