WWYD if a waiter at a high end restaurant spilled drinks on you?

[debster812]

Provided he did not do it on purpose, and cackle maniacally afterward, I'd accept his apology, and go back to enjoying my lunch with my friends.

 

[JLTraveling]

I suppose you're within your rights to ask for the cleaning fee to be reimbursed, but this is honestly totally alien to my way of thinking. To illustrate by way of example:

My dad and I were at Halloween Horror Nights on Halloween night. Dad was in front of me walking through one of the haunted houses. He was pushing back some of the hanging stuff from the ceiling as he rounded a corner. At that same instant, an actor jumped out with a prop knife. Dad and the knife collided, and he got a pretty deep puncture wound in his hand. Complete and total accident.

Dad finished the house by squeezing his hand closed to apply direct pressure. When we told the medical staff member at the house exit what happened, the first words out of both of our mouths were "It was an accident. We don't want the actor to get in any trouble." Because Dad has Hep C, they had to get the actor out to dispose of the knife. We saw him talking to the director while Dad was being bandaged up, and we both made sure to speak with the actor as well as the director to let them both know that we knew it was an accident and there was no real harm done.

Meanwhile, Dad got bandaged up and finished the night. Before we left, we actually stopped at Guest Services to give the actor a positive comment for his quick thinking (turns out he had immediately isolated the knife, remembering his bloodborne pathogens class). We stopped by Celebration Health on the way home for a tetanus shot, and it turned out Dad needed two stitches. He also had to see a hand surgeon for X-rays, to make sure there was no damage to the nerves or tendons. Thankfully everything was fine. Dad has great insurance, so the medical bills were a non-issue, and the situation was clearly an accident. We were more concerned about the actor, frankly, since the injury was under control.

So like I said, you're within your rights to pursue this, but I can't even fathom doing so. Accidents happen, everyone's all right, the waiter apologized, no real harm done.

 

[Acklander]

I'd ask for a towel.

this. And being that I don't own anything that needs to be dry cleaned I wouldn't have to worry about a dry cleaning bill, so the towel would be good enough for me.

 

[AustinTink]

I'm gonna go against the grain here and say yes have them pay for your dry cleaning at the very least.

I once had a server at the Macaroni Grill dump my son's chicken tenders into the front pocket of my new designer canvas handbag. The grease stain set and I took it in to the manager the next day. He told me to go to Saks and replace it and bring him the receipt. I did, he paid for it in full and all was well. These restaurants expect accidents to happen and they will make things good in return. I'm surprised so many people would sit back and do nothing.

If I spilled something on a friend's clothing, you had better believe I would pay to clean it. Why ask for any less from a restaurant?

 

[WDWFAN9]

Gosh, a couple of weeks ago a waiter at Olive Garden dumped a couple of diet cokes all over me. Totally by accident and he apologized up and down, I could tell he felt terrible. I wasn't upset because accidents do happen. The manager came over, gave me his card and said to send any dry cleaning bill to him for reimbursement, and our meal was comped. I was amazed. I didn't ask for or expect anything but an apology.

I would expect an offer of reimbursing drycleaning for anyone who had something stained.

 

[walden]

It is stained, with cherry juice... I doubt that is coming out in the wash, if at all.

BTW, in the interest of customer service, if I owned a restaurant, I am sure I would have comped at least 25% of the meal ( her meal ), and the customer would not have had to even ask.

Yes, I do think the waiter should have apologized. I would also have expected the manager to apologize and offer a free desert and/or cleaning compensation -- but only if the spill was bad enough to warrant it. $45 per meal is pricey, but not exactly really high-end $$$ in this neck of the woods.

Your wife was apparently happy to let it go at the time. Perhaps you should too?

And, just as a matter of interest, what alcoholic drinks contain cherry juice? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Anne MN]

My wife was out today for her yearly holiday brunch with her friends. The waiter spilled 2 drinks on her not long after she sat down.
My wife is VERY non confrontational in public. Anyway, she needs to send one item to the cleaners to get a small stain out. She didn't even see the stain until she got home.

So, because she is non confrontational, I guess, the only thing the waiter did was apologize. No offers to pay for any cleaning bills, and no offers to deduct anything off the bill.

She just got home 6 hours after it happened, and she still smells like alcohol.

So, she is going to write a letter to the restaurant, at least asking for her cleaning expenses.


This is the kind of place where lunch is priced fixed at $45, plus whatever you order for drinks.

