Have you ever been asked to leave a restaurant?

[ronandannette]

What a nice treat from your dd! To be clear my response was based on breakfast prices which usually always include coffee. Juice would usually be extra. They start at around $9 per plate for eggs/bacon/potatoes and toast up to around $18 for eggs with steak. Many breakfast places serve it the whole day. Brunch costs more as more expensive food is served as an in between breakfast and lunch. The op said they went for breakfast in her first post.

What city are you in and what kind of restaurant is this? I’m in Calgary and a Grand Slam at Denny’s is about $14 bucks - coffee not included. Brunch at any upscale place is easily double that. Sorry to go OT and not to imply the price of the meals should dictate the service levels - just curious.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You are just sooo hilarious. Except I DID read the whole post. I wasn’t commenting on the fact that she noticed

She didn't notice. Her husband did.

 

[NHdisneylover]

What city are you in and what kind of restaurant is this? I’m in Calgary and a Grand Slam at Denny’s is about $14 bucks - coffee not included. Brunch at any upscale place is easily double that. Sorry to go OT and not to imply the price of the meals should dictate the service levels - just curious.

yeah---coffee included with the price of breakfast in the US isn't something I normally see. I found it odd as well.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

yeah---coffee included with the price of breakfast in the US isn't something I normally see. I found it odd as well.

True, but a Grand Slam is more like $10 here

 

[Wendy31]

Thought of this thread last night...

We went to dinner a local water-side restaurant. The restaurant has both indoor & outdoor seating, but, on nice days, the outside seating next to a lakeside marina is pretty popular.

And people tend to linger. And the area where you wait for an available table is within sight of the outdoor eating area - so, as you're waiting for a table, you get to watch the people linger. LOL!

Because the outdoor space is limited, there are only 2 2-top tables, & the rest of the tables seat 4-6. Last night, when we arrived, there was a couple sitting at one of the larger tables.

While we're waiting for our outdoor table, the server brings the couple their check & refills their drinks.

The family who was in front of us gets seated an outdoor table. About 10-15 minutes later, we are seated at an outdoor table. We're seated right beside another table of young-ish adults who had been lingering, but they eventually leave. Another group is seated at their table.

The couple at the other table has now been lingering for more than 15 minutes.

There are still other families waiting for a table.

We order. We eat our appetizers. Our meal arrives. We eat. We decline dessert.

The couple is STILL at their table. Numerous people are waiting for tables. The server periodically checks on the couple but eventually stops. They are just sitting there at the table talking - they've even finished their drinks.

The family that was seated before us finishes & leaves.

We finish & pay for our meal & get up to leave. As we're leaving, I notice another table beside us that was seated after us is also finished w/ their meal & is declining dessert.

The couple that was seated & finished w/ their meal when we arrived is STILL there when we leave.

I WISH a server had asked them to leave! LOL! Taking up a table that long is just ridiculous, right?

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

What city are you in and what kind of restaurant is this? I’m in Calgary and a Grand Slam at Denny’s is about $14 bucks - coffee not included. Brunch at any upscale place is easily double that. Sorry to go OT and not to imply the price of the meals should dictate the service levels - just curious.

I am talking about all day breakfast restaurants. I have never paid for coffee when having a full breakfast as it is all included. Even McDonald's includes coffee in their full breakfasts. I am not in Ottawa but have eaten at The Wellington Diner. If you google their All Day Breakfast menu you will see that coffee/tea is included and their prices are right around what I quoted in my previous post. Just one example. I guess it differs from province to province. I have never been out as far west as Calgary so I have no reason to doubt what you say.

I agree, brunch is much more expensive as I already have mentioned as well.

 

[EveDallas]

Thought of this thread last night...

We went to dinner a local water-side restaurant. The restaurant has both indoor & outdoor seating, but, on nice days, the outside seating next to a lakeside marina is pretty popular.

And people tend to linger. And the area where you wait for an available table is within sight of the outdoor eating area - so, as you're waiting for a table, you get to watch the people linger. LOL!

Because the outdoor space is limited, there are only 2 2-top tables, & the rest of the tables seat 4-6. Last night, when we arrived, there was a couple sitting at one of the larger tables.

While we're waiting for our outdoor table, the server brings the couple their check & refills their drinks.

The family who was in front of us gets seated an outdoor table. About 10-15 minutes later, we are seated at an outdoor table. We're seated right beside another table of young-ish adults who had been lingering, but they eventually leave. Another group is seated at their table.

The couple at the other table has now been lingering for more than 15 minutes.

There are still other families waiting for a table.

We order. We eat our appetizers. Our meal arrives. We eat. We decline dessert.

The couple is STILL at their table. Numerous people are waiting for tables. The server periodically checks on the couple but eventually stops. They are just sitting there at the table talking - they've even finished their drinks.

The family that was seated before us finishes & leaves.

We finish & pay for our meal & get up to leave. As we're leaving, I notice another table beside us that was seated after us is also finished w/ their meal & is declining dessert.

The couple that was seated & finished w/ their meal when we arrived is STILL there when we leave.

I WISH a server had asked them to leave! LOL! Taking up a table that long is just ridiculous, right?

Absolutely ridiculous and very rude.

 

[mjkacmom]

I am talking about all day breakfast restaurants. I have never paid for coffee when having a full breakfast as it is all included. Even McDonald's includes coffee in their full breakfasts. I am not in Ottawa but have eaten at The Wellington Diner. If you google their All Day Breakfast menu you will see that coffee/tea is included and their prices are right around what I quoted in my previous post. Just one example. I guess it differs from province to province. I have never been out as far west as Calgary so I have no reason to doubt what you say.

I agree, brunch is much more expensive as I already have mentioned as well.

I’ve never been to a restaurant that included coffee with the meal, although it is usually unlimited (I prefer it when they leave a pot on the table).

