Who doesn’t love going to a restaurant to eat? Between the delicious food and delightful drinks, going out to a restaurant is a treat. The worst part? When the bill arrives! However, these customers have mastered the art of getting their meals on the house. Get ready to take notes! Content has been edited for clarity.
The Free Food Frenzy
“My husband and I have received food on the house twice in our lives.
The first time, we had gone to Red Robin for my husband’s ‘birthday burger.’ You could choose from several burgers on your birthday for free if you signed up for Red Robin’s club. I chose to order the fish and chips since I had my fill of red meat for the week.
We had to wait for the fish dinner to come out since they weren’t familiar with cooking it. This should have been the first red flag, but I was looking forward to the food. However, my husband’s food had already come out, so I told him to eat so his food didn’t get cold. My dinner finally arrived at the table when my husband was almost finished eating his meal.
I dug into the first piece of fish, and it was hard and rubbery. I spit it out into my napkin and tried another piece. The second piece had the same issue!
We got our waitress’ attention, and I explained to her what the issue was.
The waitress responded, ‘I am so sorry! Let me go get you a different plate.’
The manager soon came over to our table and asked what the problem was.
I quietly answered, ‘My food wasn’t great. The fish was very rubbery.’
The manager responded, ‘We can make you a fresh plate if you still would like the fish, or we can make you something else.’
I ordered a salad instead.
When it was time for the bill, I expected to pay for our meals. After all, I had eaten almost two of the three pieces of fish on my plate and most of my fries.
The manager brought our bill over and explained, ‘We are going to remove the entire meal from your bill. We are very sorry about your experience.’
I responded, ‘You don’t have to, I already had eaten a good portion of the food. I just wanted to let you know the fish wasn’t good.’
Well, the manager still wouldn’t allow me to pay for anything. I already felt bad since my husband’s meal was free, but the manager insisted I didn’t pay.
My husband and I finished up and tipped our waitress thirty percent, plus the cost of the fish and chips.
The second time my husband and I received free food, we were in New York. We stopped at TGI Friday’s for a quick meal after shopping. My husband and I hadn’t eaten all day and were pretty ravenous, so we ordered an appetizer and salads before our meals. Our appetizer of choice was the potstickers they had at the time. We both loved them, so we chose to split an order.
When the waitress brought my husband and my potstickers over to the table, I cut into one. Before I brought it up to my mouth, I noticed something disgusting. It was a hair!
I called our waitress over and asked, ‘Can you take these potstickers back to the kitchen? We would like something else instead.’
The waitress called over the restaurant manager, and he asked what the problem was. I showed him the hair embedded inside of the potsticker.
I told the manager, ‘I don’t blame you guys. It is obvious the hair got into the potsticker during processing, but I can’t eat another one.’
The manager replied, ‘I completely understand, my wife is the same way.’
The manager, my husband, and I ended up chatting the entire night after the potsticker incident. We found out we had a lot in common! He and my husband became fast friends.”
“The Food Tasted Awful”
“Some years ago, my husband and I went out to a nice restaurant for dinner. We were having a lovely meal, and we enjoyed everything immensely. Then, from the next table over, we started to hear a bit of commotion.
One of the diners at the table loudly complained, ‘This food tastes awful!’
I glanced over to see the woman had already eaten most of her meal. The six other people at the woman’s table laughed every time she loudly listed the problems with her meal. Eventually, a waiter noticed the complaint and made his way over to the table.
‘How are your meals?’ the waiter asked politely.
Now faced with a real person, the woman muttered, ‘Our meals are fine, thanks.’
One of the woman’s male friends spoke up and said, ‘Her food was terrible. She shouldn’t have to pay for it since it wasn’t cooked properly.’
As the conversation continued, other members of the party started complaining about their meals, too. The waiter listened, apologized, and offered to bring the table replacement meals.
Of course, none of the party wanted a meal replacement. They just wanted their meals removed from the bill.
The waiter did a brilliant job of walking the line between validating the customer’s experiences and giving in to their demands. In the end, he brought the table replacement food, since they claimed their food was ‘cold,’ upon arrival.
The diners did end up paying for their meals (which they ate), as well as the desserts they ordered afterward, too.
By the time the diners left, my husband and I had just finished our meals and were thinking about dessert. Or more drinks.
