Sure is nice not to die in a fire, though.
Glad your birthday dinner went well in the end and belated happy birthday!
Perhaps it was your obvious lack of chalant that kept them from sending you a gift certificate.
Was this a milestone birthday, Antonio? Because otherwise, why are you planning extravagant birthday dinners for yourself? (Though even if it were a milestone, it’s still on the high end of the pathetic scale.)
The OP is a twat, no doubt, but I don’t see the problem with organizing a dinner to celebrate your birthday. Me and all my friends do it. Wait, are we twats too?!
It was. And also, I have enough friends going away for school, work, the army, etc., that this was pretty much the last time we were all going to see each other for months, if not longer. I thought a last day of summer birthday party was a good–albeit a self-indulgent–extravaganza!
The last time I went to a Japanese steakhouse, the cook threw shrimp into my lap. Fuck them too!
Sorry about the mixup, but yay that you were able to make new plans - how was dinner? And happy birthday, too.
Last time SpouseO and I went for teppanyaki, we were pretty certain that our chef wasn’t Japanese. We 'bout died laughing when he greeted some other server with a happy “Hola!” (Not that there’s any rule that teppanyaki chefs have to be Japanese or that Hispanics can’t be chefs - we’ve no problem with either. Was the stereotype of Latinos taking over the restaurant business that struck us as funny, was all.)
Happpy late birthday!
Also, I think the restaurant should have definitely given you a little incentive to come back (a 10 dollar off, or a free meal with purchase of 3 others, or something like that, since this is a standard thing restaurants do for birthdays, and you missed your birthday there). It was rude of them to say “SO sorry, nothing we can do!” If I were you, I wouldn’t go back either. Especially since the other restaurant accomodated you well and so quickly.
Regarding everyone else who thinks you are a whiny, bitchy, self-centered asshole… welcome to the pit.
1.) Expecting a voicemail or some other notification, versus just a missed call, is eminently reasonable, assuming that the person in charge of reservations is done with anything pressing, like getting everyone out of the restaurant that may explode at any moment.
2.) Expecting compensation because they had to cancel? Still a clueless entitled prima donna move. Unless, y’know, you want it to work both ways–cancel a reservation, and they get to charge you for three drinks.
I didn’t take it personally, but it’s (as you can see from the note) very much against the board rules. You might want to take a browse through all the official rules stickies in About This Message Board and the top of each individual subforum.
Actually, I’d go with, “Fakku yuu tuu, ridikurasu kasutomaa!”
Yay!
Pit threads backfiring is actually a pretty common occurence around here. That’s the beauty (or horror) of the Pit–there’s no requirement for people to be sympathetic to your plight, and if we think you’re the one who’s in the wrong, we’re going to call you an ass to your face (er, so to speak).
If you think that a Japanese steakhouse (probably a chain, to boot) is an “extravagant birthday dinner,” you really need to get out more, dude.
You think you got problems, with your August birthday? My birthday is at the end of November - I have about a 75% chance of a city-grinds-to-a-halt blizzard on my birthday (based on the last couple of years). At least you can still get around on YOUR birthday. :mad:
(Happy birthday, antonio. 
)
So, what you’re really saying is that your usual MO is to bitch loudly enough about things that mildly inconvenience you until the proprieters give you free stuff just to shut your ass up, and you’re annoyed because it didn’t work this time?
Poor baby.
Pretty much, yeah. 
You think you’ve got problems? My socks don’t match.
Happy B-Day antonio107!! May your socks always match and stay fluffy.
You think YOU’VE got problems? My socks were wet today! Okay, it was my own fault, and I knew they would get wet when I walked home in the rain, but they were still wet!
You’re probably looking at about $50 a person, which is a lot to ask of people celebrating your own birthday. If they got together and planned it for you, that’s different.
And considering the fact that some of the meals I’ve paid for* would make most people (and their wallets) weep, I think I get out plenty, dude.
Too many to list but one of my favorites, one of Stephanie Izard’s “Wandering Goat” dinners (at Art Smith’s home) is talked about in this thread.
You could’ve fooled me.
My mom got me new socks today! They are fluffeh indeed!
Yes, and those were entirely appropriate gestures of propitiation because they screwed up. When you mismanage the floor so that someone’s reserved table is not ready at the appointed time, when you undercook someone’s food, when you bring them the wrong thing, when there’s a computer snafu and someone’s food doesn’t come out at all, you have screwed up and you offer the customer some little token like a drink or a dessert or comping part of the meal.
In this instance, the restaurant is not at fault for you having to move your birthday dinner. Gas leaks, unless someone is deliberately putting holes in the lines, fall under the act of Og/shit happens provision of blame assessment. I mean, if there was a massive thunderstorm and the electricity on that end of town went out, would you still blame them and want them to compensate you for your inconvenience?
No, that makes sense. You got me there. Point taken!