Would you complain about this restaurant experience??

[Cera]

I wouldn't complain about it because it had nothing to do with the restaurant.  It was my child that did something she shouldn't have and caused the issue.

[Laura Corin]

Have you ever been to a Texas Roadhouse?? You throw your peanut shells on the floor!! And why would I apologise for making a mess?? She set a plate of food inches from a toddler while I was clearly looking the other way passing plates!!

 

No - I've not been to a Texas Roadhouse.  I'd be apologising (in general - not knowing about that particular restaurant) because I would be assuming that they would not want me to be on my knees cleaning up, so someone else would do that for me.  If I cleaned up the fish myself, I wouldn't apologise.  I always felt, when I had children that age, that it was my responsibility if they made a mess: others wouldn't know what the risks were of my two-year old grabbing something, but I would.  

 

Either way - not a big deal.  And Brits apologise when other people step on their toes.

 

L

[rjand6more]

Have you ever been to a Texas Roadhouse?? You throw your peanut shells on the floor!! And why would I apologise for making a mess?? She set a plate of food inches from a toddler while I was clearly looking the other way passing plates!!

 

 

And this is the issue here.  Servers should know not to do this.  What if the child had been burned?  This is bad practice period.  These long tables are awful for passing food.  She should have served the kids first.

[Catwoman]

Have you ever been to a Texas Roadhouse?? You throw your peanut shells on the floor!! And why would I apologise for making a mess?? She set a plate of food inches from a toddler while I was clearly looking the other way passing plates!!

I thought she set the plate in front of you, where it belonged.

 

Where else should she have put it? Why would she have assumed that your child was going to make a grab for the food? And realistically, if your toddler was sitting inches away from you and has a penchant for swiping food off of other people's plates, the same thing could have happened at any time during the meal when you turned your head for a moment.

 

You seem to be getting awfully defensive. You asked for opinions and didn't say JAWM.

[Catwoman]

Why are people so het up about establishing that it was the child's FAULT or the mother's FAULT?

 

None of this matters. It would be standard practice to replace the food. Not only that it makes good business sense to replace the food. Friends for life are hard to come by and this part of the dining industry is declining. They need to make all the friends they can.

I think we can all agree that it would have been nice if the restaurant had offered to replace the food. But Moxie's question was whether or not she should go back and complain about it.

 

That's the point at which "whose fault it was" becomes an issue, because many of us don't believe you're entitled to free food if you were the one who dropped your own food on the floor. In this case, Moxie's child grabbed the fish off her plate and part of it broke off and fell on the floor. It wasn't even an entire piece of fish. Frankly, I don't understand all of this resentment over part of a piece of catfish. :confused:

[Slartibartfast]

I thought she set the plate in front of you, where it belonged.

 

Where else should she have put it? Why would she have assumed that your child was going to make a grab for the food? And realistically, if your toddler was sitting inches away from you and has a penchant for swiping food off of other people's plates, the same thing could have happened at any time during the meal when you turned your head for a moment.

 

You seem to be getting awfully defensive. You asked for opinions and didn't say JAWM.

 

One should *always* assume a  toddler/baby is going to grab a plate. 

 

 

[Moxie]

I thought she set the plate in front of you, where it belonged.

 

Where else should she have put it? Why would she have assumed that your child was going to make a grab for the food? And realistically, if your toddler was sitting inches away from you and has a penchant for swiping food off of other people's plates, the same thing could have happened at any time during the meal when you turned your head for a moment.

 

You seem to be getting awfully defensive. You asked for opinions and didn't say JAWM.

I'm getting a bit defensive because several posters are making it sound like my child was terribly behaved and threw food on the floor. We were in a booth. There were 3 people on each bench so I was at the very edge. My daughter was in a high chair on the end of the table. She and I were sharing table space because we were so close to each other. A plate was put in front of us and she grabbed food. I do not blame my 2yo in the slightest.

