Have you ever walked out of a restaurant after being seated???

[Tuffcookie]

DBF and I went out to dinner Saturday evening. We decided to try a new restaurant in the Montrose area of our town. We should have known better when we saw the parking lot was not that full and there was a valet parking sign at the door. We went in, got seated, and the waitress handed us our menus, left, and brought us our water. She left again and we proceeded to look at the menu. The first 4 pages were wines with the last 2 pages being their food items. All entrees were either steaks or seafood. Nothing was under $25, and that was for an 8 oz. steak. I looked at the menu for a few moments then looked at DBF and asked. "Do you want to leave"? He said, "Yes". We got up and left! After we left that place we went to Longhorn Steak house and figured we saved at least $40!

TC

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

I've walked out after being seated for 15 minutes and never even approached by a server.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I have never left a restaurant like that b/c the menu prices were too expensive. If it's a place I don't know (especially if it had valet), I would ask to see a menu before I was seated to see if the prices were worth it.

I have left though b/c of awful service.

 

[Marseeya]

We've walked out for a variety of reasons, but never because of price. We usually go with an apology and a couple of dollars on the table for the trouble.

 

[Beth76]

Yes, but not because we didn't like the menu. Because there was a HUGE cockroach next to our table.

 

[Stacerita]

Ive walked out of a few places after being seated. Lots of different reasons as to why. There was only one time I left because the place was too $$$. I was in high school at the time and a group of us decided to try this mongolian place. We figured it would be the same as the chinese place we were used to especially since it was in the parking lot of a strip mall. We get in, get seated, water is brought and we start checking out the menu. Everything was twice as much as we thought it would be. $20 for a single item, with no sides, was way out of our league. Hey, we were high school kids. So one by one we left and headed over to our stand by chinese place. For the same price for one to eat at the mongolian place, all of us feasted at the chinese place.

 

[momrek06]

DH & I have walked out of restaurants in the past BUT we get up and take the menu and walk right up to our server and the host and very nicely just tell them "we have changed our minds"!! That is it. Everyone feels fine. And you have EVERY right in the world to change your mind whether it is the prices, the atmosphere or you decided you just aren't that hungry after all!!!

NO BIGGIE!!! I am just not sure if we would just "walk out"!!! I have noticed allot of restaurants ALLOT post their menus outside the restaurant and that right there gives you the option to see the prices prior to entering. OR go inside, ask to see a menu from a host and then make your decision. EASY and EASY!!!

 

[Ronda93]

Yes, several times. I like to dine at quiet times, usually late afternoon. If I get seated and ignored I will leave. Ignored means walking past two or three times without so much as a look. It's not a "not my section" problem either. The menus go back up to the front. There are too many choices for me to put up with shoddy service from the word go.

 

[Pembo]

Yep, for lots of reasons!

 

[dbarker]

Yes. DH is a "Meat and Potato" man. He can usually find something on any menu that he likes. If we are eating at any kind of ethnic restaurant, he can usually find a steak or at least a chicken fried steak. Well, a certain national Italian restaurant chain does not have any kind of steak on their menu. I was surprised. So, we left.

 

[jedi_librarian]

DBF and I went out to dinner Saturday evening. We decided to try a new restaurant in the Montrose area of our town. We should have known better when we saw the parking lot was not that full and there was a valet parking sign at the door. We went in, got seated, and the waitress handed us our menus, left, and brought us our water. She left again and we proceeded to look at the menu. The first 4 pages were wines with the last 2 pages being their food items. All entrees were either steaks or seafood. Nothing was under $25, and that was for an 8 oz. steak. I looked at the menu for a few moments then looked at DBF and asked. "Do you want to leave"? He said, "Yes". We got up and left! After we left that place we went to Longhorn Steak house and figured we saved at least $40!

TC

Good for you!! DH and I have always wanted to do that, but never did. Especially the year we went out to one of our fav restaurants and that nite that had a fixed price menu. The hostess should really should tell you that before they seat you. We didn't have the guts to leave. But we should have.

 

[ducklite]

We walked out of Olive Garden once after they skipped over us on the list, and we waited almost two hours for a table (and checked back a couple of times at teh podium). When they did finally seat us our server walked past us at least a dozen times for over 15 minutes, and we finally said forget it and walked out. Then I called Olive Garden's corporate hq the next day.

We also walked out of the PRincetonian Diner in Princeton NJ because it was disgustingly dirty. There was something flaoting in DH's milk, and my coffee cup had lipstick on it.

Anne

 

[Annette_VA]

I've walked out after being seated for 15 minutes and never even approached by a server.

Ditto!

 

[Andrea]

I've walked out after being seated for 15 minutes and never even approached by a server.

only once and not because of price...

try getting sitted and it took 30 minutes before he even came and asked us what we wanted to drink

 

[ilovepcot]

If something isn't right in a restaurant, DH and I have no problem walking out. Even at WDW! After all, we're the ones paying!

 

[nliedel]

A couple times, never because of price. I scout things before I try them. I was ignored by a waiter for almost 45 minutes once and when he came over he said, "What do you want?". At that point nothing. We were nice but we let the manager know on our way out the door.

 

[Servants of Evan]

Flemmings, perhaps? Yes, there are a few folks who have sticker shock... Short of the Diamond Grille, Flemmings is one of the few true steak houses now in the area. Goood steak.

 

[Karel]

We walked out of a hotel restaurant once. We were driving to Florida, had been in the car for around 10 hours and stopped at a hotel where we stayed before. It used to have a restaurant like Ground Round or Bennigans but it was gone. They had this sport bar place and we got a table but it was all appetizers/bar food and nothing was appealing after a long tiring day with three kids in tow.

We went down the road to Applebee's instead.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Servants of Evan wrote: Flemmings, perhaps? Yes, there are a few folks who have sticker shock... Short of the Diamond Grille, Flemmings is one of the few true steak houses now in the area.

BINGO!!! We have dined at Ken Stewart's before for special ocassions. However, we were just going on our usual Saturday night out and we were not prepared for anything quite that expensive. Did the Beacon ever do a story on this place? Now that we know what it's all about we may try it at another time.

TC

PS In all my years I have never eaten at the Diamond Grille. Now that you mentioned it I will have to give it a try!

 

[Poohnatic]

Yes. Same as everyone else. I grew up with many family members in the restaurant business, so I can understand the weeded server with a busy section. It's a different story when it's a slower night and the server takes over 10 minutes to greet us.

Menus always go up to the front with an explanation that we must have a server who is too busy to help us.

Once we walked out because the menu was not what we thought it would be. We left a tip for the server of a few bucks, and apologized. We found out it wasn't all that uncommon in that restaurant.

Suzanne