Hiraeth

@@LittleBill I totally agree. I had a horrible experience at a restaurant in OKC which I found out was part of a local management group. I did a check of Quicken account and I documented that I spent over $5K at their establishments in the last year (hey, I was single and date a great deal). I let them know how mad I was, never heard a response, so I organized a boycott ("let's avoid this place during Lent" - it was an issue with me showing a date a vaping device, and the waiter went ballistic). The company is publically traded, so when I noticed his companies 20% drop in revenue during the boycott, I reminded him, "it is amazing what a pissed customer can do." He actually called me, asked what he could do, I told him to have a talk with a friend of mine who was one of the best customer service people I know. End result, he ended up hiring her to train his wait staff and I feel safe going back to his restaurants. I turned down all of their offers for gift cards etc. I just wanted to be treated fairly.

Never run into it before, but if I was the manager/server, I would have said "oh I'm sorry you didn't notice that was on the menu. We add it so we can enhance your experience and stay in business." Or something to that effect. End of the day, same effect, but at least you would feel better and they get to keep their doors open.
I know restaurants have low margins, I know customer service isn't easy, but a little imagination, fun and training just makes everyone's experience better.

This is the review I left on the restaurant's Facebook.< br />
"My mom and I just ate here for lunch today, and we are not pleased. Since Bistro V's food is expensive, we decided to just split a cheeseburger. When they brought out our food, they split our burger for us. We thought that was so kind of them, and were happy with that. The burger (which was listed as $9) was pretty good, but it wasn't much different than a Five Guy's burger. We chose to eat there because we like the bread they bring out, and the atmosphere is pleasant. When we got our ticket, I noticed that the bill was over $17. So, I looked at everything and noticed that they charged us a $3 split fee! Seriously?! So we notified the waitress, who said that it was automatically put on the ticket. We said we could have just split it ourselves, and that we are not paying a split fee. She got the manager (if that's what you want to call him), and he immediately had a snobby demeanor (that could just be his personality; it probably wasn't directed towards us). He said, "Y'all have a complaint?" I told him that it wasn't necessarily a complaint, but that I just don't understand why I have to pay a split fee when we could have just split the burger ourselves. He said, "Well, when two people are seated at a table, and only order one meal, there's automatically a split charge." So, I said, "That's ridiculous. We could have just split it ourselves. Also, what if someone didn't want to eat?" So then he hesitates and says, "Well, we gave you more food." (Which is a complete lie. I've ordered the cheeseburger before, and it was exactly the same size and came with the exact same amount of fries as the last time I ordered it.) They never told us beforehand that there would be a split charge. We didn't even ask them to split it for us; we just said we were going to split it. He did not apologize and he did NOT remove the fee. He made absolutely no effort to show that he is a pleasant or professional person. He took our payment and walked off. When he came back, he said, "Have a good day..." in a snarky tone. (Again, that's probably just how he acts in general.) We will not be back. It's not the fact that it was $3; it's the fact that no one should be charged a split fee, regardless, especially when the restaurant doesn't have the decency to notify the customer before the order goes through. I left my Yelp review and noticed that someone else complained about the split fee. They said that there's a split fee notification on the menu. But even still, how would anyone know to look for something like that? I've never been to a restaurant that has a split fee. It's like they were being sneaky about it; like some kind of fine print scam. It's like you can't come in and sit down in peace without looking at the menu to make sure there's not a "breathing the air" fee. I shouldn't have given a single tip, but the waitress was friendly, and it wasn't her fault for what happened. So, I left a tip, anyway."

They proceeded to leave snarky replies in response. So I emailed the owner in a very professional manner. She emailed me back saying, "Yelp about it". I was shocked. I could not believe that they were refusing to handle this situation like professionals. Not only that, but the owner's friends got on my review and began insulting me personally. The owner's mother-in-law even got on there and said things along the lines of, "People of certain class know that high end restaurants charge split fees. Since when does someone go to a high end restaurant and buy only one meal?" So I said, "I recently had stomach surgery. Why would I buy a meal that I cannot finish, when I can just split it with someone?" Then, a few minutes later, the owner emailed me back and said, "We will not tolerate abuse from our customers." Since when is a complaint abuse? They claim that I insulted their employee by saying he's snarky. Well he was! Wouldn't it have been easier to just say, "I apologize for the misunderstanding."? How hard is that? When they responded to me the way they did by saying "they won't tolerate", that makes me wonder if they will try to sue me for defamation. I did my research and found that the only way they can is if I make false claims. Not a single statement was false. I'm so livid and shocked by the complete disregard for my situation.