[monstermama]

I don't see how it's the 2-year-olds fault.  The waitress should be used to serving families with young children, and should NOT have put the plate in front of OP while she was looking the other way since it was within reach of the child.  I've been to many restaurants with our toddler and many of the waiters/waitresses we have seem to be aware of this... they make sure we are looking and they put it down out of the reach of the child, usually warning us if the plate is hot.  We have had some that are not aware and it drives me nuts.  They start handing out drinks really fast, sitting them right in front of a toddler who is obviously going to try to take it (and spill it).  The ones who are aware and understanding get larger tips (beyond the standard tip amount).

 

You can definitely tell which waitresses/waiters have experience with kids and which don't.  We had a teenager waiter once who set down a strawberry milkshake (in a big heavy glass, no less) directly in front of my 18 month old.  Luckily I was able to grab it in time, but the entire dinner we had to keep reminding him that he needed to hand the plates to us instead of setting them in front of the grabby kid!  If it was something like that - or, it sounds like, putting food near the kid when you're distracted and without waiting until she had your attention - I'd consider the waiter partially responsible.  Maybe I'm overly cautious or it's because my kid is so little, but I like taking a quick glance at my kid's meal before it's put in front of him.  Even if it was the child's own meal, what if they'd gotten the order wrong and it had something the child was allergic to in it?

[Catwoman]

I'm getting a bit defensive because several posters are making it sound like my child was terribly behaved and threw food on the floor. We were in a booth. There were 3 people on each bench so I was at the very edge. My daughter was in a high chair on the end of the table. She and I were sharing table space because we were so close to each other. A plate was put in front of us and she grabbed food. I do not blame my 2yo in the slightest.

I don't "blame" your 2yo, either. I see this as a no-fault accident.

 

I'm not sure why you would assume that the restaurant should be responsible for your 2yo accidentally dropping food on the floor. You seem to be the one placing blame -- on the restaurant.

[Elisabet1]

Tonight, we took the whole family to Texas Roadhouse.  The waitress was wonderful.  We spent $65 on food (including 4 kids meals that were $4 each and probably had 25 cents worth of mac and cheese in them).

 

Here is the issue.  As she was handing me the plates and I was turned to pass them down to the kids, she put my 3 piece fried catfish in front of me.  My 2yo, who was sitting on the other side of me, grabbed a piece of fish to eat but it was large so it broke and most of the piece landed on the floor.  The waitress said, "Uh oh, I'll see if they will let you have another piece".  Then she came back and said, "I asked but they said that because it is so expensive, they can't give you another piece".

Is that a dumb thing to complain about??

I think you should complain. She sat the food down where your 2 yr old could reach, while you were passing out plates that she should have been passing out. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

A "would  you" question naturally gets people to say what they would do.  Some of us would complain, some of us wouldn't.  You didn't specifically ask us to explain why we would or wouldn't but we went the extra mile and told you anyway.  Please use this thread as I think it was intended - to help you make up your mind if you are going to complain or not.  We know you're not going to do the same as all of us would do since that would be impossible!  Once you've made up your mind (as it sounds like you have?) then please don't be upset at the people who would have done the opposite.  

[Catwoman]

I think she is assuming that the restaurant would do what is common practice. Why would you assume they would do otherwise?

 

The accusations of entitlement and parenting problems and naughty two yr olds aside, the normal response would be X and so when that doesn't happen it leaves people confused.

Perhaps it is not "common practice" for that particular restaurant chain. I'm not sure why people are assuming that all restaurants replace food that a customer drops on the floor.

 

And we're talking about a partial piece of catfish here, not a thousand-dollar bottle of wine. The level of emotion seems a bit over the top to me. I don't think most people would have given it a second thought, let alone remained upset about it after the fact.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I really appreciated the PP's who have worked in restaurants telling us about how fish portions are packaged.  I found that to be informative and to help put things into perspective.  

[Guest]

I think you should complain. She sat the food down where your 2 yr old could reach, while you were passing out plates that she should have been passing out. 