Depends- were the drinks on a servers tray and he dumped the whole tray or was it one after the other?
I don't own anything that is dryclean anymore- but that would p**s me off!!
apology- ok mistakes happen, but come on you dumped a bunch of liquid in this ladys lap- if it was anything RED it WILL stain! (I have had red stuff dumped on me wearing different colors and it stained everything!)
have her talk to the manager and explain what happened and go from there
If it happened to you, what would you do, or what would you have expected the restaurant to do?

 

[Acklander]

And, just as a matter of interest, what alcoholic drinks contain cherry juice? Inquiring minds want to know.

Bourbon Old Fashioned??? Well, it has a cherry so i guess maybe some cherry juice???

 

[TandT]

IMO.... The management should have gotten involved and offered to take care of the dry cleaning expenses and perhaps a free round of drinks.

 

[allyphoe]

I suppose you're within your rights to ask for the cleaning fee to be reimbursed, but this is honestly totally alien to my way of thinking.

So your Dad got immediate action to make him as whole as possible, at no expense to him, which was no more or less than what he deserved, but if the OP wants to be made as whole as possible at no expense to her, that's alien to your way of thinking? :

 

[kaytieeldr]

If it happened to you, what would you do, or what would you have expected the restaurant to do?

I'd ask for club soda and white cloth napkins - but then, I don't wear anything that needs to be dry-cleaned.

I once had a server at the Macaroni Grill dump my son's chicken tenders into the front pocket of my new designer canvas handbag.

Accident? Or mistake? Either way, that's some good aim!

 

[AustinTink]

Accident? Or mistake? Either way, that's some good aim!

Yeah, it was! I always put my purse on an extra chair scooted in. She had to really go out of her way to make it in there.

 

[focusondisney]

Yes, accidents happen. But I would expect the waiter to inform his manager of the accident. The manager should check on the customer & depending on the situation, offer an apology or appropriate compensation. A small spill might only require an apology. But I think if a customer must sit thru an entire meal wet & uncomfortable, it is good customer service to offer some compensation. We eat out often & have had managers offer free desserts or comp'd meals for less than that. We have almost always refused, but we felt good that the manager cared enough to offer. And of course, this good will ensures we keep patronizing the restaurant.

As to the OP, I would have asked for the manager at the time if I was worried about it. I wouldn't call after I got home to complain & ask for compensation.

 

[JLTraveling]

So your Dad got immediate action to make him as whole as possible, at no expense to him, which was no more or less than what he deserved, but if the OP wants to be made as whole as possible at no expense to her, that's alien to your way of thinking? :

Huh?? What?? My dad got a free bandaid. He took care of the tetanus shot, stitches, X-rays and hand surgeon himself. Had he not had excellent personal health insurance, it would have been a whole lot more expensive than a dry cleaning bill! I fail to see how he was "made as whole as possible" at no expense to him. The bandaid is comparable to a towel or napkin. The full medical treatment is comparable to the dry cleaning bill. I'm totally confused at what you mean here.

 

[mhsjax]

I'd ask for club soda and white cloth napkins - but then, I don't wear anything that needs to be dry-cleaned.

Accident? Or mistake? Either way, that's some good aim!

Dry cleaned or not, Cherry stains. I would try and get it out and then if the outfit was ruined, I would ask for compensation, otherwise no biggie.

 

[happygirl]

I would do nothing, as long as the waiter didn't do it on purpose

I do wonder why OP mentioned high end restaurant?

 

[Magic Mom]

I would do nothing, as long as the waiter didn't do it on purpose

I do wonder why OP mentioned high end restaurant?

Maybe he thinks Applebee's and BBQ restaurants routinely try to spill drinks on customers.

 

[mhsjax]

I think the OP mentioned it because you get better service as a rule at high end restaurants, well at least a very different type of service. I know that the one we go to, the manager would have come over and immediately offered to pay for the cleaning or the complete dress if the stain hadn't come out. Why you assume that the op thinks that waiters at other restaurants spill on purpose. This sound like reverse snobbery.

 

[marlynnp]

I wouldn't call $45 prix fixe high-end.

And btw, how much is 25% of a gourmet hotdog, since that's what he'd have offered?

 

[mhsjax]

I wouldn't call $45 prix fixe high-end.

And btw, how much is 25% of a gourmet hotdog, since that's what he'd have offered?

Where I am from $45.00 for LUNCH is fairly high end.