Creating false expectations can feel just as bad as lying, which is what a man accused a Hollywood restaurant in California of doing during his wife’s birthday. In his post on r/mildlyinfuriating, Reddit user Mdp-slc explained that he was asked while booking and during check-in whether it was for a special occasion. Both times, he said he was there to celebrate his wife’s birthday. However, instead of receiving any sort of complimentary service, the staff did nothing, leaving Mdp-slc feeling tricked.
Mdp-slc criticized the Hollywood restaurant for being disingenuous. He argued that the staff shouldn’t have bothered asking if they weren’t going to do anything to celebrate his wife’s birthday. The husband further elaborated that the reason he believes the situation was mildly frustrating was that “the restaurant led me to believe they’d do something special then did nothing.”
OP claims to have worked in the food industry, so misleading customers, especially over something as special as a celebratory event, is unreasonable. “It’s not an entitlement thing. It’s a hospitality thing,” he wrote. Hundreds of Redditors in the comment section strongly agreed, some giving their own accounts of a business tricking them.
Redditors Claim the Restaurant Was 100% in the Wrong for Falsely Leading the Couple On
One person recalled how a restaurant’s kitchen staff vocally informed him how much they hated giving him extra bread, despite the place serving dozens of sandwiches. “Holy crap that place doesn’t want customers,“ exclaimed a commenter. “Yeah, it’s weird that they would ask that and not do anything,” chimed in another, referring to OP’s story.
Mdp-slc added how he somewhat tested the server who knew about his wife’s birthday by indirectly requesting more bread. The server allegedly acted as though they were going to give them two slices of bread on the house, only to charge him $5 afterward. “Former chef of 15 years here, you are 100% right, and to charge you for the bread is ridiculous,” reacted a Reddit user.
Another person pointed out how shady it is for a restaurant to charge customers for things they didn’t technically ask for. “It’s so weird they brought bread without you directly asking for it or asking if you actually wanted it and didn’t tell you there was a charge,” the user wrote.
OP did clarify that they had no issue with the food or service. It was the questions about his wife’s birthday celebration followed by zero action that made him question the restaurant’s reasoning.
