Middle aged men shouting in restaurants

Mrs Shuttleworth · 08-12-2016 12:57AM #1

Am I the only person who notices/gets annoyed by this?

Three of us went out last night for a very special occasion to the Trocadero on St Andrew Street.

Service was great, food plentiful, but the night ruined by the presence of ten men aged 30s-60s, booming out expletives the whole evening adjacent to our table. We could barely speak nor think.

Do restaurant managers have any protocol on dealing with this? If you complain you run the risk of causing a very nasty drunken row. And the atmosphere in all honesty lost from the outset.

Should you request to be moved? Or just leave?

bruschi · 08-12-2016 12:59AM

You men, the things you think are ‘great fun’. Like going to the films, a load of men sitting around looking at films! And rollercoasters, a load of men in a rollercoaster going up and down on a big metal track! And sailing, a load of men in a big boat floating around in the sea! And shouting, a load of men going around shouting!

It's just in our nature

osarusan · 08-12-2016 01:02AM

Did you ask to be seated elsewhere?

darkpagandeath · 08-12-2016 01:04AM

Was he mansplaining while manspreading ?

Armchair Andy · 08-12-2016 01:07AM

Just ask to be moved.

Or enjoy the meal regardless.

Whispered · 08-12-2016 01:07AM

Did you ask to be seated elsewhere? That's what I'd have done. No need for it to be an issue or to ruin any atmosphere (which was ruined anyway?). You don't even have to Mention why to the staff. I would imagine they'd have been happy to help.

Outlaw Pete · 08-12-2016 01:08AM

In fairness, neither gender has the monopoly on obnoxious inconsiderate behavior in my experience.

I go to gigs quite a bit and you'll get just as many groups of women as you will groups of men roaring and cackling away seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are ruining other people's night.

Ferrari3600 · 08-12-2016 01:15AM

Dublin has its fair share of these types unfortunately:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmBauXYzgc

Atari Jaguar · 08-12-2016 01:17AM

All the manager can do is request they quieten down. But aren't likely to unless they get numerous complaints because it can cause a fit.

_Kaiser_ · 08-12-2016 01:19AM

Could have been worse OP. You could have been there earlier and met this guy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eREiQhBDIk

(Excellent film BTW!)

padd b1975 · 08-12-2016 01:22AM

Ten men on a Christmas night out at an upper end restaurant.....You're probably talking the thick end of €1000 worth of business right there.

No way were the staff going to intervene, no matter how many complaints!!

andekwarhola · 08-12-2016 01:28AM

It's Christmas and people tend to be at the upper end of convivial when they're out.

Also, right or wrong as it may be, they're the type of people that restaurants want as custom: high spending gregarious sorts that shell out on booze by the sounds of it. As opposed to Art Of Conversation customers that share a bottle of mineral water.

Atari Jaguar · 08-12-2016 01:32AM

padd b1975 wrote: »

Ten men on a Christmas night out at an upper end restaurant.....You're probably talking the thick end of €1000 worth of business right there.

No way were the staff going to intervene, no matter how many complaints!!

Yes they will. If 20 customers complain and leave that's 2000 they've lost. You don't leave everyone unhappy or uncomfortable because a few people are spending some money. That's exactly how you ensure people never return.

"Oh how about we eat here?"

"Nah there was some oul ***** one time causing an awful racket and management did nothing"

"**** then so"

LETHAL LADY · 08-12-2016 01:32AM

Something to do with wanting to be alpha male I think.:D

Seriously though, boorish behaviour is not the preserve of middle-aged men.

Fleawuss · 08-12-2016 01:36AM

One must have a protocol. And an implementation sub group. Only after the focus group has synergised the input of the expert group who have taken a multi disciplinary approach through the lens of empowerment in a contra patriarchal zeitgeist.

Alternatively tell them to shut the fcuk up.

andekwarhola · 08-12-2016 01:39AM

LETHAL LADY wrote: »

Something to do with wanting to be alpha male I think.:D

Seriously though, boorish behaviour is not the preserve of middle-aged men.

