Chit Chat

Opinion Time - Dine and Dash vs. Instagram

loveislouderloveislouder member
First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
edited August 2015 in Chit Chat
Okay folks, here's a quick backstory.

A local (non-chain) restaurant posted surveillance footage stills of a couple who ordered food, ate most of it and then left without paying on their Instagram.  The couple posted a comment saying that the reason they left is because they didn't like the food, to which the restaurant responded with "Obviously there has been a difference of opinion on what transpired. Please, come in and discuss it with our manager." The couple essentially came back with "Fuck you. Take this down or we'll file a police report against you for slander."

What say yee, Knotties? Was the restaurant in the wrong? 

If I'm in a restaurant and I have an issue with food I ordered, I don't just leave. I discuss it with management and it's usually gets comped anyway.

ETA: Now there are people commenting on how shitty the restaurant is all the time. I love this restaurant. It's delicious and I've never had a problem.
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Re: Opinion Time - Dine and Dash vs. Instagram

  • If I have an issue, I'll speak to the waiter. I would NEVER walk out without paying.
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  • Okay folks, here's a quick backstory.

    A local (non-chain) restaurant posted surveillance footage stills of a couple who ordered food, ate most of it and then left without paying on their Instagram.  The couple posted a comment saying that the reason they left is because they didn't like the food, to which the restaurant responded with "Obviously there has been a difference of opinion on what transpired. Please, come in and discuss it with our manager." The couple came back with "Fuck you. Take this down or we'll file a police report against you for slander."

    What say yee, Knotties? Was the restaurant in the wrong? 

    If I'm in a restaurant and I have an issue with food I ordered, I don't just leave. I discuss it with management and it's usually gets comped anyway.

    No, the couple is in the wrong.  I take their response to the restaurant as they know what they did was wrong and know that if they show up they will be arresting for theft.  If you have a problem with your order, why eat most of it?

    I don't think the restaurant can be sued for slander in this instance.  Its pretty clear facts that the couple came in, ate most of their food, and left without paying.  It would only be slander if the couple paid for their food, but is being shown as having left before paying the bill.

    There was a store in Philly not too long ago that took a picture of a shop lifter and posted it to their Instagram.  They said it was more of a warning to the other stores in the area rather than shaming the person who shop lifted.  But the shop lifter also didn't respond to the shop either.

  • I agree with PPs. The restaurant was not wrong here and I'd be willing to bet that the couple is just trying to cover their asses with a fake "we didn't like the food" story.
    Image result for someecard betting someone half your shit youll love them forever
  • Well from the customers response I would venture to guess that they know that what they did was wrong.  A lot of times when people are called out on something they did they get aggressive in defense.

    But if I didn't like the food that I was given I would talk to the server/manager.  I wouldn't just get up and leave because that is completely improper.

  • Couple was totally wrong.  You never just walk out.  EVER.   It was nothing more than shoplifting so the restaurant was in the right to find them.    

    Curious if they ordered a drink. If they had a coke you would still have to pay for that no?






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • Whaaaat!? I have never heard of just leaving and not paying because you didn't like the food? That's illegal...The couple is in the wrong. It doesn't matter if you liked the food. You ordered it, which means you know you will have to pay for it. If you really don't like it (as in there is something legit wrong with it, and not that it's just something you are not fond of), then speak to the waiter/manager. Geez, people are nuts.
  • That's a really shitty thing to do (leaving without paying, I mean). If the food was that bad then they should've spoken to their server or the manager. Obviously the food wasn't the problem since they ate most of it. 

    I agree that the restaurant should file a police report. And also make sure the staff sees the photos so they know not to serve this couple ever again. 

    If I owned/managed a restaurant in the area, I'd be grateful for the heads up via the instagram post, cuz that just sucks. It's bad enough when people lie and say there's something wrong with their food just to get it comped, but dining and dashing is another level of shittyness. 
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  • Can you even file a police report for slander? I wasn't aware slander was a violation of the law. Isn't more of a civil matter?
  • If you are ever unsatisfied with your food, then you need to talk to a manager, not walk out. Many restaurants make the servers pay for walk outs. Once your food has been made, that server is responsible for the cost. If you don't like it and walk out, then the server will have to cover it. The manager can comp the meal or give you a discount. This was just a case of the couple not wanting to pay and making up a lame-ass excuse as to why they walked out.

