a restaurant isn't obligated to provide to-go containers, but saying you can't take the food you bought? absolutely ridiculous.

I was totally with the customer - righteously angrily so - until the manager, in his response, noted that the policy was clearly stated.

Caveat Emptor, kids.

NewportBarGuy: indeed.

There is a logic to this, when customers are ordering huge amounts of cheap food and packing it up to take home. That logic does not apply to one cheeseburger and fries.

Their logic is no packing up any food. So yes, that logic does apply to one cheeseburger and fries.

Was at an all-you-can-eat sushi bar for lunch today. One of their rules was you get charged for any rice you don't eat. If you don't like the rule, then don't eat there.

What is the restaurant going to do if they try to bag up the meal anyway (on their own) and leave with it, have them arrested for theft? They've already paid for it.

Try going to better places.

/Never happened to me, but if it ever did, it would be the last time I ever went there.

Who cares? Why did this get greenlighted?

Scruffynerf: Who cares? Why did this get greenlighted?

"Gospodin," he said presently, "you used an odd word earlier--odd to me, I mean..."

"Oh, 'TANSTAAFL.' Means ~There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' And isn't," I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, "or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless."

"An interesting philosophy."

"Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for."

/the guy wanted a nearly-free lunch to go. TANSTAAFL.

CheddarPants: I can see both sides of it.

The restaurant doesn't want some asshat coming in and ordering 20 cheeseburgers, then asking for a doggy bag. At the same time, if a you order a normal-sized portion and don't finish it, you have the reasonable expectation that you'll be able to take the remainder with you.

According to the restaurant's website, a cheeseburger and fries at happy hour is $1.95. I'd guess they have to be pretty hardcore about enforcing the policy.


So, basically, these customers are making a stink over 97, 98 cents max? Hello, look at me, I'm a cheap-ass attention whore.

I understand the restaurant's position. The policy is a sensible one.

I'm tempted to say that it was silly to stick to the policy in this case and that boxing up half a burger should have been okay, but as soon as you start making exceptions to a policy, it's not a policy anymore, and you're open to charges of discrimination (or whatever) when you DO try to enforce it.

Makes sense to me. The policy prevents any questioning. Happy hour food stays in the restaurant. End of story. Keeps any sort of arguments nipped in the bud.

/whining over $1.99? Really?

Shove the leftovers in your purse and quit whining. Geez... it's bad enough you want cheap food. Now you want a styrofoam box for free, too?

There was absolutely NOTHING stopping them from taking leftovers home. They were simply waiting for an "official" box from the company, when policy clearly states that was not forthcoming. Bring your own damn Ziploc next time, cheapskate.

Bucky Katt: What, they think they'll serve the left over food to the next customer?

When you leave you stop buying booze.

Scruffynerf: Who cares? Why did this get greenlighted?

So that entitlementarians can biatch about it being greenlighted.

AntiNorm: What is the restaurant going to do if they try to bag up the meal anyway (on their own) and leave with it, have them arrested for theft? They've already paid for it.

I was wondering the same thing. I mean what if (for reasons known only to them) the couple had a few brown paper bags on their person and just decided to bag up the remaining food?

If the happy hour menu say no food to go then that is the end of that. Here's what I don't get. The guy barely touched his food and they were in a hurry to get to a movie afterward. Why did he even order? Furthermore, what was he going to do with his leftovers? Take them into the theater? Oh wait, outside food isn't allowed. Or was he going to leave the leftovers in his car for 2+ hours? Dumb.

Whining mothwallets.

I'm guessing that had they complained to the manager while at the restaurant that they most likely wouldn't have gotten a box, but maybe the burger comped. Working at a corporate restaurant, I have seen food get comped for far less. Honestly, if you complain about anything to a corporate restaurant you will most likely get something discounted, they would much prefer you leave happy and avoid a potential email complaint, even if the restaurant did nothing wrong. Also, if you leave without paying; most places, including the place I worked at would not do anything about it. Not that I would ever recommend that, but large corporate restaurants have far too much to worry about than go after someone who left without paying.

Idiotic.
No "to go" orders, fine. You don't want someone ordering 20 cheap burgers and taking them home, fine. So limit the amount that a single person can take home to anything that is a fraction of 1 burger.
That's just smart business all around.

God damn...Fark is just filled with men who can poop on command and enjoy it thoroughly.

When a restaurant seriously discounts food to bring in business, they have to add that clause to prevent the guys who will come in and order three or four to get them through the week. The casino I work at has an all you can eat spaghetti night on Wednesdays for $3.95. Could you imagine the hemorrhaging from allowing togo boxes? And the $3.95 chicken dinners on Monday, same thing. You have to protect yourself from scammers and unfortunately lightweights may suffer from that.

/I am one of the lightweights...

Its your burger - you payed for it. Next time bring your own box to put leftovers in and take it out. If the cops show up show them your receipt.

\An easy way around this would be to offer happy hour prices only with the purchase of a cocktail or like beverage.
\\Or try not to price food at a loss. Price it at cost for the love of Christ. Why would any place ever price their product at a loss.

