Can a customer walk out of a restaurant without paying if the food is taking too long? —Lisa S., St. Petersburg, Florida
The acceptability factor of what a customer can and cannot do in a restaurant has changed drastically since the onset of Yelp, TripAdvisor, and the like. In 2018, the customer truly is king.
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First off, “too long” is a dangerously relative term, a period of time that decreases as one’s hunger increases. Second, the clock begins once you’ve placed your order, not while you’re perusing the menu. (Many delays are the result of a customer’s cell-phone use while at the table.)
So many factors enter into the “too long” argument—for instance, which course or whether a 2-inch-thick chop is being cooked to well done—that they’ll be covered in another column. But in general, if a customer feels too much time has elapsed, then the sensible thing to do is to alert management and offer to pay for what’s been consumed so far. Most floor managers, wanting to do the right thing and possibly fearing backlash on social media, will apologize, comp whatever’s been served, and offer a gift card to entice a future visit.
On the flip side, when a course is delayed, it’s far better for the restaurant to explain the reason for the delay than to act like nothing’s amiss. A clued-in customer is a happy customer.
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