A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go out
for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home or
order in fast food.

I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one I'm
familiar with (they use an external booking site).

This morning I got an email congratulating me for booking on "Mothers
Day" and requesting I pre-order by tomorrow from a rather expensive set
menu, something that wasn't mentioned when I made the booking.

I'm wondering if there's any legal reason why I shouldn't be entitled to
order from their regular menu.
--
Roland Perry

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On 27/03/2025 07:16, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go out
for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home or
order in fast food.

I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one I'm
familiar with (they use an external booking site).

This morning I got an email congratulating me for booking on "Mothers
Day" and requesting I pre-order by tomorrow from a rather expensive set
menu, something that wasn't mentioned when I made the booking.

I'm wondering if there's any legal reason why I shouldn't be entitled to order from their regular menu.

I think you'll find they're not obliged to serve you at all, let alone
with whatever you demand.

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In message <[email protected]>, at 07:49:38 on Thu, 27
Mar 2025, Norman Wells <[email protected]> remarked:

On 27/03/2025 07:16, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go
out for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home
or order in fast food.
I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one I'm
familiar with (they use an external booking site).
This morning I got an email congratulating me for booking on
"Mothers Day" and requesting I pre-order by tomorrow from a rather >>expensive set menu, something that wasn't mentioned when I made the >>booking.
I'm wondering if there's any legal reason why I shouldn't be
entitled to order from their regular menu.

I think you'll find they're not obliged to serve you at all, let alone
with whatever you demand.

They accepted my booking, without saying I would be forced to pick (and
in advance) from their special menu.

They've written back saying it's the same in all pubs in their chain, so
that means most of the alternative venues I might have picked at random
are also holding me to ransom.
--
Roland Perry

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On 27/03/2025 07:16, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go out
for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home or
order in fast food.

I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one I'm
familiar with (they use an external booking site).

This morning I got an email congratulating me for booking on "Mothers
Day" and requesting I pre-order by tomorrow from a rather expensive set
menu, something that wasn't mentioned when I made the booking.

I'm wondering if there's any legal reason why I shouldn't be entitled to order from their regular menu.

You can indeed order from the regular menu, but the service may be very,
very slow. I'd expect about a 24 hour delay in the food arriving. :)

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In message <[email protected]>, at 10:13:08 on Thu, 27 Mar
2025, Simon Parker <[email protected]> remarked:

On 27/03/2025 07:16, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go
out for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home
or order in fast food.
I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one I'm
familiar with (they use an external booking site).
This morning I got an email congratulating me for booking on
"Mothers Day" and requesting I pre-order by tomorrow from a rather >>expensive set menu, something that wasn't mentioned when I made the >>booking.
I'm wondering if there's any legal reason why I shouldn't be
entitled to order from their regular menu.

I would be very surprised if the term "Menu subject to change without
notice" (or similar) is not included somewhere within the terms and >conditions you accepted when booking.

(Yes, yes, let's park the fact that you may not have realised that you
were agreeing to that, but it is more than likely that you did agree to
it whether you realised it or not. IME, this is a standard term for
many restaurants, (decent restaurants will go even further with a
clause that states menus are subject to change according to
availability and the culinary team's discretion), so there's no legal >obligation to bring such a term to your attention when booking.)

I would respectfully suggest that this is one of the situations where >diplomacy is far superior to insisting on one's legal rights, (real or >imagined). I recommend a quick call to ask if it is possible to order
from the regular menu on Sunday.

I emailed them and they said "No, and you'll get the same answer from
all the other pubs in our chain", which happens to include several of
the other venues I might have chosen at random.

(They may still want to know in advance what you intend to eat, rather
than you choosing at the table on the night.)

Personally, I never eat out on "special" days, as the price is
invariably higher and the quality typically lower, which I do not
consider to be circumstances that favour me.

I saw some posters about Mothers Day when on a road trip last week, so
although I don't have a Mother to take out, thought it was last Sunday.
But I'm very detached from these "special days", so don't keep up with
when might be "Second cousin once removed Day".

The alternative is to go to a restaurant that does not do a "Mother's
Day Special". If you're in my neck of the woods, I can recommend
several. :-)

This seems to be a lot of work.
--
Roland Perry

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On Thu, 27 Mar 2025 07:16:08 +0000, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go out
for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home or
order in fast food.

I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one

That's your problem, right there.

I haven't had a decent meal at a ping'n'fling outfit in 10 years. Which
takes the edge off SWMBO mobility and accessibility issues.

Still enjoying the odd non-chain meals which are much better.

That said, any of these "special occasion" meals aren't really our cup of
tea.

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In message <vs3dil$272fk$[email protected]>, at 11:42:13 on Thu, 27 Mar
2025, Jethro_uk <[email protected]> remarked:

On Thu, 27 Mar 2025 07:16:08 +0000, Roland Perry wrote:

A lady friend of mine is in town at the weekend, and we agreed to go out
for dinner on Sunday evening. Rather than for example eat at home or
order in fast food.

I looked at some local gastro-pubs and booked a table at one

That's your problem, right there.

I haven't had a decent meal at a ping'n'fling outfit in 10 years. Which
takes the edge off SWMBO mobility and accessibility issues.

The place in question is perfectly OK, and gets plus points for being
open for myself and late wife in wheelchair during lockdown.

That said, any of these "special occasion" meals aren't really our cup of >tea.

Indeed, this isn't one of the marketing "Special occasions" (Valentines, Mothers, Fathers, etc etc), just an ordinary Sunday.
--
Roland Perry

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"Simon Parker" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

I would respectfully suggest that this is one of the situations
where diplomacy is far superior to insisting on one's legal rights,
(real or imagined).

Either that, or subject all dishes emerging from the kitchen to thorough chemical analysis, prior to ingestion.


bb

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