Is sharing food in a restaurant unfair.

Wildcard7 · 12-09-2017 10:24AM

Jayop wrote: »

I'm generally not an advocate of negative trip advisor reviews unless absolutely necessary but in this instance it could be justified.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't leave a negative TripAdvisor review for this. I can even understand the Restaurant to a degree.

But if that policy would bug me enough to get upset over it, I'd rather raise attention to it hoping they'll change their mind (or miss out on customers because of the - in my opinion - horrible policy).

That would be the proper way to handle it, IMHO.

sbsquarepants · 12-09-2017 10:30AM

....... wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Cos of, eh, the patriarchy or something.....obviously. Duh!

lawred2 · 12-09-2017 10:30AM

Wildcard7 wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't leave a negative TripAdvisor review for this. I can even understand the Restaurant to a degree.

But if that policy would bug me enough to get upset over it, I'd rather raise attention to it hoping they'll change their mind (or miss out on customers because of the - in my opinion - horrible policy).

That would be the proper way to handle it, IMHO.

The proper way is to raise it with staff. Leave. And then also leave a review for other prospective customers who might have young children. Inform them that they are likely not welcome unless they are prepared to buy adult meals for their children.

If the restaurant would like to change what is clearly a miserly and offensive policy - then they can respond to that review and inform prospective customers that such a policy no longer exists.

It's not a one or the other response for me - it's both.

Corvo · 12-09-2017 11:03AM

Absolute oddballs, isn't the whole point of pizza to be shared?

Did you at least poo in the cistern?

martingriff · 12-09-2017 11:34AM

seamus wrote: »

I've definitely heard of restaurants being like this. Doesn't this go back to the whole "four tourists buying a pint and sharing it for an hour" story?

Ultimately where a restaurant sits someone at a table, they expect that person is going to buy something. Two people sharing a single meal are eating into profit margins, which are very tight as it is. So much so that if two people were to share a pizza, it might actually be costing the restaurant money for those people to be sitting there.

Now, one would expect common sense to be applied. If it's half empty, then there's not a lot of harm in letting the kids share a pizza. But if the restaurant is packed and she's ordering one pizza between two of them, then I'm inclined to side with the restaurant on that one.

I have been with people who did this. They were 4 Germans in College with me for a semester until then I thought it was bull.

animaal · 12-09-2017 12:06PM

Corvo wrote: »

Absolute oddballs, isn't the whole point of pizza to be shared?

Yes. I believe pizza was traditionally a way for rural Italians to use up the remains of their harvest, pool it together so they'd all have a bit of variety. I doubt they baked a load of separate 5" servings.

Today many restaurants serve "large" pizzas (14" +), and it's reasonable to expect that these would be shared. There's plenty of precedence for the sharing of pizza. So if an establishment wants to disallow it, they should at least be clear about it.

Some customers will order multiple bottles of wine and the most expensive meals. Others will select more modest meals. The restaurant should consider this when setting prices/menus. The restaurant's profit margins shouldn't be something the customer needs to consider.
If the customer feels they risk being harassed/ejected based on their reasonable food choices (i.e. not taking the pi55), then the restaurant is failing to provide a good service. If the sector is competitive, then that restaurant probably doesn't deserve to succeed.

Definitely, I'd report my experience on TripAdvisor. You'd be reporting a fact, not making a subjective comment on the taste of the food or the ambiance. Help people make informed choices about where they choose to spend their money.

topper75 · 12-09-2017 12:39PM

Hollister11 wrote: »

I was in a restaurant and my mum and I ordered separate chips. They made us ordered a shared one.

my3cents wrote: »

I was in a restaurant recently with my wife and didn't order a sweet. The waitress delivered my wifes order, a vast portion of cake, with two spoons.

OP if you don't like the service just get up an leave.

Sounds like they are looking after you rather than just grabbing your money.

So you go BACK with repeat business. It's not just a transaction - a relationship is established.

And that is how an economy is built. It's about the long game. The restaurant the OP referred to won't be around long.

OldMrBrennan83 · 12-09-2017 12:58PM

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12-09-2017 12:59PM

Here an ides its something I do if I have a very good experience in a restaurant I email them and complement them every one likes to told they are doing a good job and it only takes a few minuets.

Chuchote · 12-09-2017 02:16PM

Always a sign of a place that's about to go out of business when they start making these silly decisions. I went to a localish cafe a few months back for my usual coffee with hot milk on the side. They charged me €2 extra for heating the milk. I would have really liked to support them, but this was having the laugh, and I didn't go back. Others must have felt the same; despite a nice location and good coffee and cake and lovely staff and a very pretty set-out, they closed shortly afterwards.

