"Ken" > wrote

> After quite a while, I told my friends we should leave and get a quick
> snack somewhere close and get to the symphony because they're not going
> to seat us until the intermission. My friends told me not to worry
> because it's just a local symphony, no ushers, no doors to lock.

No offense meant to your friends, it's quite rude to disrupt the other
patrons by arriving late like that. Local symphony or no.

> The staff was very aware we were headed
> to the symphony and we needed to go. One of my friends even got up,
> got the check before the food was served, and we paid in advance so we
> could leave right after our meal.

I've had situations like that in places where not a single soul
knew me from a rock, and they understood the situation and
expedited the matter. No excuse good enough for what you
went through. Find something to eat and bring it, if you can't,
say so and let you go find food somewhere else.

> The food finally arrived at 7:20, over an hour after we ordered.

I don't care if I didn't have someplace to be, that would irritate me.
An hour is a long time to wait for dinner in a restaurant.

> Needless to say, I didn't enjoy a fairly pricey dinner which I had to
> wolf down in ten minutes. We were charged full price, but the
> waitress/owner was very apologetic, as were my friends to me, and said
> we should come back after the symphony and dessert was on the house.

Big whoop. Concert's already ruined.

> We came back and had dessert. This time, we had a waiter and he told
> us how nice and understanding we were, and of course dessert is comped.
> And then he put down the holder for the bill. I thought this a bit
> odd since it was comped. I saw paper sticking out and thought maybe
> there was a thank you note or something inside. So I look inside and
> there's a bill for $4.40.
>
> The desserts were comped, but not the two coffees. I couldn't believe
> it.

(laugh) I know you didn't ask me; I don't own a restaurant, nor do I
work in one, but that is *the* lamest restaurant story I've heard in a
long time. Just ridiculous.

nancy