  • I'm totally on the restaurant's side here. They basically 'stole' the food. Eating something and not paying is theft, whether you're at a grocery store and take a bag of M&Ms or you don't pay at a restaurant. Are exceptions made by restaurants when there's an issue? Sure, but it's their choice, not the customers. The customer can choose to write a negative review, or not return. But you still gotta pay.
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  • I don't see any issue with the restaurant owner doing this.  Leaving without paying is basically stealing food.  Stores/police/news often post security stills of criminals in an attempt to identify them.  And the couple can only sue for slander if the restaurant said anything untrue.  If they said that the couple left without paying, it sounds like that was true, so therefore there was no slander.

    If you have a problem with the food, you let the waiter or manager know.  And you certainly don't eat most of it before complaining.  We had one instance where DH and I went to IHOP for dinner, it took 1/2 hour before anyone even got our drink orders.  The manager apologized profusely and said they were training someone new and short staffed that night, so we figured we give them a break and stick around.  Then we waited over 1/2 hour more to actually get our food.  They had come over about 20 minutes into that stating that they had screwed up their timing and had to remake my food because it had gotten cold while cooking DH's food.  Well, when it all came out, DH's food was now cold.  We ate what we could of our food, but it was a horrible experience. DH was so angry that he told the manager that we didn't feel we should have to pay for the lousy service and cold food we received and the manager agreed. But, we never would have just walked out without saying anything or them agreeing to zero out our bill.

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  • arrippa said:
    Can you even file a police report for slander? I wasn't aware slander was a violation of the law. Isn't more of a civil matter?


    I dunno, I just heard on the radio about a guy in CA who posted a picture saying his local KFC gave him a deep fried rat. Oh course people started sharing the post and it got around to thousands of people right away. The KFC like legit showed up at his house or something (I don't know the exact detals) and they got that particular piece of food back from the person and had it lab tested and it was in fact CHICKEN. So now they are suing the guy for slander/ libel.

     

    Anyways, in this case the diners are absolutely in the wrong and are full of shit of "not liking it". I applaud the restaurant.

                                                                     

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  • Who the hell would think not liking the food would be an acceptable reason for walking out without saying anything? Bullshit. They are just thieves.
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • jacques27jacques27 member
    First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2015
    I really don't see how it's any different than when convenience stores used to post the bounced checks of people behind the register or gas stations who use the surveillance videos to identify the license plate numbers of drive offs. 

    Obviously the customer was full of b.s.  If the food is that bad, then you don't eat it and you talk to someone. You don't eat most of it and then walk away.  Now, if they were trying to flag down their waiter for an hour after they finished eating to get their check and the waiter ignored them, I'd say there is only so long I'm willing to wait before I'll assume that the waiter/restaurant just isn't interested in taking my money, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.  I'd also potentially buy a "I thought he paid" - "No, I thought she paid" mix-up where all they would have to do is explain and come in to make amends and ask for the instagram to be taken down - but again not the case here.  They protest too much to actually be innocent of anything.  And even if they could file a police report for slander (which they couldn't because 1. it's libel, not slander, and 2. it's a civil matter, not a criminal one), the key thing about slander/libel is the alleged defamatory statement has to not actually be true.
  • Okay folks, here's a quick backstory.

    A local (non-chain) restaurant posted surveillance footage stills of a couple who ordered food, ate most of it and then left without paying on their Instagram.  The couple posted a comment saying that the reason they left is because they didn't like the food, to which the restaurant responded with "Obviously there has been a difference of opinion on what transpired. Please, come in and discuss it with our manager." The couple essentially came back with "Fuck you. Take this down or we'll file a police report against you for slander."

    What say yee, Knotties? Was the restaurant in the wrong? 

    If I'm in a restaurant and I have an issue with food I ordered, I don't just leave. I discuss it with management and it's usually gets comped anyway.

    ETA: Now there are people commenting on how shitty the restaurant is all the time. I love this restaurant. It's delicious and I've never had a problem.
    They do this all the time in my area, posting pics on social media to try and get the perpetrators to turn themselves in. The police do it too and often check on Social Media accounts and can and will lay charges based on what's there (reason to lock down all your accounts). 