Mocha Joe · 12-09-2017 04:48PM

myshirt wrote: »

I am with the restaurant on this. I put this type of behaviour in the same category as those who ask for half mash half chips when the option is one or the other; people who bring their own food into the cinema; people who order a miwadi and sit and watch the match in a pub; or people who go half coke half diet coke because they are on a diet.

I want half mash/half chips. Whats the big deal?

Rubberchikken · 12-09-2017 04:51PM

have never experienced it and have shared many a meal. often order a brownie in Perry Street in Cork and share with friend/daughter. we'd order two teas alright. never an issue. and the brownie is well worth it:)

Samaris · 12-09-2017 06:34PM

Seems a daft hill to die on. Plenty of others will order full sets of meals, but when you have two children and the pizza is going to be too big for either of them to manage, having them share is sensible. What were they going to do if there were three of you, sit a stranger with you to ensure all the spaces were filled with people buying adult meals?

For all they knew, you might have set a booking for 27 after you'd tried the place out, but by choosing that particular issue to have an issue about, they've probably lost your custom (since you're presumably going to mostly have the two kidlets to consider), and same for others in that situation.

So have they actually gained or lost out by it? I suspect lost out.

A Battered Mars Bar · 12-09-2017 08:48PM

Happened to me.

I says thats ridiculous get me the manager.

Out comes manager.

I says are you the manager?

He says I am

I says no your just some little maneen in a suit

He says I'm not wearing a suit

I says you get the jist

He says what's wrong?

I says I'll share me meal if I want I'm here for the ambience and me good character is boosting the image of yer restaurant

He says you're dead right sir

I says I know I am right. You'll do well now young man to be listening to me.

OldMrBrennan83 · 12-09-2017 08:56PM

This post has been deleted.

my3cents · 12-09-2017 08:58PM

topper75 wrote: »

Sounds like they are looking after you rather than just grabbing your money.

So you go BACK with repeat business. It's not just a transaction - a relationship is established.

And that is how an economy is built. It's about the long game. The restaurant the OP referred to won't be around long.

Where did I suggest they were grabbing any money? You seem to have a problem with two different points separated out in two different paragraphs.

the_pen_turner · 12-09-2017 09:08PM

I mentioned this to a neighbour today. she told me about her similar story on a restaurant with some similar nonsense . her nonsense was after she ordered and had her food. she had a small disagreement over it with the manager who was also behind the cashier
on the way old she went over to her and whispered to her that she was the secret shopper for today

I must remember that one

JohnCleary · 12-09-2017 09:25PM

On the flip side...

Went into a bar for a fry up (a rare treat) in Cong, Mayo last weekend.

As we rarely eat fry-ups, we said we'd be sharing it and could they bring out an extra plate.

Not only did they do that, but they put half-and-half on each plate, which meant we got a huge amount of food.

Ended up drinking 4 pints there :pac: (We were on holidays, why not)

We'll be back!

Robsweezie · 12-09-2017 09:38PM

sounds like a BS policy, sharing a big expensive pizza between kids is reasonable if thats what they want. what i would do is simply leave, dont know if id bother with tripadvisor. people will go elsewhere where such a policy doesnt exist, plenty of competition around. you're just pissing people off.

maybe not economically sound for the restaurant, but id put them first before having to implement some rule that would alienate them.

what i dont support, is the suggestion of ordering and then leaving out of spite before the food arrives. two wrongs dont make a right in that situation. wouldnt go that far.

mohawk · 12-09-2017 09:41PM

I wonder if restaurant in question has a kids menu. If it does then this doesn't make sense. Kids menu prices then to be around €6-8 per kid. A pizza in a restaurant on average your looking at between €12-18.
If place doesn't have kids menu then they probably don't want kids there anyway.

kurtainsider · 12-09-2017 09:51PM

mohawk wrote: »

I wonder if restaurant in question has a kids menu. If it does then this doesn't make sense. Kids menu prices then to be around €6-8 per kid. A pizza in a restaurant on average your looking at between €12-18.
If place doesn't have kids menu then they probably don't want kids there anyway.

The kids menu very often consists of a "get out of it handy" sausage and chips or nuggets and chips. Many restaurants don't bother to offer good food to children.

Let'em share the goddamn pizza ffs. Why go out of your way to piss customers off and ensure that they won't come back. (General point - not you mohawk)

topper75 · 13-09-2017 02:26PM

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Ahhhhh, what could be more 'their business' tell us?

dubstarr · 13-09-2017 03:04PM

I used to do this the kids meals are awful in some places.

