I own a small restaurant, classic American foods, decent prices, and kid-friendly. One of our policies is that kids ten and under can get anything off the kids’ menu for free. The stuff on the kids menu is cheap. Like, a bowl of mac and cheese with some chicken nuggets isn’t breaking my bank on food cost. A hot dog and some fries aren’t gonna bankrupt me.
Last night, I was sitting in the office watching some YouTube videos when I noticed a family that I know personally. Their daughter (twelve) is friends with my granddaughter (thirteen).
When I see people I know, I have a tendency to sort of “take over” the table. The server still gets the tip, but I give the table a lot of extra attention.
So, I stop over and say hi, and I check their ticket on the computer out of curiosity. The dad got our 22oz Porterhouse with a fully dressed potato (Butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, chili, ranch dressing, and crispy fried onions), the mom got our fried catfish and hushpuppies, and the daughter got our pulled pork cheeseburger with onion rings. The daughter ordered off the main menu, not the kids’ menu.
Anyway, they spend about forty minutes eating, drinking, and generally being merry. Both their server and I are keeping an eye on their drinks, making sure they are having a good experience. I even gave them five free credits on the jukebox just to be nice.
I head back to the office to take a phone call, and while I’m back there, I notice a commotion on the cameras, at that very same table. Before I can make it to the dining room, the server is in the kitchen, heading towards my office.
Apparently, there was a “mistake” with their tab, and their daughter’s meal should have been free. The server tried to explain that that only applies to items on the kid’s menu, and the girl had ordered off the main menu. The explanation fell on deaf ears.
So, I head out to solve the problem. I explain that not only did the girl order off the main menu, but I know for a fact that their daughter is not ten or under, since my granddaughter had been to her twelfth birthday party back in March.
The mom tried to argue, but the dad put his hand up, apologized for his wife’s behavior, and passed me his card to pay.
Before they had even left my establishment, the mom already left a nasty (and completely false) Google review, stating that we lie about our policies, and kids don’t really get free meals.
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