Some of my friends got on the review and began cussing the owner's friends out, because they were insulting me. I publicly tried to contain the situation by telling them to not cuss or call names. Not once did the owner publicly try to contain her Facebook friends. Not once did I receive an apology. She even tried saying that I could have my $3 refunded to me. Why would I drive 15 minutes to get $3? Why couldn't they have just given me the refund while I was at the restaurant? I told them I didn't want the refund of $3. I said that they could just give it to my waitress, because she was actually friendly; and that if she declined, then they could donate the money to the charity of their choice.

The pain is usually only horrible if you lay flat. Make sure you walk as much as you can. When you get sleepy and want to lay down, request Dilaudid. It will take the edge off. Don't worry, hon. It will be ok!

This is the review I left on the restaurant's Facebook.< br />
"My mom and I just ate here for lunch today, and we are not pleased. Since Bistro V's food is expensive, we decided to just split a cheeseburger. When they brought out our food, they split our burger for us. We thought that was so kind of them, and were happy with that. The burger (which was listed as $9) was pretty good, but it wasn't much different than a Five Guy's burger. We chose to eat there because we like the bread they bring out, and the atmosphere is pleasant. When we got our ticket, I noticed that the bill was over $17. So, I looked at everything and noticed that they charged us a $3 split fee! Seriously?! So we notified the waitress, who said that it was automatically put on the ticket. We said we could have just split it ourselves, and that we are not paying a split fee. She got the manager (if that's what you want to call him), and he immediately had a snobby demeanor (that could just be his personality; it probably wasn't directed towards us). He said, "Y'all have a complaint?" I told him that it wasn't necessarily a complaint, but that I just don't understand why I have to pay a split fee when we could have just split the burger ourselves. He said, "Well, when two people are seated at a table, and only order one meal, there's automatically a split charge." So, I said, "That's ridiculous. We could have just split it ourselves. Also, what if someone didn't want to eat?" So then he hesitates and says, "Well, we gave you more food." (Which is a complete lie. I've ordered the cheeseburger before, and it was exactly the same size and came with the exact same amount of fries as the last time I ordered it.) They never told us beforehand that there would be a split charge. We didn't even ask them to split it for us; we just said we were going to split it. He did not apologize and he did NOT remove the fee. He made absolutely no effort to show that he is a pleasant or professional person. He took our payment and walked off. When he came back, he said, "Have a good day..." in a snarky tone. (Again, that's probably just how he acts in general.) We will not be back. It's not the fact that it was $3; it's the fact that no one should be charged a split fee, regardless, especially when the restaurant doesn't have the decency to notify the customer before the order goes through. I left my Yelp review and noticed that someone else complained about the split fee. They said that there's a split fee notification on the menu. But even still, how would anyone know to look for something like that? I've never been to a restaurant that has a split fee. It's like they were being sneaky about it; like some kind of fine print scam. It's like you can't come in and sit down in peace without looking at the menu to make sure there's not a "breathing the air" fee. I shouldn't have given a single tip, but the waitress was friendly, and it wasn't her fault for what happened. So, I left a tip, anyway."

They proceeded to leave snarky replies in response. So I emailed the owner in a very professional manner. She emailed me back saying, "Yelp about it". I was shocked. I could not believe that they were refusing to handle this situation like professionals. Not only that, but the owner's friends got on my review and began insulting me personally. The owner's mother-in-law even got on there and said things along the lines of, "People of certain class know that high end restaurants charge split fees. Since when does someone go to a high end restaurant and buy only one meal?" So I said, "I recently had stomach surgery. Why would I buy a meal that I cannot finish, when I can just split it with someone?" Then, a few minutes later, the owner emailed me back and said, "We will not tolerate abuse from our customers." Since when is a complaint abuse? They claim that I insulted their employee by saying he's snarky. Well he was! Wouldn't it have been easier to just say, "I apologize for the misunderstanding."? How hard is that? When they responded to me the way they did by saying "they won't tolerate", that makes me wonder if they will try to sue me for defamation. I did my research and found that the only way they can is if I make false claims. Not a single statement was false. I'm so livid and shocked by the complete disregard for my situation.

