Kids meal overcharge -- IHOP-4492

It should be posted on the menu if there are any restrictions or price
difference. It's the same with Senior menus in some places. You get
less food at a lower price but people under a certain age are not
allowed to order off that menu.

Okay, so let me get this straight. You and your wife went into IHOP
for a cup of coffee and you didn't realize you weren't hungry until
AFTER you looked at the menu? What difference would it have made if
your waitress had told you about the $1.00 per person charge? The menu
already told you "Kids 12 and under" and look at how well you listened
to that. Was the coffee included with the kids meal...I'm just
curious. May-be next time get a cup of coffee from your kitchen or
local quick stop shop.

Kids meals are usually priced with little to no profit made, so
parents can afford to eat out with children.

Our menu says for children under 10, drink included.

If an adult orders a kid meal - they are charged for their drink.

Simple, easy, no "hidden" charges

I think they should have notified you of the charge or charged you
what was listed. The age requirement is really not enforcable. If you
ordered it for a 14 year old, what would they do, check her ID? ...or
say you had a 6 year old with you, but the 6 year old ate a "regular"
meal and you ate a "child's" meal? Then what?

I order off the kid's menu, in some cases, too. In my case, it's
usually because it's something meatless that they don't have on the
"adult's" menu. I don't care about service charges, but I do think
it's pretty stupid to have a menu restricted to any particular age
group. Some places actually have a "senior" menu, too.

If you can make it for a child or a senior, you can make it for me.
Stupid rules are rules that need to be changed.

Unless it states on the menu that there is an upcharge for adults,
there shouldn't have been one.

For everyone else, there are a variety of reasons adults would need
(noticed the word "need" not "want") to order from the childrens menu.
Anyone who's had stomach surgery for one. I have a relative who
can't eat much more than a child portion.
And since it is a childs portion the cost should be relative to the
portion and shouldn't matter the age of the human consuming it.

What's the problem with adults ordering off the kid's menu? It's not
like there's a limited supply and there are hollow-cheeked children
staring at their empty plates at the IHOP.

I order from the kid's menu more often than not. Sometimes there's a
fee, sometimes not. I do it because it's an actual reasonable amount
of food for an adult. The average restaurant portion sizes are 2-4
times larger than they should be. Some people are actually satisfied
with 2 chicken tenders and one serving of fries as opposed to six
tenders and three servings of fries. What's the problem? The only
issue here is that the waitress should have mentioned the fee since it
was not printed on the menu. The OP isn't entitled to any refund, but
he doesn't deserve to be belittled for wanting smaller portions.

::shakes my head::

It clearly states ON THE MENU "for ages such to such" and THAT is why
you got charged, because your older, and supposedly smarter then
someone that orders of a kids menu.

Regardless of how people may feel about adults ordering off the
children's menu, the restuarant allowed these patrons to do so. The
restaurant easily could have refused the order. If there was an
extra, unlisted chanrge for an adult to order a child's entre, then
the waitress should have stated so at the time it was ordered.

This OP questioned the charge at the time he paid, but was told it was
the store manager's own policy. Sure, it may have been a better idea
to have asked to speak with the manager, but does anyone REALLY think
the manager was going to violate his/her own policy?

I think the guy is entitled to his $2 back.

The IHOP menu is posted at their web site
(http://www.ihop.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Item
id=2).

It clearly says "Just for Kids" and "12 and Under."

What part of these two phrases don't you understand?

The waitress should have told you that the kid's menu was not for
grown-ups, yes.

Consider the $2 a tiny fee for you not having to actually read and
comprehend the words "Just for Kids" and "12 and Under."

The whole thing apparently.

You were trying to be cheap by ordering off the kids menu instead of
buying a regularly priced meal. You got caught, deal with it.

It begins with a simple letter to Target asking a question about the
Salvation Army, a letter which generated 122 responses, mostly
negative. Had I known what I know now, I would have just written a
letter and dropped it in the mail.

This site provides a good service and an easy way to contact
companies, but it has probably migrated into a statistic gathering
device instead of the "voice it was intended to be.

I admit I got wrapped up in the game as well; I couldn't wait to
"hammer" a letter writer or comment on a post. My level of
one-upmanship grew to an embarrassing level.

I started writing letters with good content, but crafted them in such
a way that they were sure to cause controversy, and it worked for a
while. Not only was it fun, but it was a bit therapeutic.

Suddenly, I am banished and no one wants to post to my letters, this
only gives me cause to post to other letters, and I post some
doozies.

I have been referred to as a slack jaw, a yokel, a bumpkin, an idiot,
an a-hole, etc.... Most of this was directed at the name I created,
but a lot was probably personal attacks. I am amazed at the level of
hatred generated by simple letters.

I have one suggestion. When a OP is creating a letter, he/she should
be queried about their interaction with the manager. I can't start to
count the number of responses that begin with "did you speak to a
manager?"

I find that I am spending way to much time on this site; I am not
leaving, but I am no longer going to fill this site with my writings,
it just isn't worth it any longer.

I do wish you all well and urge you to examine your personal post over
the past month or so and ask yourself "am I being helpful or
spiteful?"

For the record, I posted on 57% complaints, 35% compliments, and 8%
questions; 23 letters with only 2 responses. One from Dominoes and one
from Target; I recommend you patronize these stores.

For all of you that think I am an uneducated hick; I have a college
degree, as does my wife, I have made life/death decisions throughout
my career, in 2005 & 2006 I made 36 platelet donations to a blood
donation center, look up platelet donation on google to see what a
huge commitment this was. I honestly feel as though my platelets saved
lives. I don't let my kids kill anything they aren't prepared to eat,
I believe every living creature has a right to live until it is ready
to enter the food chain. Yes, I catch bugs in my house, but I always
take them outside and let them go.

I have one more letter to write, then I am going to make cameo
appearances, not the daily barrage I am known for.

Clete

I hate when grown people order off the kids menu. It's so tacky. They
have side items. Or share a regular meal.

I agree the waitress should have said something when you ordered from
the kids menu. But there are other ways of eating less food -- my bf
and I frequently split meals. One would order an entree, the other
would order an appetizer or salad, and we'd split it.

The key is, if you had been told about the $1/person upcharge, would
you have gone ahead and ordered off the kids menu? If so, you need to
drop your complaint about the $2 and move on to something better.

You and your husband are obviously over the age of 12, the kids menu
is only for 12 and under. If you are only going to eat a little, then
order one meal and share. I have seen it done many times and there
are no problem. Maybe the manager is having trouble with grown adults
buying off the kids menu. I could go and ask my manager of the IHOP
around here and ask if he needs to get the approval of the head office
before adding on any extra charge.

Like others suggested, I would have expressed my disapproval right
when I saw the bill. They may have tacked it on as a service fee for
making the exception with you not being children and eating off the
children't menu which states that it is only for children.

Then you need to speak with the manager. What did he/she say when you
brought it up with them?

And I believe you shouldn't penalize the waiter/waitress because of
something they can't control and doing so is childish. So I'm glad the
OP paid the $2 and is asking for it back from an appropriate source.

I still don't believe the OP should get it back as it's understandable
why it's in place, but it should have been better communicated.

How old are you and your wife? The IHOP menu clearly states that the
Just for Kids menu items are for "12 and under". You are owed
nothing.

Just do what I do when I get overcharged at a restaurant, take it out
of the server's tip. You end up with a correct amount and the server
learns to serve better.

Clete