 

Right.  Had OP been looking and still allowed toddler to grab food, it would have been OP's fault.  However, she was doing waitresses job and passing plates down.  Waitress, at the very least, should have waited until OP was done handing out the plates to give her the other plate.

[Catwoman]

I really appreciated the PP's who have worked in restaurants telling us about how fish portions are packaged. I found that to be informative and to help put things into perspective.

Same here.

 

I have never worked in a restaurant, so I had no idea about how portions were pre-packaged.

[Moxie]

I really appreciated the PP's who have worked in restaurants telling us about how fish portions are packaged. I found that to be informative and to help put things into perspective.

I wonder if it applies here though. They sell 3 piece meals and 4 piece meals.

[Mom in High Heels]

Sorry to derail, but how do you stand it?!? That is so adorable, mispronunciation and all!

 

It is ridiculously adorable.  There are days when we absolutely cannot stand it.  The amount of laughter and "awwwww....ing" that goes on my house sometimes borders on insane.  Even Indy is in on it.   "Aw, Mom, did you hear that?  He's so cute!"

 

Most restaurant managers would replace that fish without a second thought.

 

Most managers would.  And they would also speak to the table.  Since neither happened, she probably spoke to a cook, not a manager.  

 

Yeah, it sounds to me like she didn't talk to the manager at all.  

 

OP, I didn't get the impression that anyone is blaming your 2yo, jut making a statement that the 2yo dropped it, which isn't really the servers fault.  If you two were sharing a space at the end of the table, I'm not sure where else the server was supposed to put it.  Please don't feel like we're piling on you.  You asked what we would do, and we're answering with the info we have.

[marbel]

I think you should complain. She sat the food down where your 2 yr old could reach, while you were passing out plates that she should have been passing out. 

 

I thought the seating was in long rows and the server could not necessarily reach everyone on the far end of the row - hence the passing of plates?

[Guest]

I thought the seating was in long rows and the server could not necessarily reach everyone on the far end of the row - hence the passing of plates?

 

If that is the case, the waitress should have waited until she was finished passing the rest of the plates down, and was able to deal with her own plate, before she placed a plate of food in front of a toddler. 

[KungFuPanda]

One should *always* assume a  toddler/baby is going to grab a plate.

 

Call me nuts for picturing the scene, but I'm visual like that. Now it seems like 7 people were eating for $65. That's pretty awesome in my book. 3 people on each bench plus a toddler on the end should be 7. Right? So, if the 2-3 adults/big people at the table, who KNOW this toddler, couldn't predict this behavior or react quickly enough to stop it, how on earth would a young, childless waitress foresee the possibility?

 

When I had one child, I served her meals on corelle saucers. It was never a problem. I tried to serve my daughter's friend the same way one day, and the other mother intercepted that plate SO fast and questioned my sanity. I only served toddlers plastic plates after that. It was a learning experience for me. I'll bet this waitress learned something. However, if anyone should have anticipated this scenario it was the big people traveling with that baby.

[marbel]

If that is the case, the waitress should have waited until she was finished passing the rest of the plates down, and was able to deal with her own plate, before she placed a plate of food in front of a toddler. 

 

Well, sure, if that's the case; I was just responding to someone saying that the waitress should have been passing the plates and trying to figure it out since someone else had said the waitress couldn't put down the plates because of the long benches.  

[skimomma]

I could not complain just because I would not think it was a big enough deal.