 

[Amii]

My family was asked to leave a restaurant because my father had a seeing eye dog. (my father was blind and it was a certified seeing eye dog) The owner told us to leave because dogs were not allowed. We explained the laws but the owner told us we would have leave or he would call the police. My father refused to leave and the owner called the police. When the police officer got there he told the owner that it was the law that my father's seeing eye dog be allowed in. He also told the owner if he was smart he would not charge us for our meal since my father could press charges. The owner was still upset about having to let my father's seeing eye dog in but said he would let us eat and he would not charge us so he didn't get in trouble. We left and went to eat somewhere else. We weren't looking for a free meal but we did want to keep it from happening to another person.

 

[ronandannette]

My family was asked to leave a restaurant because my father had a seeing eye dog. (my father was blind and it was a certified seeing eye dog) The owner told us to leave because dogs were not allowed. We explained the laws but the owner told us we would have leave or he would call the police. My father refused to leave and the owner called the police. When the police officer got there he told the owner that it was the law that my father's seeing eye dog be allowed in. He also told the owner if he was smart he would not charge us for our meal since my father could press charges. The owner was still upset about having to let my father's seeing eye dog in but said he would let us eat and he would not charge us so he didn't get in trouble. We left and went to eat somewhere else. We weren't looking for a free meal but we did want to keep it from happening to another person.

That must have been a long time ago. I'm old enough to remember when certified "seeing-eye" dogs were the only kind of service animals and how amazing they were. Nowadays it's impossible to keep support ponies and service chickens out of any place.

 

[larissawbb]

That must have been a long time ago. I'm old enough to remember when certified "seeing-eye" dogs were the only kind of service animals and how amazing they were. Nowadays it's impossible to keep support ponies and service chickens out of any place.

Don’t forget the peacock!

 

[Amii]

That must have been a long time ago. I'm old enough to remember when certified "seeing-eye" dogs were the only kind of service animals and how amazing they were. Nowadays it's impossible to keep support ponies and service chickens out of any place.

It happened about 27-28 years ago. People didn't have support animals like they do now. Can you imagine what kind of support animals there will be in 10 years? Support hyena anyone?

 

[luvsJack]

She didn't notice. Her husband did.

I simply cannot roll my eyes high enough.

I said her husband in previous post or maybe it was a later post. Whichever.

 

[Imzadi]

Don’t forget the peacock!

The peacock didn't make it onto the plane. That person should have known better than to try that in Newark, NJ. (Imagine where Tony Soprano would have told her to stuff that peacock. )

 

[Disney_Alli]

I am talking about all day breakfast restaurants. I have never paid for coffee when having a full breakfast as it is all included. Even McDonald's includes coffee in their full breakfasts. I am not in Ottawa but have eaten at The Wellington Diner. If you google their All Day Breakfast menu you will see that coffee/tea is included and their prices are right around what I quoted in my previous post. Just one example. I guess it differs from province to province. I have never been out as far west as Calgary so I have no reason to doubt what you say.

I agree, brunch is much more expensive as I already have mentioned as well.

To be clear exactly one type of breakfast at the Wellington Diner has coffee included with their breakfast price - none of the other options do. It's kind of like how drinks are included with 90% of kids meals but not all. As a former Ottawan and current Calgarian I'd say this is the exception that proves the rule rather than being the rule itself.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I am talking about all day breakfast restaurants. I have never paid for coffee when having a full breakfast as it is all included. Even McDonald's includes coffee in their full breakfasts. I am not in Ottawa but have eaten at The Wellington Diner. If you google their All Day Breakfast menu you will see that coffee/tea is included and their prices are right around what I quoted in my previous post. Just one example. I guess it differs from province to province. I have never been out as far west as Calgary so I have no reason to doubt what you say.

I agree, brunch is much more expensive as I already have mentioned as well.

McDonald's, like most fasst food establishments, also includes a soda as part of a set price "meal" at non breakfast times of day---but most sit down places do not (except, as mentioned by a PP, perhaps with kids' meals). OP is about a locally owned, table service breakfast places. I hardly see how McD's compares.

But, yes, one person
#s idea of pricey for breakfast out and another's are going to vary significantly depending on where they live, what they think of as a "normal" versus "low level/cheap" type pf place, etc.
We mostly do breakfast out with my in laws when visiting them in Boulder, Colorado--generally always somewhere locally owned (some are local chains) . I'd say $15-20 per person when drinks and tax are included is pretty typical there and coffee has not been part of the meal price anywhere I've been with them.

 

[DeniseJH]

A couple of dollars either way makes no difference. It's bad business to ask a party to leave.

 

[soccerdad72]

A couple of dollars either way makes no difference. It's bad business to ask a party to leave.

I agree that it's bad business to ask anyone to leave your restaurant, but I would also say that during breakfast hours, especially in a busy place, turning over tables is essential. Breakfast checks aren't generally very large, so for the restaurant as well as the servers, it's essential to turn as many tables as they can to maximize revenue.

 

[cabanafrau]

I agree that it's bad business to ask anyone to leave your restaurant, but I would also say that during breakfast hours, especially in a busy place, turning over tables is essential. Breakfast checks aren't generally very large, so for the restaurant as well as the servers, it's essential to turn as many tables as they can to maximize revenue.

This is exactly why some small restaurants in our area had to start making some seniors' coffee klatches less welcome. They had all the time in the world and nothing to do but sit and talk over coffee. Apparently many of them now gather at McDonald's every morning.

 

[msjprincess]

A couple of local diners I go to have weekday breakfast specials that include coffee and juice. It's a small limited menu. If you order something else, no coffee and no coffee on weekends. And sometimes at delis a small juice or coffee is included with an egg sandwich. For the most part though, no free coffee.