Some of my friends got on the review and began cussing the owner's friends out, because they were insulting me. I publicly tried to contain the situation by telling them to not cuss or call names. Not once did the owner publicly try to contain her Facebook friends. Not once did I receive an apology. She even tried saying that I could have my $3 refunded to me. Why would I drive 15 minutes to get $3? Why couldn't they have just given me the refund while I was at the restaurant? I told them I didn't want the refund of $3. I said that they could just give it to my waitress, because she was actually friendly; and that if she declined, then they could donate the money to the charity of their choice.

Hi all. My surgery is Jan 20, and I'm in a Facebook group with others having sleeve surgery in January. The ones that have already had the procedure are describing horrible pain from gas. I have yet to read somebody who said it was tolerable. Everyone is in excruciating pain for the first few days, some even staying in the hospital 3 nights.
Does anybody have a surgery story where the pain was bearable? I know it's going to be painful, but I'm not ready for the blinding pain that's being described by others. Help! I'm freaking out!!
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is the review I left on the restaurant's Facebook.< br />
"My mom and I just ate here for lunch today, and we are not pleased. Since Bistro V's food is expensive, we decided to just split a cheeseburger. When they brought out our food, they split our burger for us. We thought that was so kind of them, and were happy with that. The burger (which was listed as $9) was pretty good, but it wasn't much different than a Five Guy's burger. We chose to eat there because we like the bread they bring out, and the atmosphere is pleasant. When we got our ticket, I noticed that the bill was over $17. So, I looked at everything and noticed that they charged us a $3 split fee! Seriously?! So we notified the waitress, who said that it was automatically put on the ticket. We said we could have just split it ourselves, and that we are not paying a split fee. She got the manager (if that's what you want to call him), and he immediately had a snobby demeanor (that could just be his personality; it probably wasn't directed towards us). He said, "Y'all have a complaint?" I told him that it wasn't necessarily a complaint, but that I just don't understand why I have to pay a split fee when we could have just split the burger ourselves. He said, "Well, when two people are seated at a table, and only order one meal, there's automatically a split charge." So, I said, "That's ridiculous. We could have just split it ourselves. Also, what if someone didn't want to eat?" So then he hesitates and says, "Well, we gave you more food." (Which is a complete lie. I've ordered the cheeseburger before, and it was exactly the same size and came with the exact same amount of fries as the last time I ordered it.) They never told us beforehand that there would be a split charge. We didn't even ask them to split it for us; we just said we were going to split it. He did not apologize and he did NOT remove the fee. He made absolutely no effort to show that he is a pleasant or professional person. He took our payment and walked off. When he came back, he said, "Have a good day..." in a snarky tone. (Again, that's probably just how he acts in general.) We will not be back. It's not the fact that it was $3; it's the fact that no one should be charged a split fee, regardless, especially when the restaurant doesn't have the decency to notify the customer before the order goes through. I left my Yelp review and noticed that someone else complained about the split fee. They said that there's a split fee notification on the menu. But even still, how would anyone know to look for something like that? I've never been to a restaurant that has a split fee. It's like they were being sneaky about it; like some kind of fine print scam. It's like you can't come in and sit down in peace without looking at the menu to make sure there's not a "breathing the air" fee. I shouldn't have given a single tip, but the waitress was friendly, and it wasn't her fault for what happened. So, I left a tip, anyway."

They proceeded to leave snarky replies in response. So I emailed the owner in a very professional manner. She emailed me back saying, "Yelp about it". I was shocked. I could not believe that they were refusing to handle this situation like professionals. Not only that, but the owner's friends got on my review and began insulting me personally. The owner's mother-in-law even got on there and said things along the lines of, "People of certain class know that high end restaurants charge split fees. Since when does someone go to a high end restaurant and buy only one meal?" So I said, "I recently had stomach surgery. Why would I buy a meal that I cannot finish, when I can just split it with someone?" Then, a few minutes later, the owner emailed me back and said, "We will not tolerate abuse from our customers." Since when is a complaint abuse? They claim that I insulted their employee by saying he's snarky. Well he was! Wouldn't it have been easier to just say, "I apologize for the misunderstanding."? How hard is that? When they responded to me the way they did by saying "they won't tolerate", that makes me wonder if they will try to sue me for defamation. I did my research and found that the only way they can is if I make false claims. Not a single statement was false. I'm so livid and shocked by the complete disregard for my situation.