 

But, I have worked as a server in many restaurants, high and low end, and have never once been trained on how to handle serving to children.  Most of it is common sense, but I would never assume that servers have protocol for handing out food near small children.  About half of the places I worked at would not have replaced the fish.  If I felt it was necessary, I would have had to pay for it.  As a server in this specific situation, I would have replaced it myself if the manager did not OK it and the customer seemed to expect it. In one waitressing incident, I had to figure out how to handle droplets of sour cream that had spattered on about 12 people.....after I tripped over a roaming toddler and dropped a HUGE tray of food (also falling myself).  The plates hit the floor and the little sour cream containers somehow exploded and rained down all over four tables.  I had to replace food at some of the tables, the entire tray that was dropped, and I got no tips because people got it in their hair and clothing.  The toddler was fine.  The parents were irate and complained to the manager about how I could have "killed their little boy."  I was publicly reprimanded by the manager in front of all involved.  I quit that night.  AND insisted my own kid stay in her seat at all times when at restaurants.  So, a dropped piece of fish seems like a pretty easy thing to have fixed to me:)

[Guest]

Call me nuts for picturing the scene, but I'm visual like that. Now it seems like 7 people were eating for $65. That's pretty awesome in my book. 3 people on each bench plus a toddler on the end should be 7. Right? So, if the 2-3 adults/big people at the table, who KNOW this toddler, couldn't predict this behavior or react quickly enough to stop it, how on earth would a young, childless waitress foresee the possibility?

 

When I had one child, I served her meals on corelle saucers. It was never a problem. I tried to serve my daughter's friend the same way one day, and the other mother intercepted that plate SO fast and questioned my sanity. I only served toddlers plastic plates after that. It was a learning experience for me. I'll bet this waitress learned something. However, if anyone should have anticipated this scenario it was the big people traveling with that baby.

 

We expect that our toddler will grab everything in front of him.  I just get really annoyed when we are quickly grabbing things away while the waiter/waitress continues sitting things in front of the toddler.  Luckily, that rarely happens, but if I was handing out plates being handed to me, and the waitress put more in front of our toddler (when it was obvious I was trying to move things away from our toddler), well... duh, waitress... I'd be wondering if she wasn't very bright at that point.  Anyone who waits on tables will see (after serving a couple of families with toddlers) that it's not wise to sit stuff in front of said toddler.  I guess she could have been new?

[katilac]

What if he was allergic to something in the burger he didn't order?  Just a thought (our oldest two had life-threatening food allergies).

 

Personally, I would never place my life in someone else's hands for a restaurant meal! If I could eat out fairly safely as long as I don't eat a huge amount of the wrong food item, I would at least be alerting the staff upon ordering and then double-checking when my order arrived.

 

This used to drive me crazy many moons ago, when I worked in fast food as a teen-ager. People would ask us to double-check that we filled their drinks with diet and not regular. It was no problem for me to look twice at the dispenser, of course, but some people would ask again and again, "Are you SURE? Because regular coke could kill me." 

 

Well, I'm sure that I looked twice at the dispenser. I'm not sure that someone didn't put the wrong bag in here, or mark the bag wrong at the distributor, or criss-cross the tubings, so if it's going to kill you, maybe have some water instead, lol? We're all 16 here, buddy, don't place your life in our hands. 

 

Anyway, point being, surely people with life-threatening allergies are going to at least alert someone and double-check their order? 

[Sunshine72]

I wouldn't complain and I wouldn't expect the restaurant to give me another piece of fish.

[Guest]

Personally, I would never place my life in someone else's hands for a restaurant meal! If I could eat out fairly safely as long as I don't eat a huge amount of the wrong food item, I would at least be alerting the staff upon ordering and then double-checking when my order arrived.

 

This used to drive me crazy many moons ago, when I worked in fast food as a teen-ager. People would ask us to double-check that we filled their drinks with diet and not regular. It was no problem for me to look twice at the dispenser, of course, but some people would ask again and again, "Are you SURE? Because regular coke could kill me." 

 

Well, I'm sure that I looked twice at the dispenser. I'm not sure that someone didn't put the wrong bag in here, or mark the bag wrong at the distributor, or criss-cross the tubings, so if it's going to kill you, maybe have some water instead, lol? We're all 16 here, buddy, don't place your life in our hands. 

 

Anyway, point being, surely people with life-threatening allergies are going to at least alert someone and double-check their order? 

