Husband Upset With Wife For Not Being "Karen" At Restaurant That Served Them Spoiled Salsa Twice

"In this economy? I’m not eating or paying for food that took multiple trips to the kitchen to be reheated."

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• August 16, 2024

A 35-year-old was in one of the few situations where asking for the manager would have been appropriate. She chose not to make a scene, and it has become a cold war between her and her husband.

OP and her husband visited a Mexican restaurant they hadn't been to before. OP said he has higher standards with Mexican food than her as he is from Mexico.

His exacting standards were on full display at the new restaurant... and for good reasons. OP said it was clear from the start that the wait staff were novices.

The food was "Americanized," but they still quickly placed their order. OP's husband started to get upset because their food took 30 minutes to reach their table.

They had chips and salsa to tide them over, but the salsa was rancid. The waitress brought them a new bowl of salsa, but it had also gone bad.

OP's food was decent, but her husband's was stone cold. When the waitress returned with her husband's plate still at room temperature, he demanded they leave.

Upset, he paced back and forth and reiterated he wanted to leave. He even refused to share OP's food when she offered it.

He eventually sat down and had the waitress reheat his food another time. He was upset the whole time because OP didn't support him and said it was an insult to pay for food of that quality.

OP said she had never walked out of a restaurant before and felt it was too dramatic to do so. The wait staff addressed their concerns and the food was decent.

Still, she wondered if she should have been more supportive of her husband when he wanted to leave because of the bad service and questionable food.

They advised OP to reflect on why she didn't want to leave the restaurant after a sub-par experience.

OP and her husband need to discuss what to do in the future if they experience a similar issue at another restaurant in the future.

OP explained why she was reluctant to leave the restaurant. She admitted that they should have left when her husband's food arrived cold, but she was preoccupied about calming him down.

It was the perfect moment to ask for the manager, said another Redditor.

Unfortunately, the restaurant didn't have a manager. Just a full house, an overworked kitchen staff, and a lone waitress on her 3rd shift.

Another commenter wondered how OP's husband would react when a "real" problem arrives instead of a cold plate of food.

OP, apparently, told her husband they couldn't be mad about things that were out of their control.

As someone pointed out, they could have left the restaurant around the time of the second spoiled salsa.

OP shouldn't have dismissed her husband's concerns.

They almost ate food that could have made them sick.

OP accepted the verdict that she was the a**hole.

OP owned up to being a people-pleaser. In the process of not wanting to offend the restaurant staff, she risked her and her husband's health and downplayed his valid concerns.

OP and her husband need to talk about handling similar situations in the future. She shouldn't have to behave excellently to offset his temper, and he shouldn't have to risk his health to help OP avoid conflict.

Chelsi