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[vicissitudes]

This article suggests that the patron asked for the "best bottle" of the restaurants Cabernet.

http://www.eater.com/2014/11/5/7162831/wine-price-controversy-bobby-flay-3750

Everyone needs to read this first. According to the restaurant's version:

1. The customer asked to have the best Cabrrnet on the menu.
2. The restaurant asked him to confirm the wine selected by pointing to the wine on the menu which clearly says 3750 and he confirmed. Later the customer says he couldn't actually read the menu because he didn't have his glasses and relied on the verbal "thirty seven fifty" only. That's the customer's fault, not the restaurant's.

"Thirty seven fifty" can mean either 37.50 or 3750 depending on context. If you're picking up a few things at the supernarket and it comes out to "thirty seven fifty" that's obviously $37.50. If you're at Fry's Electronics looking at 70-inch 4k TVs and ask a salesperson "how much does that one cost" and he says "thirty seven fifty" it clearly means $3750. It all depends on context.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

I can certainly feel for this guy.

However, 37.50 for a bottle of wine at a restaurant is pretty cheap. I'd expect a bottle of Yellowtail or barefoot to be around that price at a restaurant.

But I wouldn't exactly expect a guy who doesn't know much about wine to actually know that.

 

[NotBacon]

What? No. This isn't applebees. $100 a person in a nice restaurant is in the ballpark.

Do you eat at restaurants that serve solid gold on a plate?

 

[CLEEK]

Are you guys British?

What? Fucking up the way you say numbers is an American thing. Saying Thirty-seven Fifty in UK would always mean 37.50, never 3,750. It would always be said as Three thousand, seven hundred and fifty.

Using multiples of hundreds when you should use thousands is a US abomination. Which is what the waitress did. Thirty-seven [hundred and] Fifty.

 

[pje122]

Do you eat at restaurants that serve solid gold on a plate?

Fine dining outside of Pyongyang can get pricey.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Taking the location into consideration, what's the issue? Say that in Chili's, you'll think 37.50, say that here...

at...

and it's a different story.
I bet you he won't act like some big baller anymore.

That isn't really the point.

Even at 100 dollars a plate, a bottle of wine that costs almost four grand seems out there. And even if the customer was an idiot who blows spit bubbles and wears his pants on his head on occasion, that doesn't mean that the hostess/waitress isn't responsible for making sure the customer knows what they're getting.

Let's just say they're both stupid. One person is a stupid customer, the other person is being paid not to be an inept waitress.

There's a difference.

The waitress made the mistake, and she needs to pay for it. The customer isn't in the wrong here.

 

[Makai]

Oh god, right after reading this story, I checked my bank account and saw that my bank upped my credit limit by like 2000% without telling me. I just saw the number and had a mini-freak out thinking I somehow bought something super expensive on accident.

 

[Somnid]

Why is a 3 year old bottle of wine worth so much? This is definitely a hustle operation at some level.

 

[Slavik81]

I think you'd be arrested.

Probably not. You're not obligated to pay a legitimately disputed charge. Whether a dispute is legitimate is a bit of a judgement call, though. It can be safer to pay up first and dispute it after.

 

[Camp Lo]

That isn't really the point.

Even at 100 dollars a plate, a bottle of wine that costs almost four grand seems out there. And even if the customer was an idiot who blows spit bubbles and wears his pants on his head on occasion, that doesn't mean that the hostess/waitress isn't responsible for making sure the customer knows what they're getting.

Let's just say they're both stupid. One person is a stupid customer, the other person is being paid not to be an inept waitress.

There's a difference.

The waitress made the mistake, and she needs to pay for it. The customer isn't in the wrong here.

The customer asked to have the best Cabernet on the menu. But I'm more than willing to agree that both sides were in the wrong.

 

[PseudoKirby]

What do Alcohol and Fashion have in common?

 

[GaimeGuy]

I can certainly feel for this guy.

However, 37.50 for a bottle of wine at a restaurant is pretty cheap. I'd expect a bottle of Yellowtail or barefoot to be around that price at a restaurant.

But I wouldn't exactly expect a guy who doesn't know much about wine to actually know that.

And I wouldn't expect a waitress to recommend me a $4000 bottle of wine when my party of 10 is otherwise paying $1000 total, and when I have explicitely said I don't know much about wine.

