'I got a text from the restaurant... It was beginning to rain': Host of double birthday party writes 10 different 1-star reviews at upscale restaurant that denied them service

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    Cheezburger Image 10438577920
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    They didn't honor their reservation so... Few months ago, I volunteered to plan my MILs 60th birthday and my FILS 64th birthday which was a weekend in wine country.
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    I had made a reservation for a group of 10 at a new upscale restaurant months beforehand. Because it was also a winery, we arrived 2 hours early and checked in with the restaurant to see if they could seat us earlier. Despite an empty restaurant, they said they couldn't, and that was no big deal we understood they could be low staffed, so we went and got some wine and hung out and listened to live music.
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    Close to our reservation time, I got a text from the restaurant to be seated. It was beginning to rain. We walked over to the hostess, she informed us that because it was raining, and because our table was outdoors, that they would not be able to seat us tonight. As calmly as I could, I explained to them that I have had a reservation for months, I've been here for two hours, and I was not told that my reservation was for an outdoor table or subject to rain (there was no indoor/outdoor option). I
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    explained to them that it was for a 60th and 64th birthday party. I asked if they could split us up between tables, and they just kept saying that there was nothing they could do, and that it wasn't their fault... because "we can't control the weather"
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    I snapped a little and said sharply "well what you could have done was not reserve out a table to a large party that you could not guarantee". The manager just shrugged.
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    We left, and because it was a Saturday at 6:00 p.m. there was no way we were getting a seat at another restaurant, I had to go to the grocery store and cook a full meal for 10 people.
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    I emailed the manager to ask them if there was anything they could comp because our experience was so terrible. I got no response after a week so I made multiple Gmail accounts, and left what was a fairly new restaurant TEN different one star reviews. In the reviews I said that you should never book this restaurant if you have a large party, how they did not try to find us a table at another restaurant, how they had two hours to fix their error, that they booked out a table they could not guaran
  • 09
    Several days after I had posted, they reached out offering to comp a meal for my in-laws IF "our group" took the reviews down. Which I refused.
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    tallerthanu17 If they're gonna offer anything, it better be a no-strings-attached offer that goes above and beyond making it right
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    CoderJoe1 +4. "Welcome to our restaurant. Do you have a reservation?" 00 00 00:00:00 "Based on your bad reviews, I have a few of them."
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    Alexis_J_M +2. This is where you edit the one star reviews to mention that the restaurant offered to comp a meal if you take the one star review down. Tell them you'll consider it for the 70th/66th birthday parties. (Given that this was "in wine country" that comped meal would require planning a whole nother vacation...)
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    ADP-1 I might have been tempted to make 10 different reservations over the next few weeks for large groups that failed to show up....
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    arbor1920 +2 Anybody who says "we'll give you your money back if you remove the review" is a hard pass for me. Give me my money back first, then I'll think about it.
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    Katiekoo_72 Here in the uk, where the weather is 'unpredictable' restaurants don't take reservations for seating that's not under cover, for exactly this reason. On a nice day you can use those seats as a walk in, fair. Taking a large booking & seating you outdoors when it might rain is bad form & you definitely showed them the error of their ways.
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    Dan-D-Lyon What kind of a new restaurant tells a group of 10 to foff? 161 Reply Share furstimus I feel like there must be more to this story.
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    Gabbz737 Wow. I'd have not only left bad reviews but I'd post about the experience all over social media and include the name of the restaurant so other people know not to go. 695 Reply Share 91-divoc Agree. Salt the earth beneath those knuckleheads

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