Money Moral Dilemma: Should we return to the restaurant to pay after being evacuated from it?

MSE_Kelvin

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

My husband and I were having lunch at a restaurant that's part of a small chain when the fire alarm went off. The staff asked everyone to evacuate, then to vacate the area so the fire brigade had access. We later learned it was a false alarm, and I said we should return to pay our bill. My husband thinks there's no need, as we weren't asked to do so at the time, we didn't get to finish our food and drinks, and the service was poor, so the staff wouldn't be missing out on a tip. Who's right?

Unfortunately the MSE team can't answer Money Moral Dilemma questions as contributions are emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be a point of debate and discussed at face value. Remember that behind each dilemma there is a real person so, as the forum rules say, please keep it kind and keep it clean.

If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.
Got a Money Moral Dilemma of your own? Suggest an MMD.

2702

Your Husband

RS156

Yes, you shoukd have returned or discussed it with the staff before leaving the evacuated group. I wouldn't expect they would ask you to cover the bill, but it seems bold to assume you can just eat and drink what you did for free.

Skier_G

I would say somewhere in the middle would be appropriate. Not being asked to pay in the middle of a fire alarm evacuation is not a reason for not paying for what you received. Figure out what you think is the value of what you had and send it to the restaurant.

austriaviola

Of course you should go back to pay. When the alarm went off they couldn't have known that it was a false alarm. They were hardly likely to risk lives by insisting everyone pay for their meals before evacuating, and once the customers were out of the building, the staff had no way of stopping people from leaving, ie making them pay. And if the staff had insisted that everyone pay before evacuating, the Health and Safety Executive (and probably other authorities such as the local council, and the fire brigade) would have hit the roof. I'm no expert in law, but I'd have thought they'd be risking all sorts of legal ramifications for that. Plus, as you ate some of the food, you should pay. It's almost certainly not the restaurant's fault that the alarm went off. If fire alarms are false alarms, that's usually established very quickly (believe me, I know - in my line of work, I'm affected by many). It's on you and your husband that you don't seem to have chosen to go back in to the restaurant after the fire brigade have the All Clear. If the meal was hot food, you could have asked theml staff to reheat it. Drinks would have lost nothing by your being outside for a short time. Poor service is one thing. I see nothing wrong with withholding a tip when the service is poor. And a small chain may well be a small, local business. In these hard, economic times, why should the business owners lose not just profit on your meal, but the cost of the food, lighting, staff wages as well? Very likely you weren't asked to pay because there staff naturally assumed that the customers would pay for what they had had. If they asked customers to pay, msny people see an implication that they would not, and would therefore be insulted. That would but be good customer relations. Yes, of course you should pay the bill. To do otherwise is theft.

Bonnypitlad

It would not have been appropriate for the restaurant to instruct you to evacuate and to ask you to pay at the same time.
An incident like this would be very expensive for the restaurant 
If you were not enjoying your meal you probably wouldn’t eat there again.
If it happened to me and I was unable to finish my meal I think I would offer 50% of the estimated bill by mailing a cheque to the restaurant 
The decision is yours

Ed264

I think your husband is wrong. If you weren't happy with the food and the service, you should have complained at the time - before the fire alarm went off. Go back, be honest and pay what is reasonably owing to them. And you'll probably walk away happy that you'd done so.

ambioni

At the end of the day it is still theft to walk off without paying, whether the goods are food served to you or items you've picked up from a shop shelf. The decent thing to do would be to pay the bill, or at least a proportion of it. The restaurant's insurance may or may not cover such losses and clearly they were trying to keep you safe by evacuating. I started wondering if this is similar to a fire alarm and evacuation happening in a shop with everyone asked to leave immediately (and still carrying your unpaid-for goods). Would you just walk off home and not think of paying in that case too?

bikaga

I'd go back and give them part of the money if you've had something to eat or drink even if you didn't finish it. They'll still have bought the ingredients and cooked and served it, even if you didn't like the service. Obviously depends - if you've only had a bite and not had a drink then I wouldn't give as much as if I'd been 2/3 through a meal and a bottle of wine

fern37

I would have gone back and tried to pay something for my meal. They may have just have written it off but not even attempting to pay would prey on my mind.

spyros_455

The fact that you didn't finish your meal and drinks definitely means you shouldn't pay the full price.

The disruption you had is also a disruption of the service. When you go to a restaurant to eat you expect to have your hour or so to eat uninterrupted. Being interrupted and asked to leave means you shouldn't pay in my opinion. You didn't sign up for only eating half of your food and getting kicked out.

So, overall, I think it's completely morally acceptable to not pay. Legally, I believe it's also fine to not pay. If the restaurant wanted you to cover full price and claim the cost against you, it would be difficult for them.

In addition, you said the service was poor anyway.

Overall, I'd say don't pay.

But, if you didn't mind the disruption and want to pay what you consider to be the fair cost (e.g. around half of your meal if you ate around half), then go ahead.