 

I hear ya.  We didn't eat out much back then.  When we did, we only ate at places that were good at serving people with allergies, alerted everyone, etc.  Still, though... it almost caused a panic attack hearing the guy ate the wrong food unknowingly.  

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I wouldn't complain or expect a free replacement.

 

It's been a few years but I distinctly remember holding babies or toddlers' arms down with one arm while helping other children receive their food in restaurants. It's Mom's job to restrain baby, not waitstaff's job to make sure baby can't reach anything. (If she'd placed a burning-hot plate in front of the toddler, that would be different, IMO.)

If the waitress was frisbee'ing plates toward Mom to hand out faster than Mom could do it WHILE having baby be the #1 priority, Mom could just say, "Please wait, I've got my hands full here." Because the baby or toddler is the #1 priority, not the service of the plates.

This all happens very fast and I'm not saying I blame the adults for not being as OCD about these things as I always was. Accidents happen, too. But I do believe that a child knocking things around on the table falls under the parents' bailiwick.

[Catwoman]

We expect that our toddler will grab everything in front of him. I just get really annoyed when we are quickly grabbing things away while the waiter/waitress continues sitting things in front of the toddler. Luckily, that rarely happens, but if I was handing out plates being handed to me, and the waitress put more in front of our toddler (when it was obvious I was trying to move things away from our toddler), well... duh, waitress... I'd be wondering if she wasn't very bright at that point. Anyone who waits on tables will see (after serving a couple of families with toddlers) that it's not wise to sit stuff in front of said toddler. I guess she could have been new?

But it sounds like the waitress put the plate exactly where it belonged -- in front of Moxie. If the toddler could reach it, that really wasn't her concern. She placed the food in front of the person who ordered it. Where else was she supposed to put it?

 

Honestly, it sounds like the main problem here was that the family needed a bigger booth! :)

[KRG]

I'm still wondering why everyone thinks that everyone else should know that a 2 year old is going to grab(food off a plate).  Yes, we all do because we are all parents but someone that does not have small children or is not around kids all day,every day just may not realize how fast they are.  Also TX Roadhouse seems to be a pretty fast placed restaurant.  I don't expect a whole lot of personal attention from the wait staff there.

[Lady Florida.]

I would have spoken to a manager at the time, but once I left I'd be inclined to drop it. FTR, I've done things like that - asked myself why I didn't speak up when I should have. 

 

 

I find it funny that catfish is expensive, really? Since when?

 

Also, this. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that.

[Guest]

But it sounds like the waitress put the plate exactly where it belonged -- in front of Moxie. If the toddler could reach it, that really wasn't her concern. She placed the food in front of the person who ordered it. Where else was she supposed to put it?

 

Honestly, it sounds like the main problem here was that the family needed a bigger booth! :)

 

True, they probably did need a larger booth.  We've been crammed into tables where our toddler (at the end of the table) is sharing our space to eat and our plates are easily accessible during the entire meal.  It's fine if I am looking.  I just understand that the OP was looking the other way while her hands were full of plates... the waitress should have been able to see that, IMO, but maybe I've been spoiled with good waiters/waitresses!  Ours usually can tell we are trying to keep stuff away from the baby and they are trying as well.

[Guest]

I'm still wondering why everyone thinks that everyone else should know that a 2 year old is going to grab(food off a plate).  Yes, we all do because we are all parents but someone that does not have small children or is not around kids all day,every day just may not realize how fast they are.  Also TX Roadhouse seems to be a pretty fast placed restaurant.  I don't expect a whole lot of personal attention from the wait staff there.

 

It's a service issue to me.  The waitress is supposed to help make the dining experience enjoyable and they should know that babies/toddlers do this after waiting a few tables.  Unless she was brand new, I don't see how the thought never occurred to her.  Maybe she just isn't very observant?  Maybe I'm used to different types of restaurants where the staff cares more?  I don't know.