Maybe she wanted the large pizza but was going to order extra sides.Thats what i used to do.Worked out better

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 13-09-2017 03:28PM

mohawk wrote: »

I wonder if restaurant in question has a kids menu. If it does then this doesn't make sense. Kids menu prices then to be around €6-8 per kid. A pizza in a restaurant on average your looking at between €12-18.
If place doesn't have kids menu then they probably don't want kids there anyway.

Yeah if there's no kids menu I'd wonder if it's a kind of semi official "we don't want to encourage families with kids" thing rather than specifically about the margins of two chairs two forks one pizza etc etcetc.

Families with kids are the hassliest, noisiest, messiest kind of table apart from like a stag party. And at least the amount a stag would spend mitigates a bit, almost never the case with the families.

I avoid any place I see described as family friendly, soooo accommodating for kiddies etc, plenty of people do. Places can afford to choose their market a bit more now than a few years ago.

That said, if it happened to me I would have walked :pac:

dubstarr · 13-09-2017 03:43PM

Adrienne Lively Warlock wrote: »

Yeah if there's no kids menu I'd wonder if it's a kind of semi official "we don't want to encourage families with kids" thing rather than specifically about the margins of two chairs two forks one pizza etc etcetc.

Families with kids are the hassliest, noisiest, messiest kind of table apart from like a stag party. And at least the amount a stag would spend mitigates a bit, almost never the case with the families.

I avoid any place I see described as family friendly, soooo accommodating for kiddies etc, plenty of people do. Places can afford to choose their market a bit more now than a few years ago.

That said, if it happened to me I would have walked :pac:

Well if they dont want famillies in,stop them at the door.Dont seat them,give menus and then point out what they do or wont do.

Pawwed Rig · 13-09-2017 03:43PM

Adrienne Lively Warlock wrote: »

Families with kids are the hassliest, noisiest, messiest kind of table apart from like a stag party. And at least the amount a stag would spend mitigates a bit, almost never the case with the families.

I avoid any place I see described as family friendly, soooo accommodating for kiddies etc, plenty of people do. Places can afford to choose their market a bit more now than a few years ago.

Yes but it gives the restaurant custom at off peak times. It is not as if restaurants are full of kids at the peak dinner times of 7pm and on

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 13-09-2017 03:53PM

dubstarr wrote: »

Well if they dont want famillies in,stop them at the door.Dont seat them,give menus and then point out what they do or wont do.

I'm not even sure if that would be legal and I am absolutely sure that would result in a lot of aggro.

And PawwedRig, yeah I know, but it could have been any kind of restaurant. I've personally worked in one cafe that made zero concessions to kids because they didn't want to get known as that kind of place and because the owners had served their time in family-friendly establishments and know how much more stressful it makes the work environment. Just saying it's a possibility, especially if no kids' menu.

pilly · 13-09-2017 04:07PM

Adrienne Lively Warlock wrote: »

I'm not even sure if that would be legal and I am absolutely sure that would result in a lot of aggro.

And PawwedRig, yeah I know, but it could have been any kind of restaurant. I've personally worked in one cafe that made zero concessions to kids because they didn't want to get known as that kind of place and because the owners had served their time in family-friendly establishments and know how much more stressful it makes the work environment. Just saying it's a possibility, especially if no kids' menu.

I would deliberately choose to go to a restaurant that didn't allow kids.

dr.fuzzenstein · 13-09-2017 04:09PM

Adrienne Lively Warlock wrote: »

I'm not even sure if that would be legal and I am absolutely sure that would result in a lot of aggro.

And PawwedRig, yeah I know, but it could have been any kind of restaurant. I've personally worked in one cafe that made zero concessions to kids because they didn't want to get known as that kind of place and because the owners had served their time in family-friendly establishments and know how much more stressful it makes the work environment. Just saying it's a possibility, especially if no kids' menu.

Go to Italy, there are no places that advertise themselves as family friendly.
It would simply be unthinkable that they wouldn't be.
This whole "I hate kids and don't want them around me" attitude seems to be very specific to the English speaking world. You can just tell how heated they get and most end up getting locked.

pilly · 13-09-2017 04:12PM

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Go to Italy, there are no places that advertise themselves as family friendly.
It would simply be unthinkable that they wouldn't be.
This whole "I hate kids and don't want them around me" attitude seems to be very specific to the English speaking world. You can just tell how heated they get and most end up getting locked.

Who ends up locked? The kids?

The reason is the norm on the continent is because the kids behave. Big difference.

Is sharing food in a restaurant unfair.

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