    I hated dine and dashers when I worked in a restaurant because that money came out of my tips. I've had bad service and bad food at restaurants, I complain. I will leave a crap tip for crap service (keep in mind in Canada we pay our waitstaff over $9/hr depending on the province). I will not walk out on a bill.

    However, one of the first times that FI and I went out after having our son (we had gift certificates) I left the tip on the table and forgot the gift certificates, the poor girl chased us down. Luckily, she understood that it was "New Parent Syndrome". I would never intentionally dine and dash.
  • The food is "bad" is just so subjective.   There is a difference between food being actually bad and not liking the flavor combination, style of cooking, not what you are use to, etc.

    I've complained about actual bad fish or chicken. I should not have to pay for food that can make me sick because the food was bad.  

    I generally do not complain about flavor combinations I do not like.  Unless specifically asked.    I tried, wasn't a fan, paid the bill and moved on.  Next time I either do not order that dish or I might choose not to go back to the place at all.    It's the chance you take eating something for the first time somewhere.

    I remember when I moved to NOLA. We went to an italian restaurant and I ordered a chicken parm.  Well chicken parm where I'm from is breaded chicken lightly fried, topped with mozzarella cheese and red sauce.      At this place it's grilled chicken with some mozzarella and parm cheese thrown on top.  When it was put in front of me I like "WTF is this?".   I ate it, wasn't a fan of that or their red sauce.    NBD, lesson learned. I will stick with DH's version.  At no time did I think "umm, let's just leave without paying."






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • lyndausvi said:
    The food is "bad" is just so subjective.   There is a difference between food being actually bad and not liking the flavor combination, style of cooking, not what you are use to, etc.

    I've complained about actual bad fish or chicken. I should not have to pay for food that can make me sick because the food was bad.  

    I generally do not complain about flavor combinations I do not like.  Unless specifically asked.    I tried, wasn't a fan, paid the bill and moved on.  Next time I either do not order that dish or I might choose not to go back to the place at all.    It's the chance you take eating something for the first time somewhere.

    I remember when I moved to NOLA. We went to an italian restaurant and I ordered a chicken parm.  Well chicken parm where I'm from is breaded chicken lightly fried, topped with mozzarella cheese and red sauce.      At this place it's grilled chicken with some mozzarella and parm cheese thrown on top.  When it was put in front of me I like "WTF is this?".   I ate it, wasn't a fan of that or their red sauce.    NBD, lesson learned. I will stick with DH's version.  At no time did I think "umm, let's just leave without paying."
    Yeah, exactly! The idea of leaving without paying because you thought the food was "bad" completely blows my mind. I tend to be picky about certain spices, so if I try to get adventurous with my ordering, some times I end up disappointed. Oh well. That's a risk I take when I order food I've never had before, or from a restaurant I've never been to before.
  • abcdevonn said:
    lyndausvi said:
    The food is "bad" is just so subjective.   There is a difference between food being actually bad and not liking the flavor combination, style of cooking, not what you are use to, etc.

    I've complained about actual bad fish or chicken. I should not have to pay for food that can make me sick because the food was bad.  

    I generally do not complain about flavor combinations I do not like.  Unless specifically asked.    I tried, wasn't a fan, paid the bill and moved on.  Next time I either do not order that dish or I might choose not to go back to the place at all.    It's the chance you take eating something for the first time somewhere.

    I remember when I moved to NOLA. We went to an italian restaurant and I ordered a chicken parm.  Well chicken parm where I'm from is breaded chicken lightly fried, topped with mozzarella cheese and red sauce.      At this place it's grilled chicken with some mozzarella and parm cheese thrown on top.  When it was put in front of me I like "WTF is this?".   I ate it, wasn't a fan of that or their red sauce.    NBD, lesson learned. I will stick with DH's version.  At no time did I think "umm, let's just leave without paying."
    Yeah, exactly! The idea of leaving without paying because you thought the food was "bad" completely blows my mind. I tend to be picky about certain spices, so if I try to get adventurous with my ordering, some times I end up disappointed. Oh well. That's a risk I take when I order food I've never had before, or from a restaurant I've never been to before.
    There was a family-owned restaurant in town that we really loved, and I used to get the same thing every time because some of their stuff was spicy, which makes me really sick, but I knew this one particular pasta dish wasn't spicy at all and it was delicious so I was safe with it. 

