A friend duo ended up paying more than double the price of one of their meals after a miscommunication with the waiter. Viewers say the server was wrong.
In a public service announcement that went viral, TikTok user Mikey (@notmikeyd) explained that he and his friend Josh went out to dinner and the server told them the steak meal came with unlimited sides. After teasing the deal, the couple decided that Josh would get the steak, Mickey would get the pasta, and they would split everything. “We’ll have a little bit of a sharing experience. It’ll be great,” Mickey said.
Mikey said they had a great time and ate every side offered on the menu. “This restaurant is bleeding money, but thanks to them for giving us a great night,” Mickey thought to himself.
Mickey even joked about it with the waiter, asking him if he was sure the sides were unlimited because it seemed like a “terrible business model to give up that much food for the price of one steak.”
“It’s there, isn’t it? Go after it. Enjoy the sides. Unlimited company,” answers the waiter.
And they do. By the end of the night, they ask for the check, expecting to pay $30 for a pasta dish and $40 for a steak. But Josh was charged a whopping $95, which was $55 more than he expected. The couple laughed at first, thinking it was a joke, until they noticed the waiter wasn’t laughing.
The waiter explained that the steak was $40 and the rest of the money came from the many sides the duo ordered. “But you said unlimited sides,” they reminded the waiter. The waiter’s face falls. “Oh no,” he said, “I just meant you can order as many as you want.”
The friends replied: “Yes, no, you can do this in any restaurant.”
They ended up paying $95, but Mickey wanted to know if they were wrong.
“Are we stupid? I feel like we’re stupid,” Mickey said.
@notmikeyd This still hurts
The video received more than 420,000 views and more than 400 comments. However, based on the comments, this does not appear to be a common misunderstanding, but rather a communication error.
The top comment read: “Honestly, how it looks…that’s on the waiter.”
“You would never use the word unlimited in this context to mean anything other than you pay for the steak and get unlimited free sides,” one person said.
“Oh absolutely not. “I’m not being disrespectful but I will speak to the manager before the waiter finishes saying ninety-five,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Mikey for comment via Instagram direct message.
*First published: November 26, 2023, 5:30pm CST
Stacey Fernandez
Stacy Fernandez is a freelance writer, project manager, and communications specialist. She has worked at The Texas Tribune and The Dallas Morning News and manages social media at The Education Trust New York. Her favorite hobby is finding hidden gems in a thrift store, she loves a good audiobook and is a chocolate lover.
“Web maven. Infuriatingly humble beer geek. Bacon fanatic. Typical creator. Music expert.”
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