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DEL.ICIO.USHow do you handle restaurant mishaps?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let me just say this now. I am not a spiller. My kids are spillers, my husband is a spiller. There’s not a week that goes by where some drink doesn’t get knocked over, leaking all over the tablecloth and floor. But I luckily, have been spared. Until last week that is.
While my kids are enjoying cool days and even cooler nights in the mountains of their overnight camp, my husband, Rich, and I have been hitting the town, trying new restaurants without the added cost of babysitting.
We were at Holeman & Finch, a truly yummy place, catching up with a friend and enjoying small plates and excellent wine. There is a sort of communal table placed in the middle of the restaurant, which leaves about 2 inches between you and your neighbor. It’s not a sardine situation, but it’s “intimate”.
During an animated conversation my hand gesture aligned exactly with my wine glass, causing the red wine (of course) to act as a projectile, splattering not only Rich across from me, but the two people to his right.
Needless to say, I was mortified as I watched red wine spray the pale pink sweater on a beautiful Carolyn Bissette Kennedy look-alike and dot the shirt of the handsome young husband sitting next to her. Who knew wine could fly that high?
It was one of those humiliating moments when there is nothing you can do but apologize profusely and offer to pay for their dry cleaning (which they refused). I have to say, they couldn’t have been more gracious about it, waving off the incident as a minor bump in between courses. It was a lesson in courtesy, one that I hope I remember if I am ever on the other end of a rogue wine glass.
We told the waitress to buy their table a round of drinks and apologized again when we left, but I still was absolutely mortified. Have you had an embarrassing moment in a restaurant? How did you make amends?
Comments
By Perkle
August 12, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
It’s not like you did it on purpose. It has happened to all of us at one time or another. My husband I were eating out many years ago. I picked up my tea glass by the top of it and the entire rim came off in my hand. I was wearing white jeans and tea went all over me mostly. My husband once took a bottle of A1 to shake it not realizing the cap wasn’t on all the way. It went everywhere - but we both just laughed hysterically about it. Are these things embarrassing? Yes, but not the end of the world. You have to find humor wherever you can find it!
By Stacey
August 12, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
Fortunately, that’s never happened to me but I’m sure I would be just as embarassed. I think you did all you could by offering to pay for their dry cleaning. It agree it was gracious of them to decline as we live in a sue-happy society and it would not have surprised me if you had said she claimed it was a designer original and demanded $5000.00!
Several years ago, my sister was in line at a banquet and a lady (who called herself racing to the last piece of chicken on the plate) dumped a whole plate of food on (my sister’s) silk dress. Not only did the lady not offer to replace it, she didn’t even apologize! The hosts apologized and offered to pay for it but my sister declined.
By UGA79
August 12, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this
sounds like you need to lay off the wine and then maybe “accidents” won’t happen
By HJC
August 12, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
The infant at the adjoining table drank formula from his bottle while netled in the comfort his high chair. He decided to share the wealth of his bounty with me. He turned and spewed the mixture from his lips drowning me in the chalky white mixture. The family looked at me in horror. I quietly excused myself to restroom to clean up. No apology was offered and for some reason I became invisible to them for the duration of my meal.
By Life's a Gas
August 12, 2008 3:20 PM | Link to this
One time I ate too much at the buffet at Ryan’s and let out a huge noisy smelly cloud of gas while I was at the soft ice cream machine right next to a Daisy Duke look-alike with her grandbabies. I apologized and offered to hold her kids while she filled up her ice cream cones - she not only accepted my apology - we hit it off, she found a babysitter for the night, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Classical Gas, baby!
By George
August 12, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this
UGA79…sounds like you need to keep your self-righteous comments to yourself!!
By Altar Boy
August 12, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
Not a restauarant mishap - but a long time ago when I was an altar boy, I dropped the decanter of communion wine as I was handing it to the priest - it shattered on the marble floor and everyone just gasped. The good natured priest looked at the congregation and said, “Cleanup on altar 9” at which point the whole church let out a raucous laugh. He then went back to the sacristy, brought out a bottle of wine, and continued as if nothing happened:)
By Doyle Lonegan
August 12, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
If someone splashed me with wine, I would bash the idiot right in the mouth. On the spot.
By Magenta
August 12, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
Doyle and UGA can go to the head of the no-class.
By joey
August 12, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this
excellent, Doyle. so should you accidentally spill a beverage onto someone else, you would of course accept that they can bash you right in the mouth? riiiiggghhht. you moron.