Some of my friends got on the review and began cussing the owner's friends out, because they were insulting me. I publicly tried to contain the situation by telling them to not cuss or call names. Not once did the owner publicly try to contain her Facebook friends. Not once did I receive an apology. She even tried saying that I could have my $3 refunded to me. Why would I drive 15 minutes to get $3? Why couldn't they have just given me the refund while I was at the restaurant? I told them I didn't want the refund of $3. I said that they could just give it to my waitress, because she was actually friendly; and that if she declined, then they could donate the money to the charity of their choice.

When I was still on liquids, I always ordered a Decaf coffee, and used my Protein Shake as Creamer. It helped a lot to have something in my hands while people ate. Now that I'm in the puréed stage, we only go places where I can get chicken salad, eggs or refried Beans

Not sure... check with your WLS... ask he/she about it... I can look mine up on line..... bonus, if im ever murdered and left for dead on the side of the road... they can track me by my band #.... LMAO. Kind of like Breast in plants... I crack my self up sometimes

Thank you everyone for your input, even the ones to disagreed with me. You all responded in a very decent manner and I truly appreciate that. I do not expect to be treated differently because I had WLS. That would be absurd. I just would like to be treated politely. Had they told me beforehand, or even afterwards, in a polite manner, I never would have gotten frustrated. If I am wrong about something, I am very quick to admit fault. So, I admit, I misunderstood the policy. I can somewhat understand why it's there. But it would have been nice to at least been told this, instead of being rude. Something along the lines of, "I'm sorry there was a misunderstanding, if you'll look here at our menu, it says that there is a split fee charge. I hope this is ok. I'm sorry you had a poor experience, we will keep your comments in mind to serve others better in the future." I mean, how can anyone be mad at a response like that? I would have been so grateful for that response, or even something close to it.

LMAO! Me too! I was thinking to myself, "Is Ronald Reagan back there splitting burgers?"
You are 100% correct. I would have gladly paid the $3 charge, had it been explained to me politely. There was no need for rudeness. Had he said that, and asked me if I would like it removed from the bill, I would have said, "No thank you. I appreciate your polite explanation. I'm sorry for misunderstanding."
Thanks for your reply. <3

The menu does state the policy. At times, customers are not happy because they didn't read about a surcharge . Like 15% gratuity on take out at a nice place.
That being said, trying to find a solution so they come back is the ideal way we handle it.
We want people to come back. Give them a free drink or appetizer on the next visit. It can be done nicely for a win win

@@sasharbinx Yes there is.... see above for a picture of mine. Over the years i have used mine many many times.... I do order off the kids meal, down south we have seafood on lots of menus.. so i ask if it's possible to grill the kids shrimp or fish and order a veggie instead of the fried potatoes... If they say no... i order Soup or an a la carte item... Buffets normally let you have for a kids or seniors price.
@@Hiraeth We all need to vent sometimes.... I think the point was not the $3... it was the actions of the management. I know that if I had been in the same situation, I would have asked also. I sometimes share meals with other WLS buddies... but i normally I just order a cocktail to drink and enjoy others company.... I had no idea what a "split fee" was... at first i thought, they charged to cut the burger in half...LOL..... I do see their point in the charge, BUT... on the other hand.... You should have been told that there was a charge to split a meal. Any good waitress would have said... that's fine, but we do charge for splitting a meal. I'm sure you would have paid the $3 and not thought twice... or just ordered a al a carte item.
I worked as a waitress for nearly 20 years and never would i have treated a customer in such a way. The manager was wrong in the way he/she handled it.... Period. He/she should have said.... Mam i'm sorry you were not made aware of the charge. My apologies... and removed it from the bill.... or asked would you like me to remove it from your bill? At that point i would have said... NO, but thanks for letting me know, paid the bill and be on the way.

I completely agree with the above quoted post except that there was NO reason for the staff to be rude. When you are in the service industry (as I have been many times in recent past) you must always be polite to the customer. I should hope that management uses this experience to clarify their policy to customers in the future to avoid this.