 

ETA:  I hope that doesn't sound snobby.  I didn't mean it that way.  It's just since it's so expensive to go out to eat, I'm pretty picky when we do.  I'd rather pay a little bit more for better food and service.

[Guest]

Just wanted to add that I probably wouldn't have complained when they didn't replace the dropped food, but I certainly wouldn't go back in the future.  We are a family of six and it's expensive to eat out (especially the restaurants we seem to choose).  In the future, we would just eat at the places we knew had better service.  

 

If I did complain, it would be to the customer service number... not the actual restaurant.  

[Slartibartfast]

Call me nuts for picturing the scene, but I'm visual like that. Now it seems like 7 people were eating for $65. That's pretty awesome in my book. 3 people on each bench plus a toddler on the end should be 7. Right? So, if the 2-3 adults/big people at the table, who KNOW this toddler, couldn't predict this behavior or react quickly enough to stop it, how on earth would a young, childless waitress foresee the possibility?

 

When I had one child, I served her meals on corelle saucers. It was never a problem. I tried to serve my daughter's friend the same way one day, and the other mother intercepted that plate SO fast and questioned my sanity. I only served toddlers plastic plates after that. It was a learning experience for me. I'll bet this waitress learned something. However, if anyone should have anticipated this scenario it was the big people traveling with that baby.

 

 

I waited tables, they would say not to place a plate near a baby/toddler. I worked in a Tex-Mex restaurant. The plates were always hot and the fajita plates would have caused a burn. I know because I did get burned by one of them.

 

When they train waitstaff they should tell them. That is why I said it was a training issue. Waitstaff usually spend *at least* a week in training.

 

I wouldn't complain or ask for a replacement but I would make them aware that I considered this to be a problem. What if it was hot chili?

[Anne in CA]

What if he was allergic to something in the burger he didn't order?  Just a thought (our oldest two had life-threatening food allergies).

It was a different size, not actually different. It was 1/4 lb smaller than the one he ordered, and I changed his bill to reflect that, lol. 

[Sunshine72]

I thnk I'm confusing two different posters. Never mind :)

[Mrs Mungo]

 

I would have spoken to a manager at the time, but once I left I'd be inclined to drop it. FTR, I've done things like that - asked myself why I didn't speak up when I should have.

 

I tend to agree with this. I would have spoken up at the time or dropped it.

 

I wouldn't complain or ask for a replacement but I would make them aware that I considered this to be a problem. What if it was hot chili?

I do think this makes sense too though. If they are sticking families in long booths and expect them to pass plates down, then the waitstaff may need to slow down and give the parents time to do that.

[wintermom]

I'm wondering why the toddler didn't burn his hand on the fish? That would have been an appropriate consequence, and mom can either have all the fish or one piece less - I really don't care. I wouldn't complain if the restaurant didn't give me another piece of fish. I'd be pleasantly surprised if they did, but I wouldn't expect it.

[cottonmama]

I would not complain.  No restaurant has an obligation to give someone more than they paid for.  It would have been nice for them to have offered to cook another one and charge you for it.  And I will say, it's a bit tacky to say that they wouldn't do it because it was too expensive.  But not complain-about-it tacky, to me at least.  

 

That said, they are competing with restaurants that will replace food that is dropped on the floor.  But they can make up for that with the rest of the restaurant experience.  It's their call, IMO.

[kiwik]

I'm a NZ'er we don't complain we just bitch in a passive agressive fashion.

[Catwoman]

Am I the only one waiting for Moxie to update us and tell us what she decided to do?

[Forget-Me-Not]

And this is the issue here.  Servers should know not to do this.  What if the child had been burned?  This is bad practice period.  These long tables are awful for passing food.  She should have served the kids first.

I agree. And I do think the server was at fault here. I've had plenty of clueless waiters set things down in front of my babies/toddlers that were ridiculous. Drinks, cutlery, bowls of salad. I've probably told this story here before, but when my oldest was about 18 mos, a waitress set a dish with a dollop of hot Chinese mustard right in front of him. Before I could stop him, he grabbed a spoon and took a bite of it.