As the waiter was walking past, I made eye contact with him and said, ‘Excuse me. I was just wondering if I could speak to the manager.’
He smiled, attempted to hide a sigh, and explained, ‘I am the floor manager tonight, ma’am.’
‘Great,’ I said, ‘I just wanted to congratulate you on how well you handled the situation at the other table. I couldn’t help but overhear what happened, and your ability to manage the situation was eye-opening. You validated the customers but didn’t let them walk all over the cooks and other staff members. I’ve worked in management for a long time, and I would give you a job in a second. You should be proud.’
To say the waiter was surprised is an understatement. He ended up joining our table to chat and gave my husband and me each a drink and dessert on the house.
While I didn’t get an entire meal ‘on the house,’ half of it was free simply because I was nice. Maybe the other table should have tried it.”
“I Felt Nauseated”
“One time, I went with my family to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. Everyone ordered, and I selected a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I snacked on some garlic bread and sipped on my Coke while we waited to be served.
Shortly after, my beautiful plate of food arrived. The plate was filled to the brim with spaghetti and meatballs. I was starving, so I quickly stuck my fork into one of the meatballs and took a bite.
As soon as I began chewing, I could tell what was in my mouth wasn’t edible. I instantly felt nauseated.
I called my server over and asked, ‘Can you have the manager come over to the table?’ all while I was still holding the food in my mouth.
When the manager came over, I spit the contents of my mouth into the napkin.
I asked the manager, ‘Can you identify whatever this foreign matter is inside my food?’
The manager was shocked. He asked me for the napkin and took it to the kitchen to investigate. A couple of minutes later, he rushed back to the table apologizing profusely.
The manager told me, ‘It looks like it was a piece of the paper packaging our meatballs are delivered in.’
I replied, ‘I think I have lost my appetite. I feel like I am going to be sick.’
The manager offered to get me another plate of spaghetti, but I declined. The thought of spaghetti at this point made my stomach churn.
Then the manager pleaded, ‘I am so sorry about your experience. Your entire family’s meal will be complimentary tonight.’
He brought me a menu and told me to order anything I wanted. I couldn’t decide, so the manager suggested fettucini alfredo. The different sauces made it less ‘spaghetti-like,’ so I was able to eat and enjoy the food.
I was glad our server and the manager were so attentive. When we neared the end of our meal, the manager came back out with some delicious desserts for us.
Even though the restaurant made an off-putting mistake, the manager more than made up for it. I certainly didn’t expect my whole family’s meal to be complimentary. Needless to say, I tipped the server very well.
What began as a nauseating mistake, ended up with me leaving full and happy.”
“Patience And Understanding Went A Long Way”
“I have received free food a couple of times throughout my life.
One time, I ordered a pizza. It was a supreme pizza, and I specifically ordered it without mushrooms. I was very allergic to mushrooms and eating one could have been detrimental.
When the pizza was delivered, I dug in. Suddenly, I noticed something hiding underneath the cheese. You guessed it, mushrooms!
I called the pizza shop and explained, ‘I don’t mean to complain, but I do want to pass on an issue.’
I told the pizza shop manager about the mushroom mishap, and firmly reminded him, ‘Can you please make sure your crew is careful and pays closer attention going forward? Food allergies are serious stuff. I’m not mad, but I would have been upset if I had to go to the hospital over a slice of pizza. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.’
The manager thanked me, and I hung up the phone. A couple of minutes later, my phone rang. It was someone from the pizza shop’s district management office calling to apologize. They thanked me for being so understanding, and they informed me I would be getting a free pizza every month for the next six months! It was pretty sweet.
In a more recent occurrence, my family gathered together to eat at a newer restaurant in town. Unfortunately, the restaurant was pretty understaffed. My family ended up sitting at our table for forty-five minutes before we even had our drink orders taken. It took about another twenty minutes to place our food orders, and we didn’t even get drink refills.
When the food arrived, my dad’s meal was ice cold inside. The server dropped my aunt’s plate of food on the floor, so the kitchen staff had to remake her entire meal.
My dad simply asked if the kitchen could put his meal in the microwave for a minute, but the kitchen remade his meal entirely instead.
When the bill was finally brought out, my mom placed her card into the billfold without really looking anything over.
I didn’t think anything of it until my mother asked me, ‘What do you think the tip should be?’