I did not leave a bad review because of the charge. I simply discussed the charge because that is what lead up to the rude actions of the assistant manager and general manager. Regardless, customers are supposed to be treated with respect. I was not rude to him when I asked about the charge. He was rude to me. I never would have left a bad review if the manager had been polite. I would have even apologized for misunderstanding. But since I was not treated politely, I left a bad review.
A lot of you think that I am upset purely because of the charge. That is not true. I was confused about it at first. Then when the assistant manager acted so rude about it, I became frustrated because I didn't understand why they wouldn't be polite. How hard is it to politely tell someone about a business policy? If you were confused about something, wouldn't you want it sorted out? That's what I tried doing. I wanted to understand why I was being charged when I never asked for the split or extra food. He could have politely explained that to me. But he didn't.

@@OutsideMatchInside,

I did not expect special treatment. I just expect to be treated respectfully. I did not cuss or scream at him, yet he was still rude. If he would have said, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. On the menu it says there's a split fee charge. I hope that is ok.", then I would have understood and left it at that. But I didn't get anything close to that.

@@Kaylamh When she and i got LB surg years ago they gave us a card with all the information about our band... Not sure if they do that for the other WLS.

If ever I do not plan to eat but accompany say my daughter, we always ask first if there is a sit charge for me (I usually will show my bariatric card if I do not plan to eat). I never ask to split her meal, but if I did I too would also check what the split fee will be. Sometimes it is very high.
I've used my bariatric card twice at a Chinese buffet. One charged me kids price and the other charged me senior price but I left the tip at the regular rate had I paid full price..
Yes, your doctor usually can give you a card.
I travel to Europe a lot, they charge a sit fee for anyone who sits. I know this isn't Europe, but restaurants are looking at all venues and how they operate.

Having had my own business for 20 years, I can tell you that the restaurant manager handled this incorrectly. A good owner/manager diffuses a situation. They do not ramp it up.
Yes...I had customers who were looking for a fight and I couldn't do a thing about it. But my late husband was a pro at handling unhappy customers and 90% of the time, the end result was a resolution that satisfied both parties...and often led to a return customer...which obviously this restaurant is not so interested in.
Your satisfaction might be when you pass by one day and they are out of business...

Split fees are annoying and, I think, will become more common. It was a longstanding practice at a well-known NY restaurant, popular among locals and tourists. The place closed New Year's Eve after about 80 years in business. Sandwich prices ranged $20-$30 with a share charge of $3. You might blink at the price tag, but enough meat for about five normal-sized sandwiches went into each one. (Portions on all menu items were horrifying; no one ever left without a doggy bag.) At least the $3 surcharge yielded two extra slices of bread, tra-la-la.
@@Hiraeth, I'll agree that the manager could have handled matters better -- such as immediately deleting the charge while adding that he'd be able to do so only that time. I hope the incident is out of your system now. Between the time you discussed it with the restaurant people, your mother, on Facebook and Yelp, with your friends, the owner and here in BP, it seems it had a major impact on you. It's amazing that you knew who the owner's friends and mother-in-law were. Better things ahead. Things can only get better.

I leave a scathing Google or yelp review and let it go.
Although I'm level 4 on Google local guides so I don't have to review as much. I have my free storage.
But like I said, I wouldn't have asked about it because it wasn't worth it and I understand the fee.
I complain about things like cold food or places that serve fake butter and fake Creamer.< /p>

@@OutsideMatchInside,

I did not expect special treatment. I just expect to be treated respectfully. I did not cuss or scream at him, yet he was still rude. If he would have said, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. On the menu it says there's a split fee charge. I hope that is ok.", then I would have understood and left it at that. But I didn't get anything close to that.

If more people just clearly explained the why's behind decisions without being rude and jumping into defense mode, there'd be a lot less arguing in the world!

Hate you had to go through that and even if it was the restaurants policy.1.it should have been told to you by the waiter or waitress when you ordered ..that way you could have made that decision upon ordering...2. If it was not information given before charge ..the manager should have taken it off at that time ..you really don't know who reads or listens to a complain..as manager he/she should have considered his restaurant n staff training as a whole and not just a customer complaint...That could have played out to benefit both...????
Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

@@OutsideMatchInside,

I did not expect special treatment. I just expect to be treated respectfully. I did not cuss or scream at him, yet he was still rude. If he would have said, "I apologize for the misunderstanding. On the menu it says there's a split fee charge. I hope that is ok.", then I would have understood and left it at that. But I didn't get anything close to that.