 

It wasn't that Moxie wasn't watching her kid. It's that she set a plate down in front of the kid *while* Moxie was distracted by passing plates down the table. I think that's an important distinction.

 

And yes, I would have complained, even gone up the managerial chain, at the time I was there. But since you're home now, I would definitely write and complain. This is a staff training issue that involves safety. If that baby had spilled, say, hot soup in her lap, she could have been badly burned.

[Faithful_Steward]

A server should never hand a diner a plate. Never. She should have served the inside diners on one side of the table, inside diners on the other side, the two outside diners, and baby last.

 

Yes, it is reasonable to email the company.

[Catwoman]

A server should never hand a diner a plate. Never. She should have served the inside diners on one side of the table, inside diners on the other side, the two outside diners, and baby last.

 

Yes, it is reasonable to email the company.

I'm sorry, but in many booth set-ups, it simply is not possible to serve the customers in the manner you suggest.

[Faithful_Steward]

I'm sorry, but in many booth set-ups, it simply is not possible to serve the customers in the manner you suggest.

If they were as crammed in the booth as the op suggests, then the booth was certainly small enough to serve them correctly. ;)

[Catwoman]

If they were as crammed in the booth as the op suggests, then the booth was certainly small enough to serve them correctly. ;)

If that was the case, Moxie shouldn't have helped pass the plates down the table.

[Moxie]

I'm wondering why the toddler didn't burn his hand on the fish? That would have been an appropriate consequence, and mom can either have all the fish or one piece less - I really don't care. I wouldn't complain if the restaurant didn't give me another piece of fish. I'd be pleasantly surprised if they did, but I wouldn't expect it.

Wait, are you saying that it is too bad that the fish wasn't hotter so my baby would learn a lesson?? I hope I'm reading your post wrong.

 

What will I do? Nothing. But, next time we go out, I'll pick a different place.

[Catwoman]

What will I do? Nothing. But, next time we go out, I'll pick a different place.

I think that's a good idea, unless you really like the food at that particular place, in which case I would give them a second chance. It sounds like your waitress was very nice, and the chance of a similar mishap occurring next time is pretty slim. It would be different if someone had gotten sick from the food or something.

[Unicorn.]

To the OP, no I wouldn't complain.  It's not the restaurant's fault.  If they had replaced it, that would have been nice.  Heck, if they'd offered, I probably would have told them I appreciated it, but it wasn't necessary.  Also, catfish is expensive?  Isn't that like the most common fish ever?

 

 

I had to laugh here, because one of Han Solo's (3) favorite words is 'scrumptious.'  I have no idea why, but he uses it all the time in reference to food, although he pronounces it 'cwumptious.'  "Mmm...smells cwupmtious."  "Mommy dat stwawbewy was cwuptious."  "Oh, dat looks cwumptious."  I have no idea where he got it, but at least he uses it correctly.  He also uses 'delicious,' but pronounces it 'alicious.'  One day he used the word 'delightful' when he was eating something and I laughed so hard.  He took a bite of whatever we were having, looked over at me and said, "Mmm, delightful!"  So freaking funny.  He actually won't take food off anyone's plate, but if we're out and there are fries on the table (like a big serving for everyone), all bets are off.  He's got fries in his mouth and in both hands.  Kid has a thing for fries.  

 

Has Hans Solo ever watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?  I now have the words "Truly scrumptious" running through my head.  :D

 

And this is the issue here.  Servers should know not to do this.  What if the child had been burned?  This is bad practice period.  These long tables are awful for passing food.  She should have served the kids first.

 

Yepi, this is a server issue.  I wouldn't complain, but maybe in the moment, might have let the waitress know of the dangers of putting a plate of hot food that close to a toddler, when mom wasn't able to pay attention.