    Then they were under new ownership. We went for dinner and waited almost 2 hours for our food. They weren't even as busy as usual but the service was fucking awful. They brought my pasta out and I took a few bites and realized it had red pepper flakes all over it, which it had never been made with before. I was sick for literally 11 days and missed 4 days of work. 

    And I STILL did not expect free food. I gave it to H because he likes spicy stuff, and I planned to just make a sandwich or something when I got home. They ended up comping our entire bill because the service was so terrible and we sat there waiting for such a ridiculous amount of time, but never did it occur to me, "Ew I can't eat this pasta. Let's just leave without saying anything and not pay!" That's just not a thing you do. 

    And for the record, we never went back there again. It was such a bad experience that I'm not willing to give them another chance. Too bad, cuz it used to be such a great place. 
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  • jenna8984 said:
    arrippa said:
    Can you even file a police report for slander? I wasn't aware slander was a violation of the law. Isn't more of a civil matter?


    I dunno, I just heard on the radio about a guy in CA who posted a picture saying his local KFC gave him a deep fried rat. Oh course people started sharing the post and it got around to thousands of people right away. The KFC like legit showed up at his house or something (I don't know the exact detals) and they got that particular piece of food back from the person and had it lab tested and it was in fact CHICKEN. So now they are suing the guy for slander/ libel.

     

    Anyways, in this case the diners are absolutely in the wrong and are full of shit of "not liking it". I applaud the restaurant.


    Right, because it's a civil matter, not a legal one.



  • @novella1186 Same happened to us!! A place down the street was awesome and then a new owner bought it and vamped it up. We went and it was so horrible. It was supposed to be Italian- they gave us sliced white bread to start (what?!) with no oil or anything. The stuffed mushroom appetizer- they had not cleaned the mushrooms so they were all full of dirt and (literal) shit on the bottoms. The pasta main course was paper thin, the alfredo was so bland like water, and the "seafood" alfredo had like 3 small shrimp and 1 scallop for $22. I was so pissed and it was sooooo disgusting yet we just paid and left and never went back. I really don't believe in being that douche that demands to not pay for it or walking out.

                                                                     

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  • jenna8984 said:
    @novella1186 Same happened to us!! A place down the street was awesome and then a new owner bought it and vamped it up. We went and it was so horrible. It was supposed to be Italian- they gave us sliced white bread to start (what?!) with no oil or anything. The stuffed mushroom appetizer- they had not cleaned the mushrooms so they were all full of dirt and (literal) shit on the bottoms. The pasta main course was paper thin, the alfredo was so bland like water, and the "seafood" alfredo had like 3 small shrimp and 1 scallop for $22. I was so pissed and it was sooooo disgusting yet we just paid and left and never went back. I really don't believe in being that douche that demands to not pay for it or walking out.
    Ugh that's so disappointing! The place we used to love was a South American steak house. There's nothing else like it around here (small town). Plus they made good martinis. I was so sad when I realized the new owners ruined it! So so sad. 

    But yeah, we're the same. When we have really bad food we just pay and never go back. (Like if the quality of the food is bad. If it's bad because a mistake was made, then we let them know). 
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  • Honestly, I think the
    jenna8984 said:
    arrippa said:
    Can you even file a police report for slander? I wasn't aware slander was a violation of the law. Isn't more of a civil matter?


    I dunno, I just heard on the radio about a guy in CA who posted a picture saying his local KFC gave him a deep fried rat. Oh course people started sharing the post and it got around to thousands of people right away. The KFC like legit showed up at his house or something (I don't know the exact detals) and they got that particular piece of food back from the person and had it lab tested and it was in fact CHICKEN. So now they are suing the guy for slander/ libel.

     

    Anyways, in this case the diners are absolutely in the wrong and are full of shit of "not liking it". I applaud the restaurant.


    Absolutely. I am on the restaurant side as well. I think the diners got very defensive because they knew they skipped out on the bill and threw out the bad food review to redirect the attention onto the restaurant to get away with it.
  • Okay folks, here's a quick backstory.

    A local (non-chain) restaurant posted surveillance footage stills of a couple who ordered food, ate most of it and then left without paying on their Instagram.  The couple posted a comment saying that the reason they left is because they didn't like the food, to which the restaurant responded with "Obviously there has been a difference of opinion on what transpired. Please, come in and discuss it with our manager." The couple essentially came back with "Fuck you. Take this down or we'll file a police report against you for slander."