I was with the customers until I realized they were biatching about a 1.99 meal at McCormick and Schmick's

WTF are garlic fries, and should I care?

i dont care how good the food is. im voting with my dollar and taking it elsewhere. the 'loss leader' became the 'loss of all future dollars leader'.

and dont preach about the logic of the policy. we get it. it is there to prevent the abusers, but if one isnt clearly abusing this, then it is just plain stupid and bad for further business to deny the to-go box.

keytronic: God damn...Fark is just filled with men who can poop on command and enjoy it thoroughly.

"Men who can poop on command." I like that phrase. It could be a band name or a movie name or something.

NewportBarGuy: Wow, an intelligent and well explained response from management. Promote that guy.

This.

There is a bar in Richmond, VA that offers one dollar burgers on Mondays. The burgers are amazing and usually priced at 8 dollars. I love this promotion- there is no drink minimum, so I could always go out and have dinner with friends even if one of us was broke. My friends could always spare a dollar and, in a group, most people would eventually order drinks.

The first time I went there with a group, some jackass ordered FOUR burgers and a glass of water. He threw a hissy fit when they wouldn't give him a take out box. I completely understand why the restaurant would stipulate no food "to go".

GAT_00: unexpected logic there.

no, no there isn't. anyone that thinks any of this bullshiat is logical needs to have their head checked. as was stated before, they're not coming in and ordering a truckload of cheeseburgers "to go", the guy wanted to take home what the restaurant was going to throw out anyways and what he'd paid for. The bar needs to revamp the policy. This is just unnecessary waste.

Baryogenesis: ... Take them into the theater? Oh wait, outside food isn't allowed. Or was he going to leave the leftovers in his car for 2+ hours? Dumb.

I do this all the time. Often portions at restaurants are wildly over sized. I payed for the food and dammit im going to take all of it. Its worth NOTHING to the company once I payed for it.

As for the arguments about all you can eat deals - if you go and eat 4.5 plates then i think you are fully entitled to take your remaining half plate home. Once the plate sits in front of a customer its theirs.

kxs401: I understand the restaurant's position. The policy is a sensible one.

I'm tempted to say that it was silly to stick to the policy in this case and that boxing up half a burger should have been okay, but as soon as you start making exceptions to a policy, it's not a policy anymore, and you're open to charges of discrimination (or whatever) when you DO try to enforce it.

This.

Seems like they should just use a different method:

Buy two drinks, get 1 "FREE" item off our "god damn you are a cheap bastard" menu. Use some type of multiplier for gaining additional "free" items. Make it into a drinking game.

The drunks will still stick around and drink after eating their "free" burger because that is what drunkards do.

win/win....never create a win/lose situation.

Also, if you don't like the current policy, take your money elsewhere. Don't be a whiny twat about it.

mikefinch: Its your burger - you payed for it. Next time bring your own box to put leftovers in and take it out. If the cops show up show them your receipt.

\An easy way around this would be to offer happy hour prices only with the purchase of a cocktail or like beverage.
\\Or try not to price food at a loss. Price it at cost for the love of Christ. Why would any place ever price their product at a loss.

Because they make a 300-400% markup on alcohol (and probably more on soda) which is the primary reason people come in during happy hour. If I can get you in for some food at a 20-30% loss, but you buy multiple drinks, or probably even one drink, I make a profit.

I'm still wondering why this guy bothered ordering if he only ate half the burger, and why he'd think it would still be safe to eat after they go to movie unless he has a cooler in his car or something. Just pack the farker in, and you'll save yourself $5 on popcorn.

Great, now even food had a EULA and DRM...

MBK: The place has a "No To Go" cause on their menu for the Happy Hour specials.

it's not a farking "to go" order, it's goddamned leftovers that the bar is just going to toss in the goddamned dumpster.

fark this bar. If the guy was trying to wheel a wagonload of burgers out the door I'd agree but it was half the farking burger he ordered and paid for.

fark this bar, again.

So according to the restaurant, after eating, can the customers leave immediately or are they required to crap out the burger in the restaurant washroom before departing?

Once you sell something to someone, then that's it they can do what they want, sign or no sign. If the restaurant is losing money that is their problem. However I don't think the restaurant is required to help transport said burger to the individual's residence.

The purpose of our Happy Hour offerings is to offer guests an incentive to enjoy great inexpensive food items while enjoying cocktails at the same time, it is not meant to be a buffet to take home.

Yeah, so your problem is that too many people use this as an excuse to get cheaper takeout. So if too few people want to stick around for cheap greaseballs and overpriced cocktails that pretty much = buttraep, why not just ditch the farkin' happy hour and farkin' charge a realistic price for a farkin' burger? Is that too simple? These guys are morans

what the fark are they (the bar) gonna do with half-eaten food? resell it?

"you can't take that half-eaten cheeseburger home, the guy at table 3 looks hungry, we'll sell it to him."

Gotta side with the restaurant here. There are just assholes in the world who will take advantage of anything free/cheap and ruin it for everyone else. Gotta have limits if you don't want jerks ruining it for everyone.

I mean you can't even get the ingredients for a good quality burger for $2, never mind labour and overhead. They are losing money. They do it, of course, hoping to get people in to drink. So why not require a drink? Well they are hoping to attract groups. You decide to go there with your DD and a friend who is just there for an hour and they agree because of the cheap food.

They are trying to run a promotion that is nice for customers and they are aware they will take a loss in some cases. However they want to limit the amount of that loss. It's one thing to say "We will lose $3/person who just gets the food and nothing else." It's quite another to say "We could lose a huge amount from abuse."