Dibbons
Well-Known Member
- Local time
- 9:13 AM
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2014
- Messages
- 4,992
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- Location
- La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
Better half wanted to eat some nachos at a local seaside restaurant in the tourist zone where we reside in Mexico (to celebrate Mother's Day). We found very few patrons there ahead of us and sat down at a table that offered an overhead fan (rather warm today). Spouse ordered and was served a rather large, icy Margarita while I looked at the menu and skipped my usual beer or soda and decided on a Mojito (tasted my first Mojito in Havana, Cuba Easter week of 2003). This is my spouse's hometown of La Paz, BCS, Mexico, by the way.
After the waiter approached the bar to put in my drink order he returned a minute later empty-handed, telling me mojitos not available for a lack of fresh mint, which is the key ingredient. So I went back to my usual, a beer (this time Pacifico). While I sipped my beer (after it finally arrived) I was enjoying the view of the bay waters when I noticed a sign out front on the sidewalk I had not noticed before that said "Margaritas 2 X 1" and below that "Mojitos 2 X 1". I pointed that coincidence out of us ordering the specials without even knowing we did so beforehand to my spouse and we shared a good laugh. "Malecon" on the sign means "boardwalk" which is this branch location of the restaurant here on the water (the other branch is downtown).
Naturally, when she finished her Margarita, my spouse asked for the second one as posted on the sign. The waiter went into a long explanation on how her ten dollar Margarita was different from the Margarita on special. My spouse pointed out the sign did not specify any particular size or flavor of Margarita. But no matter how we both pled our case, the waiter insisted on not refilling my spouses drink with a similar beverage.
I mentioned to the waiter if that Mojitos were no longer available, perhaps he should erase that from the sign. But that comment did not phase him, the sign was not corrected. It was hard to believe someone would work that hard not to give into his own mistakes, which we continued to point out to him (i.e. why didn't he mention and explain the "specials" when we first sat down, why didn't he explain the specials when we both ordered drinks promoted on the sign outside, why does he not want to bring another Margarita of the same size/flavor just to be courteous to repeat customers (my spouse comes here with friends/relatives once in awhile for the nachos, which are indeed tasty)? No, nothing doing.
I went outside and took photos of the special sign, the front facade of the restaurant, my spouse at the table with the waiter standing behind her about 10 feet, and of the ticket when it arrived. Before we left, the waiter came back with a very tiny glass and explained this is the size of the "special" Margarita and finally offered it to my wife. She declined and explained that after all the discussions back and forth she had lost her appetite for another drink.
There is a second restaurant with the same name and I assume the same owners that is located a few miles away, but without having a view of the La Paz Bay. I may swing by there sometime and explain to management the ins and outs of our Mother's Day celebration, not to be mean but just our of curiosity to see what kind of a response/reaction I receive. We discussed leaving a regular ten to twenty percent tip or no tip at all, but in the end I decided to leave twenty pesos (about $1.25 USD) because at least the nachos were delicious and the view was pleasant. The waiter kind of shot himself in the foot though, if you ask me. The total bill was $445 Mexican Pesos or about $27.00 USD.
And we went out today to eat, enjoy, and be more than willing to pay whatever prices were listed on the menu, because it was a day to celebrate (not trying to get anything free after we arrived), but it became the principal of the thing after we spotted the sign out front meant to draw in touristy customers--and we are locals looking out for them, so to speak. We do have plans to return. As we left, we commented with one another on how a grocery store was right around the corner from the restaurant where one of the employees standing around doing nothing could have gone out to purchase a couple of sprigs of mint in a flash for the Mojitos. Oh well. End of story.
After the waiter approached the bar to put in my drink order he returned a minute later empty-handed, telling me mojitos not available for a lack of fresh mint, which is the key ingredient. So I went back to my usual, a beer (this time Pacifico). While I sipped my beer (after it finally arrived) I was enjoying the view of the bay waters when I noticed a sign out front on the sidewalk I had not noticed before that said "Margaritas 2 X 1" and below that "Mojitos 2 X 1". I pointed that coincidence out of us ordering the specials without even knowing we did so beforehand to my spouse and we shared a good laugh. "Malecon" on the sign means "boardwalk" which is this branch location of the restaurant here on the water (the other branch is downtown).
Naturally, when she finished her Margarita, my spouse asked for the second one as posted on the sign. The waiter went into a long explanation on how her ten dollar Margarita was different from the Margarita on special. My spouse pointed out the sign did not specify any particular size or flavor of Margarita. But no matter how we both pled our case, the waiter insisted on not refilling my spouses drink with a similar beverage.
I mentioned to the waiter if that Mojitos were no longer available, perhaps he should erase that from the sign. But that comment did not phase him, the sign was not corrected. It was hard to believe someone would work that hard not to give into his own mistakes, which we continued to point out to him (i.e. why didn't he mention and explain the "specials" when we first sat down, why didn't he explain the specials when we both ordered drinks promoted on the sign outside, why does he not want to bring another Margarita of the same size/flavor just to be courteous to repeat customers (my spouse comes here with friends/relatives once in awhile for the nachos, which are indeed tasty)? No, nothing doing.
I went outside and took photos of the special sign, the front facade of the restaurant, my spouse at the table with the waiter standing behind her about 10 feet, and of the ticket when it arrived. Before we left, the waiter came back with a very tiny glass and explained this is the size of the "special" Margarita and finally offered it to my wife. She declined and explained that after all the discussions back and forth she had lost her appetite for another drink.
There is a second restaurant with the same name and I assume the same owners that is located a few miles away, but without having a view of the La Paz Bay. I may swing by there sometime and explain to management the ins and outs of our Mother's Day celebration, not to be mean but just our of curiosity to see what kind of a response/reaction I receive. We discussed leaving a regular ten to twenty percent tip or no tip at all, but in the end I decided to leave twenty pesos (about $1.25 USD) because at least the nachos were delicious and the view was pleasant. The waiter kind of shot himself in the foot though, if you ask me. The total bill was $445 Mexican Pesos or about $27.00 USD.
And we went out today to eat, enjoy, and be more than willing to pay whatever prices were listed on the menu, because it was a day to celebrate (not trying to get anything free after we arrived), but it became the principal of the thing after we spotted the sign out front meant to draw in touristy customers--and we are locals looking out for them, so to speak. We do have plans to return. As we left, we commented with one another on how a grocery store was right around the corner from the restaurant where one of the employees standing around doing nothing could have gone out to purchase a couple of sprigs of mint in a flash for the Mojitos. Oh well. End of story.
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