    What say yee, Knotties? Was the restaurant in the wrong? 

    If I'm in a restaurant and I have an issue with food I ordered, I don't just leave. I discuss it with management and it's usually gets comped anyway.

    ETA: Now there are people commenting on how shitty the restaurant is all the time. I love this restaurant. It's delicious and I've never had a problem.
    Something happen to this restaurant nearby, very similar. These people dinned and dashed and the restuarant posted their video and all of their pics about the couple.

    Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.

  • Okay folks, here's a quick backstory.

    A local (non-chain) restaurant posted surveillance footage stills of a couple who ordered food, ate most of it and then left without paying on their Instagram.  The couple posted a comment saying that the reason they left is because they didn't like the food, to which the restaurant responded with "Obviously there has been a difference of opinion on what transpired. Please, come in and discuss it with our manager." The couple essentially came back with "Fuck you. Take this down or we'll file a police report against you for slander."

    What say yee, Knotties? Was the restaurant in the wrong? 

    If I'm in a restaurant and I have an issue with food I ordered, I don't just leave. I discuss it with management and it's usually gets comped anyway.

    ETA: Now there are people commenting on how shitty the restaurant is all the time. I love this restaurant. It's delicious and I've never had a problem.
    They do this all the time in my area, posting pics on social media to try and get the perpetrators to turn themselves in. The police do it too and often check on Social Media accounts and can and will lay charges based on what's there (reason to lock down all your accounts). 

    I hated dine and dashers when I worked in a restaurant because that money came out of my tips. I've had bad service and bad food at restaurants, I complain. I will leave a crap tip for crap service (keep in mind in Canada we pay our waitstaff over $9/hr depending on the province). I will not walk out on a bill.

    However, one of the first times that FI and I went out after having our son (we had gift certificates) I left the tip on the table and forgot the gift certificates, the poor girl chased us down. Luckily, she understood that it was "New Parent Syndrome". I would never intentionally dine and dash.
    This happens in my town all the time too. Both police and local store owners will do it. I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for it. 

    Totally on the restaurants side. If you don't like the food, talk to a manager or the waiter. 
  • As it turns out the restaurant took the pictures down, which I think is unfortunate because I think the people should have to pay for it.
  • As it turns out the restaurant took the pictures down, which I think is unfortunate because I think the people should have to pay for it.
    I understand them taking it down.  They wanted to find the couple.  They did.  No reason to keep it up anymore other than continuing to shame them.  Which I get, but it's not always the be business choice either.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • scribe95 said:
    The restaurant did nothing wrong. I would dare the couple to go to the police and see how that works out for them. 

    Defamation and slander are civil only - the couple would have to file a lawsuit. AND prove they paid for the meal or discussed it with management. Not happening.
    The defense of slander and libel is TRUTH. Wish people like this couple would learn what terms mean before making such claims! 

    Total assholes, IMHO. 
    ________________________________


  • scribe95 said:
    The restaurant did nothing wrong. I would dare the couple to go to the police and see how that works out for them. 

    Defamation and slander are civil only - the couple would have to file a lawsuit. AND prove they paid for the meal or discussed it with management. Not happening.
    The defense of slander and libel is TRUTH. Wish people like this couple would learn what terms mean before making such claims! 

    Total assholes, IMHO. 
    I hope other restaurants turn them away now. There should be consequences for being that big of an asshole. And threatening a lawsuit against the people you stole from cuz they called you out for stealing? Wow. 
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  • ViczaesarViczaesar member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited August 2015

    jenna8984 said:
    @novella1186 Same happened to us!! A place down the street was awesome and then a new owner bought it and vamped it up. We went and it was so horrible. It was supposed to be Italian- they gave us sliced white bread to start (what?!) with no oil or anything. The stuffed mushroom appetizer- they had not cleaned the mushrooms so they were all full of dirt and (literal) shit on the bottoms. The pasta main course was paper thin, the alfredo was so bland like water, and the "seafood" alfredo had like 3 small shrimp and 1 scallop for $22. I was so pissed and it was sooooo disgusting yet we just paid and left and never went back. I really don't believe in being that douche that demands to not pay for it or walking out.
    Commercial mushrooms are not grown on shit.



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