I also wouldn't expect her to to flip flop between units of hundreds and units of ones. "Thirty seven and fifty" is not how you read something that's nearly four thousand fucking dollars.

I would have refused to pay. And if the restaurant wants to sue me, go ahead.

 

[freenudemacusers]

What do Alcohol and Fashion have in common?

They're both drugs that feel greeaaatt

 

[FLEABttn]

Do you eat at restaurants that serve solid gold on a plate?

Do you eat at restaurants that serve hotpockets on paper plates?

 

[Lulubop]

Thirty seven fifty dollars = 3750
Thirty seven and fifty cents = 37.50

Holy shit bro.

 

[Timeaisis]

I'd sue for sure. What a scam. Fuck, that sucks.

 

[RoninChaos]

Thirty seven fifty dollars = 3750
Thirty seven and fifty cents = 37.50

The "and would apply if she said "thirty seven dollars and fifty cents. I've never in my life heard anyone use and when it comes to money when they didn't say dollars before they said "and".

 

[Deleted member 8095]

That's such fucking bullshit.

I work in alcohol distribution, and you know what? These prices are almost entirely goddamn arbitrary. We'll get multiple wines using similar grapes from the same vineyard, and one will be $50/btl and another $150/btl. Why? Because some shmuck will buy it. Or in this case, a normal, presumably sensible person was tricked into buying something that costs probably 100+x what it's worth.

I don't think you know what you're talking about or how wine works.

 

[LaNaranja]

They should have just paid $37.50 for the bottle and just told the owner to sue if he seriously felt he was in the right.

 

[DopeyFish]

In what world do 2 6 packs of red Bull cost $96?

Im actually more surprised people aren't picking up on the 34 bottles of water for $260

 

[chaostrophy]

bud light $9 a bottle? oh man what the fuck there.

I'm just wondering why a group of rich people who drink so much high-end stuff order such crappy beer. Wouldn't a place that fancy have Westvleteren or something?

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

 

[flyinpiranha]

I have never heard anybody say $37.50 as thirty seven AND fifty in my life.

Ha, seriously.

That bag of chips? 2 AND 99.
With tax though? More like 3 AND 16.

Even the great copy/pasta is wrong. It's about Three AND Fitty.

If you use "and" you usually clarify dollars and cents. Two dollars AND ninety nine cents.

 

[C.Dark.DN]

Randy?

 

[TAJ]

Edit: And yeah, hope they didn't tip. Or maybe tip on the meal + $37.50.

I'd tip her a lawsuit.

 

[Dennis]

For that much money my wine has to be from grapes stomped by at least 13 sets of virgin feet. European virgin feet.

Screaming Eagle. I would be Screaming Dennis if I got that receipt.

 

[Bsigg12]

Could of been worse..

A little different situation when you have millionaires throwing money away and you have a guy who accidentally orders a 3 thousand dollar bottle of wine.

 

[JBourne]

I'm just wondering why a group of rich people who drink so much high-end stuff order such crappy beer. Wouldn't a place that fancy have Westvleteren or something?

Can't buy good taste.

 

[LQX]

For that much money my wine has to be from grapes stomped by at least 13 sets of virgin feet. European virgin feet.

Screaming Eagle. I would be Screaming Dennis if I got that receipt.

Or better yet, virgin piss.

 

[Somnid]

I don't think you know what you're talking about or how wine works.

Actually that's exactly how it works. A master somalie could place a bottle and how it's made but it really means nothing about the actual flavor which is entirely subjective. Typically the way these things work is you price the object really high and someone buys, this immediately makes it desirable because if someone paid that much it must be the epitome of good, not for physical properties but from an arbitrary cultural standpoint. It's how you display power of wealth. This bottle was not 100x better than a $40 bottle from any objective measure.

 

[jiggle]

lol i bet the tip she got was way less than 15%

Party of 10
Probably mandatory 15-18%

 

[TAJ]

Party of 10
Probably mandatory 15-18%

It was definitely a scam, then. Bet she didn't know it would make the news, though.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

Who says "thirty-seven and fifty" for $37.50? I've never heard that in my life.

really

 

[ProfessorLobo]

If he asked for the best Cabernet he got the best Cabernet.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I would sue.

+1

 

[Seth C]

But hey, at least now everyone in the areas knows their markup on that bottle of wine. They make at least $1500 profit on every bottle sold!

 

[-COOLIO-]

Could of been worse..

i wonder how many schools in a 3rd world country that could build.