I looked over the bill, and I realized something wasn’t right. The bill was significantly lower than it should have been.
I flagged someone down and told them our check was incorrect. A few minutes later, the manager came out to our table.
The manager explained, ‘Due to the service and food issues, we took fifty percent off from the total bill.’
Then, the manager gave us two coupon cards worth twenty-five bucks each. The coupons happened to be worth slightly more than what we needed to pay for the meals.
The manager thanked us and said, ‘We just appreciate you all being so understanding.’
In the end, these experiences taught me a little patience and understanding went a long way.”
“I Nearly Escaped A Painful Accident”
“A while back, I had a strange experience at Olive Garden.
As I eagerly dug into my pasta, I noticed an odd-looking dried herb on my plate. It almost looked like a small staple.
‘How funny,’ I remarked to my partner, ‘Look at this herb.’
Just after I remarked, I touched the herb and moved it to the edge of my plate. At this point, I realized this herb didn’t just look like a staple. It was a staple!
I had no idea how to react. I didn’t know if it was a small oversight, or if I just nearly escaped a painful accident. The restaurant was dimly lit, so missing it on my plate could have been a real possibility.
Moments later, the waiter came back to our table and asked, ‘How are your meals?’
I explained to him, ‘Now, you’re going to think this is funny. I found a staple in my food.’
The waiter apologized and brought a new plate of food over to the table. The remainder of the evening was pretty uneventful, although I kept thinking about how close I had come to a painful accident.
When the time came to pay the bill, my partner and I just paid the entire bill as usual. The waiter replaced my dish, so there wasn’t any reason we shouldn’t have paid our bill. As I put my card in the billfold, I noticed the manager walking over to our table.
The manager explained, ‘We are going to give you your meal free tonight.’
I insisted, ‘No. You don’t have to, our waiter replaced my plate. Everything was okay.’
He responded, ‘No, we still want to give you a free meal. You were very understanding about the situation, and you deserve it.’
I didn’t think the staple was anyone’s fault. However, I did leave the restaurant with mixed feelings. I experienced two opposites; contaminated food and great customer service.
I never went back to the restaurant. Maybe I will someday.”
“We Won’t Be Back To The Restaurant”
“Just the other day, my mom and I received a free meal.
My family and I went to a nice restaurant where I lived. At first, we were talking and generally having a nice time. My mom and I knew we both couldn’t finish a meal, so we decided to split one. We ordered a plate of lasagna, perfect for two people. Our server brought out our meal, and my mom began cutting into her piece of lasagna.
Out of nowhere, my mom screamed, ‘What the heck?’
I had no idea what happened. Suddenly, my mom pulled a bolt out of her mouth! We were both scared, and my father asked our server if he could speak to a manager.
I was frightened because I shared a plate with her. I didn’t know what else was hiding in our food! I checked my food, made my brother check his food, and I also checked my sister’s plate.
When the manager finally arrived at our table, he was in total shock. He had no idea how to react.
The manager explained, ‘I am sorry. Dinner is on me tonight. Can I get you all anything else?’
My mom responded, ‘No, I just want to leave.’
I felt bad. The service was nice, the situation was just disturbing. If it didn’t happen, I am sure we would have had a lovely evening.
The weirdest thing about the situation was the restaurant had a wood-burning oven. We thought a bolt could have fallen out of the oven and into the lasagna, but it didn’t make sense. The bolt was cooked into the lasagna. It was very strange.
We went home and ended our night. It never failed for something insane to happen to my mom. Another time, she found pieces of hair in her food at Logan’s. We’ve never been back to Logan’s, and we probably won’t be back to this restaurant, either.”
“The Manager Refused To Let Me Pay”
“Where I lived, there was a fast food place called Whataburger. The restaurant is well known throughout Texas and a few nearby states but is typically unheard of in the rest of the United States or internationally. I thought Whataburger had great food for a burger place, and it was far better than McDonald’s.
I liked riding my bike places if I didn’t need a car to get somewhere. My town had plenty of sidewalks, so riding my bike across the city was feasible. With Whataburger being so close to my home, it was usually my restaurant location of choice. I usually rode my bike to the restaurant and took my food home to eat.
At the Whataburger by my home, I am a regular customer and known on sight by the staff. I eat and pay for my food as any normal customer would.