I worked in a similar level restaurant as a student and to be fair, any genuinely noisy or disruptive patrons were usually asked to tone it down. Our place was always more lively in December.

These threads are similar to the ones about kids in public spaces: it's always hard to ascertain if it's a genuine case of poor behaviour slipping under the radar or whether it's somebody that essentially wants public spaces cleared whenever they venture out.

ted1 · 08-12-2016 01:44AM

10 high pitch middle age women can be equally as annoying or worse

bazz26 · 08-12-2016 01:46AM

Probably don't get out much these days as they used to and it being the office Christmas party season with a bit of booze makes them get a bit lively. Middle aged women are just as bad on a night out when they had a bit too much wine.

LETHAL LADY · 08-12-2016 01:50AM

andekwarhola wrote: »

I worked in a similar level restaurant as a student and to be fair, any genuinely noisy or disruptive patrons were usually asked to tone it down.

These threads are similar to the ones about kids in public spaces: it's always hard to ascertain if it's a genuine case of poor behaviour slipping under the radar or whether it's somebody that essentially wants public spaces cleared whenever they venture out.

Agreed, but I've never experienced a massive amount of marauding gangs of uncouth middle-aged men when I was out and about

Zaph · 08-12-2016 01:53AM

Ferrari3600 wrote: »

Dublin has its fair share of these types unfortunately:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmBauXYzgc

You'll get d*ckheads everywhere, it's not something that's exclusive to Dublin.

Charles Babbage · 08-12-2016 02:01AM

Don't leave any tip. Post a suitable review on tripadvisor.

Jimmy Garlic · 08-12-2016 02:13AM

There are ways to deal with rowdy customers..

Atari Jaguar · 08-12-2016 02:17AM

Charles Babbage wrote: »

Don't leave any tip. Post a suitable review on tripadvisor.

Who tips in Ireland?

ted1 · 08-12-2016 02:21AM

Atari Jaguer wrote: »

Who tips in Ireland?

Most people.

Atari Jaguar · 08-12-2016 02:41AM

ted1 wrote: »

Most people.

Never seen it in me life. I certainly wouldn't anyway. We're not exactly New York.

_Jamie_ · 08-12-2016 03:03AM

Loudness in restuarants is definitely not gender-specific! It is really annoying though.

padd b1975 · 08-12-2016 07:48AM

Atari Jaguer wrote: »

Yes they will. If 20 customers complain and leave that's 2000 they've lost. You don't leave everyone unhappy or uncomfortable because a few people are spending some money. That's exactly how you ensure people never return.

"Oh how about we eat here?"

"Nah there was some oul ***** one time causing an awful racket and management did nothing"

"**** then so"

20 people won't complain at the time though, not a chance.
This is Ireland we're talking about here!

The land of Joe Duffy.

Grayson · 08-12-2016 08:23AM

Atari Jaguer wrote: »

Never seen it in me life. I certainly wouldn't anyway. We're not exactly New York.

Most people tip in restaurants.

I had a friend who worked in Thunder Road during college. Normally he's make enough to keep going but during xmas he made a fortune in tips. I think he made a grand one week.

ted1 · 08-12-2016 09:54AM

Atari Jaguer wrote: »

Never seen it in me life. I certainly wouldn't anyway. We're not exactly New York.

You must have a very stingy network of friends or you never get out.
I've never seen no one not tip.

Berserker · 08-12-2016 10:01AM

Atari Jaguer wrote: »

Never seen it in me life. I certainly wouldn't anyway. We're not exactly New York.

Crikey. It would be rare that we wouldn't tip. Once the service and food is good, we would always leave a tip. I'd even tip when I eat out for lunch in a sit down restaurant.

Mrs Shuttleworth wrote: »

Am I the only person who notices/gets annoyed by this?

Wouldn't say that it is exclusive to men. A table full of women can be just as rowdy.

seamus · 08-12-2016 10:13AM

It's Christmas. For the next month every restaurant and bar will have at least one large group of very loud people of many genders.

If don't like it, stay out of the city.

Middle aged men shouting in restaurants

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