 

[Brofist]

On the other hand, their are sommeliers that definitely know their shit and can identify amazing things. I guess it crosses over into BS when actual consumers with normal ass palettes try to claim the same.

Like this guy on Youtube. Definitely need to get your sniffy sniff on.

Regarding the price. The only 2 ways I ever hear $37.50 said as are either:

thirty seven dollars and fifty cents -or- thirty-seven fifty

In no world I've ever been in is thirty-seven fifty = to $3750

 

[Deleted member 17706]

On the other hand, their are sommeliers that definitely know their shit and can identify amazing things. I guess it crosses over into BS when actual consumers with normal ass palettes try to claim the same.

Effecting pairings of foods with certain types of wine can definitely make the whole dining experience a whole lot better.

I just think there probably isn't a huge range of quality or difference once you get to a certain (relatively low) threshold with any given type of wine.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I can certainly feel for this guy.

However, 37.50 for a bottle of wine at a restaurant is pretty cheap. I'd expect a bottle of Yellowtail or barefoot to be around that price at a restaurant.

But I wouldn't exactly expect a guy who doesn't know much about wine to actually know that.

I generally shoot for the $30-$50 range when buying wine at a restaurant, jesus.

Come on people, "Two Ninety Nine" can be used interchangeably for $2.99 and $299. Since wine can cover both price points, she should have clarified.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Who says "thirty-seven and fifty" for $37.50? I've never heard that in my life.

Yeah, me neither. I mean, I've seen it in terms of how an amount is written in words on a check, but I've never actually heard anyone say it like that in normal conversation.

 

[Ventara]

That important question is "did the tip?" Anything less than 15% and they are inconsiderate cheapskates who deserved what they got and shouldn't have been eating there is what Gaf has taught me.

 

[Koomaster]

That'll be three and seven and thousand hundred dollars fifty and, please

I have laughed about this for several minutes; come back to read it and start laughing over again. I have tears of laughter. I can't read this post or even look at it without laughing.

Anyway I would dispute the charge with my credit card company.

 

[krackerjack]

That's like the time I was in Vegas and the 5 of us went to Craftsteak. It was my turn to buy and I thought the best deal was the 3 course A-1 wagyu meal for the entire table. The menu said $269....I didn't read the finer print that said "per person".

Yeah......yeah.

I paid, it hurt. Couldn't bring myself to showing everybody the huge mistake I made!

 

[Allforce]

Is a place this high-end listed on Yelp? All I know is once Yelpers tear into you, there's no going back. Yer dead!

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

R U kidding me?

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

I don't see in what universe this was the guy's fault. Who the hell assumes a guy really wants a nearly $4k bottle of wine with a sub $100 check?

Waitress knew what she was doing. They are trying to save face.

 

[not psycho]

Clearly a scam by the waitress. These people were getting $45 steaks and a $6 beer, said they knew nothing about wine, and the waitress recommends one for "thirty-seven fifty." Yeah. There's no way it is a coincidence she recommended something so far out of the range of everything else they ordered, while phrasing it to make it sound like it fit with the rest. I wouldn't have paid, the restaurant probably wouldn't take the publicity hit of suing over it.

 

[Deleted member 8095]

Actually that's exactly how it works. A master somalie could place a bottle and how it's made but it really means nothing about the actual flavor which is entirely subjective. Typically the way these things work is you price the object really high and someone buys, this immediately makes it desirable because if someone paid that much it must be the epitome of good, not for physical properties but from an arbitrary cultural standpoint. It's how you display power of wealth. This bottle was not 100x better than a $40 bottle from any objective measure.

The person I responded to said all of the wines he distributes are the same from the same grapes and that the prices are arbitrary. There are definitely, 100% different levels of quality when it comes to wine. He is wrong. I've visited plenty of wineries where they give you tastes of the same grape and the same vintage from slightly different vineyards and you can easily pick up differences in taste and quality. Now, is this wine 100x better than a $40 bottle of wine? Doubtful. Is it probably better than an average $40 bottle of wine? Almost certainly.

 

[turtle553]

If he asked for the best cabernet, had it pointed to on the menu, and had the sommelier confirm than he is out of luck. One article even suggests they looked at the receipt before opening. I don't buy this guys story. No high end restaurant is going to try and pull a scam like this and risk the bad press. They know how to sell high end wine properly.