But normally, I didn’t wear a hat.
On this particular Whataburger run, I decided to wear a hat. It looked like it was going to rain before I got back home, and riding a bike in the rain could be problematic. I wore glasses, and my four eyes didn’t come equipped with windshield wipers. A hat would have to do.
I grabbed a hat I practically never wore and had hanging up for display. I thought nothing of it, and out the door, I went.
I arrived at Whataburger and placed my usual order. This time, the manager refused to let me pay and comped my meal.
I told him I always paid for my meal, but this time, he insisted I didn’t.
The manager explained, ‘A United States veteran should never pay for a meal!’
A wave of realization came over me. I accidentally put on my Navy veteran hat.
While it was nice for the manager to comp my meal, I felt bad. Even though I hardly wore the hat, I couldn’t have them pay for my meal every time I went in. I think twice about wearing the hat in public now.”
“I Couldn’t Even Be Angry Because I Was In So Much Pain”
“One time, my husband and I went to eat at my favorite restaurant. I ordered curry, and I anxiously awaited my food to come out.
After the waiter brought out my food, I took my first bite of the delicious-looking curry and chewed. I thought something was amiss, but I couldn’t yet figure out exactly what it was. I took one more bite, then another.
And then it hit me.
It was as if there had been a nuclear meltdown in my mouth. The curry was so incredibly spicy to the point where my tongue began to swell.
I looked at my husband red-faced with tears running down my cheeks. He looked in horror at my mouth and lips, which by this point, were fifty shades of red. I couldn’t speak, as the bite-sized clumps of curry had made their way into my throat. My husband was skeptical of my reaction, so he decided to try the curry for himself.
Mind you, my husband didn’t react to spicy food. He ordered the spiciest curry on the menu without blinking an eye. However, he had the same reaction when he tried my curry.
We waved our waiter over, and he saw both of our faces nearly melting off. The spice felt worse with every passing second.
The waiter apologized profusely and explained, ‘This is all my fault. I brought the wrong curry to your table!’
I couldn’t even be angry because I was in so much pain. The waiter brought me white rice, naan bread, and milk for free. I got another free meal on the house. This time, I chose a more mild option.
Accidents happen and the restaurant perfectly solved them.”
“I Was So Embarrassed”
“One time when I was nineteen years old, I went on a date at a fancy restaurant. The restaurant was located on the riverside in Detroit. Since it was an upscale restaurant, I wore a nice outfit.
There were candles on each table floating in some kind of oil and water mixture. The waitress brought my partner and I’s food out on a huge tray, and she was somewhat holding the tray over her head. As the waitress lowered the tray, I witnessed the slow-motion chain of terrible events begin. All of the food on the tray tumbled down onto the table towards me and into the candles.
The candles fell and the oil mixture flung onto my blouse as I tried to escape from the disaster. The waitress was distraught, so she grabbed a cloth napkin from another table and started patting my clothes dry. I was so embarrassed!
I told the waitress, ‘I can take care of cleaning my clothes myself. Thank you for trying, though.’
The restaurant gave us our meals on the house, plus they paid to have my outfit dry cleaned. I felt so bad for the poor waitress. At the end of the day, it was just an accident.”
“The Food Was A Cut Above The Competition”
“My wife and I had a favorite restaurant that we frequented often. After our waiter brought out our meals, I took my first bite.
Something was different. The food was prepared very differently from the last time I ordered it. It was still delicious, but something just wasn’t right.
I told the manager, and he quickly apologized for my negative experience.
He asked, ‘When did you come in last?’
I gave him the date, and he explained, ‘I know who made your food. I told him to never change the recipe, and he did.’
I shook my head and replied, ‘Actually, I preferred my meal last time more. Both meals are excellent, but I think your cook is on to something with the recipe change.’
The manager comped my wife and my meals and continued profusely apologizing to us.
He assured us, ‘All of your meals in the future will have the same excellent consistency. I am determined to listen to my cooks and what they think is best from now on.’
The manager gave us our meals for free. I added the cost of our meals to the tip because it wasn’t right to not pay for such excellent food. My wife and I were regulars at the restaurant, and the food was always great.
Seeing the manager’s fiery passion about someone changing one of his recipes, even in a small way, showed us why the food there was a cut above the competition.”
