How would YOU have dealt with this situation (long winded)

RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Firstly I would have accepted the steak on the house :D (they did get it wrong).
Secondly I may have told the lady at the table that she should have been minding her own business as the dialogue was between you and the waiting staff +\- adding on that there clearly couldn't have been much good conversation at their table for her to be so distracted by you (depending on my mood).

That's the two things I got from it tbh lol.

Tbh, whilst I wouldn't have been rude to the ladies at the table, I can't say I would have felt the need to drag the waiting staff over and justify myself when it's not really any of their business.
 
RubyBlueZ4MC said:
Firstly I would have accepted the steak on the house :D (they did get it wrong).
Secondly I may have told the lady at the table that she should have been minding her own business as the dialogue was between you and the waiting staff +\- adding on that there clearly couldn't have been much good conversation at their table for her to be so distracted by you (depending on my mood).
Think you handled it well by not losing it but you shouldn't have had to confirm to her with the waiteress involved. That's just giving the lady and her interfering comment too much importance.

Exactly what I was about to point out - it's rude to listen into other people's conversations. Most people respond shocked / taken aback & natural male reaction with women is to remain calm in an attempt to resolve situation.

Been in your shoes a couple of times in my life, though the last time it happened I had a bit of a wobbler - at a busy airport in ME sitting at a table with a friend who decided to go off to the toilet - laptops open & bags clearly showing there were two of us when a woman walks up & says can I use that chair - responded politely saying in use & immediately got some verbal abuse - couple of smiles from people nearby. I stood up, turned round to face her directly & in a very loud voice said 'DO NOT BE RUDE TO ME WOMAN, NOW GO AWAY! Turned on my heel & sat back down with my back to her... I think most women if they're on dodgy ground expect men to try to fix the situation - my mate who was coming back at the time said she was almost in tears & ran off.

Ho hummm...
 
I think you had shown constraint and were well mannered.

But it is all perception... This is your version of events, and no doubt she will have her own version.

I personally would have called her a nosey old bint and walk off :fuelfire:


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Dealt with well, I often think this way of the food I am being served but lack the knowledge of proper food preparation to argue a case :oops:
 
When she asked me if I was a food critic, I would have asked her if she was a lesbian, then it would have got interesting :D
 
Those exchanges can be really unsettling. You always wonder how you should have handled it differently, the retorts that occur to you afterwards etc.

Sounds like you did the right thing. If your second visit is better, make a point of telling the staff how good the experience was and call out anyone who went above and beyond. They'll appreciate it.
 
I would have handled the meal and concerns exactly as you did. All good restaurants want feedback. The complaint from the diner, I think I would have lied, thanked her, and said that it wouldn't happen again.

I do get into scrapes with onlookers that find it difficult to differentiate between self assertion and bad manners. It is all in the body language and smile. If the smile is missed then the wrong end of the stick can be grasped.

She was probably a bit aspie. I just work round such people. Disarm charm and move on. :)
 
I think you handled it well.
I would probably have done the same but as Ruby said, depending on mood I would have told her to mind her own business and concentrate on her own table and food.
 
I think you handled the situation extremely well.

I hope I would have the self-control to take the same approach, but I suspect I would have told her to mind her own business and then ignored her. :thumbsup:
 
Sounds as though the lady was probably trying to impress her friends as much as standing up for the waiting staff. I find that people who are quick to accuse others of rudeness, are often naturally rude themselves - but oblivious of it!
Scorp.
 
ScorpionFrance said:
Sounds as though the lady was probably trying to impress her friends as much as standing up for the waiting staff. I find that people who are quick to accuse others of rudeness, are often naturally rude themselves - but oblivious of it!
Scorp.

Completely agree.

That said, every story has two sides. Personally the only area I can see that could have been taken as being rude (and this completely depends on the delivery of the conversation and tone used, neither of which can I judge on) is the way you handled the under cooked steak.

It seems a bit confrontational to have put the waitress on the spot, turning your plate around and asking if she remembered how you ordered your steak. Personally I think a simple "excuse me, my steak is under cooked, I asked for medium-well" would have done the trick.

That said, it's hardly rude and the woman who "butted in" is obviously conceited.
 
Were the women locals ? I know that bit of Anglesey well and to say the locals know each others business is a bit of an understatement. Its a very 'closed' community if you know what I mean. If they were locals, an outsider criticising one of their own would go down like a lead balloon.
 
Life's too short to worry about what some random stranger thinks of you.

I probably would have told her to mind her own business and just walked out leaving her to stew.

Frankly, if she spent her entire time staring at you then she was invading the privacy of your meal.

You were asked how your meal was and you told the truth - why the great big social convention of saying 'yes lovely, delicious thanks very much' and all that? Don't ask, don't get.
 
I would have probably put my hand in my pocket, brought out a 50p gave it to her and suggested that she phoned someone who gave a s**t about her opinion. but you handled it in a better way :)
 
I,m a firm believer in making my complaint known when goods or services dont meet expectations ...... your actually doing the proprietor a service by pointing out ( politely of course ) his company's shortcomings and giving him or her the oppertunity to improve and potentially saving the company costs/ peoples jobs in the longer term.
So I think you handled the situation well, you must have been very tempted to point out to the woman it was none of her business.
 
PaulG said:
Were the women locals ? I know that bit of Anglesey well and to say the locals know each others business is a bit of an understatement. Its a very 'closed' community if you know what I mean. If they were locals, an outsider criticising one of their own would go down like a lead balloon.

I would wager that they were local. one said that she had eaten there 10 times before and never had a problem. I said it was my first and I had a problem!
 
v8matt said:
Life's too short to worry about what some random stranger thinks of you.

I probably would have told her to mind her own business and just walked out leaving her to stew.

Frankly, if she spent her entire time staring at you then she was invading the privacy of your meal.

You were asked how your meal was and you told the truth - why the great big social convention of saying 'yes lovely, delicious thanks very much' and all that? Don't ask, don't get.


I have to admit, if i'm asked what i thought of a meal, I will tell them what i thought good or bad! if you don't want to hear, don't ask in the first place.
 
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