Creating false expectations can feel almost as disappointing as being misled—something one man accused a Hollywood restaurant in California of doing during his wife’s birthday celebration. In a post on r/mildlyinfuriating, Reddit user Mdp-slc explained that the restaurant asked during the booking process—and again at check-in—whether the visit was for a special occasion. Both times, he said they were celebrating his wife’s birthday. However, when the staff failed to offer any complimentary gesture or acknowledgment, Mdp-slc said he was left feeling misled.
Mdp-slc criticized the Hollywood restaurant for what he saw as a disingenuous gesture. He argued that the staff should not have asked about the occasion if they had no intention of acknowledging his wife’s birthday. He explained that what made the experience mildly frustrating was that “the restaurant led me to believe they’d do something special then did nothing.”
OP claims to have worked in the food industry, which made the situation all the more frustrating. In his view, misleading customers—especially when they are planning something as meaningful as a celebration—is unacceptable. “It’s not an entitlement thing. It’s a hospitality thing,” he wrote. Hundreds of Redditors in the comments strongly agreed, with many sharing their own experiences of being deceived by businesses.
Commenters Weigh In
One person recalled that a restaurant’s kitchen staff loudly complained about how much they disliked giving him extra bread—even though the place served dozens of sandwiches. “Holy crap, that place doesn’t want customers,” one commenter exclaimed. “Yeah, it’s weird that they would ask that and then not do anything,” another added, referring to OP’s story.
Mdp-slc added how he somewhat tested the server who knew about his wife’s birthday by indirectly requesting more bread. The server allegedly acted as though they were going to give them two slices of bread on the house, only to charge him $5 afterward. “Former chef of 15 years here, you are 100% right, and to charge you for the bread is ridiculous,” reacted a Reddit user.
Another person pointed out how shady it is for a restaurant to charge customers for things they didn’t technically ask for. “It’s so weird they brought bread without you directly asking for it or asking if you actually wanted it and didn’t tell you there was a charge,” the user wrote.
OP clarified that they had no complaints about the food or service. What made him question the restaurant’s reasoning was being asked about his wife’s birthday celebration and then seeing no follow-through whatsoever.