By Rational
August 12, 2008 5:27 PM | Link to this
What is wrong with you people? Can’t we just have a conversation without all the “internet tough guys” mouthing off?
Personally I haven’t had the misfortune of spilling my drink on another, but I did have a waitress spill one all over me. She was very apologetic and way more upset than I. I didn’t make a big deal, but the restaurant did comp my meal.
By lea
August 12, 2008 6:12 PM | Link to this
WOW… it doesn’t take much for the “crazies” to come out. Apparently, a rational blog thread is the same as catnip to them. Guys, please call and get your doctor to increase your medication. Do it for the rest of us if not for yourself. Thanks.
By Jean
August 12, 2008 6:14 PM | Link to this
UGA and Doyle, I hope I NEVER ever meet you. I like the rest of you normal people. We need more acceptance of each other and ya’ll showed your class. Doyle and UGA need lessons in humanity and humility. I am sure that I have done some things that messed up others but I have done it so many times, I can’t cite just one.
By Mattie
August 12, 2008 6:15 PM | Link to this
We were building a house in a rather rural area a few years back. We would drive out on Sundays to check the progress, and eat at the ONE restaurant in town. One night my 7 yr old choked on a meatball, and vomited all over the table. His 6 yr old brother then vomited in sympathy. Sometimes all you can do is tip really, really well. The waiter would not let me attempt to clean it up, he just gathered the tablecloth with all the dishes in it and took it away. And yes, we went back many times afterwards.
By Clay
August 12, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this
You must be kidding. Who in the world cares? Anyone who brags and naem drops as much as you, Jeanne, gets no sympathy.
Altar Boy: You’re obviously Episcopal and not Catholic.
By charred bagel
August 12, 2008 8:48 PM | Link to this
This morning at Atlanta Bread Company/Perimeter I had plans to meet a friend for a pleasant pre-work visit. I ordered coffee, a bagel, and a tiny cup of overpriced cream cheese. The woman put my bagel in the toaster. I checked it, wasn’t done yet, pushed it down for another round, and went to pour myself a cup of (weak) coffee. Well when I got back to the toaster my bagel was charred. I brought it to the woman’s attention; she said well didn’t I tell you I was putting it in the toaster for you? Did you push it down again? Well, ya, but any decent restaurant will give me another bagel b/c no one should have to eat charred bread - unappetizing and uhealthy. Three guesses whether or not I will go back there - ever.
By Bree
August 12, 2008 9:00 PM | Link to this
My husband and I were dining with his parents at Sundial a couple Thanksgiving’s ago. Amazing views, great food —- and me, the ever clumsy “all thumbs” drinker, dropping a glass of red wine onto the white table cloth; the red liquid bouncing off the linen and flying, as if by some sort of unseen propelling force, into the air and directly onto my mother-in-law’s brand new dress. Naturally the dress cost more than the average human makes in a week of salary. I was completely mortified.
By Mayor
August 12, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
HJC, that is so gross about the baby spitting up all over you. I think I would have to chew up some food and then spit it all over him and his mom. They were so rude to you! Inexcusable!!
By Ebaby
August 13, 2008 5:19 AM | Link to this
I cant come up with a similar memory, but kudos to your “victim” for not blowing it out of proportion. As another blogger said, in this sue-happy society, it is refreshing to hear of someone that can keep things in proportion. I think your response was approrpiate as was hers.
By Becky
August 13, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this
Boy, sounds like UGA79 & Doyle need to move in together & be uphappy to gether…Things happen & if you can’t get the stick out of your b*tt, please don’t go out in public.. I don’t remember anyone having spilled wine on me, but no big deal..I can eother wash the outfit or as you said dryclean..As long as they didn’t throw it at me..
By Sugar
August 13, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this
Charred Bagel Why did you even bother to go to that restaurant? All you did was complain about it. And I wouldn’t have given you an extra bagel. You did the damage, not the employee…….
I was at a Christmas party a few years back, and had purchased a brand new blouse for the occasion. I had been at the party for a whole 10 minutes, when this man walked right into me, spilling both our glasses of red wine, right down the front of my blouse.
And as for the baby spewing his milk, I really doubt you were the intended target. The parents were probably too embarrassed to acknowledge you……
Get over yourselves people, stuff happens. Laugh it off, life is just too short for all this meaness.