AITA for refusing to pay at a restaurant that was false advertising?

A Reddit user shared a heated dining experience at a fancy new restaurant that left both his wallet and stomach feeling light. After discovering the “entrees” were tiny portions with gourmet pricing, he refused to pay, sparking tension with his girlfriend and the restaurant staff. While he felt justified at the moment, doubts crept in afterward. Was his reaction too extreme? Read the original story below to decide for yourself.

‘ AITA for refusing to pay at a restaurant that was false advertising?’

So my girlfriend (her 27 me 28) wants to go to this fancy new restaurant in the city that she’s heard good things about. We get there and it seems like one of those hipster places but whatever, I’m hungry.

I look at the menu and this place is crazy expensive – like every dish is more than $15-$20 and half the ingredients I’ve never heard of. I order the bison steak ($26) and my girlfriend orders some weird pasta, noki I think ($18). Very important, these were listed as ENTREES on the menu. Mind you with drinks plus tip this is going to come out to over $60 which is already ridiculous for dinner for two people.

So anyway we order as we are starving. My steak arrives and I am shocked, it’s like 6 small pieces of sliced steak with some weird sauce on the side and a small handful of salad. I joke to the waiter “where’s the rest of my steak?” and he explains they serve smaller portions at this restaurant because they focus on getting the highest quality ingredients.

I don’t care if this bison was blessed by the pope himself it’s absurd to charge that much for such a small bit of steak, it’s highway robbery. When I go to restaurants I expect an entree to fill me up and be enough for leftovers.

I’m complaining to my girlfriend and she’s getting annoyed with me. Similar situation with her pasta it was like maybe 12 pieces of noki dressed up with some frou frou b**lshit. Granted the food was pretty good but I can not get over how tiny these portions are. I’m a big guy and I like to eat, what can I say.

When the waiter comes back I inform him we will not be paying for our meal, and that they are falsely advertising entrees that barely qualify as a light snack. My girlfriend is begging me to stop but that’s where we’re different, I don’t let businesses push me around and rip me off.

A manager comes and apologizes but asks us to leave. I don’t end up paying as they realized I called them out on their b**lshit. My girlfriend is silent the entire time on the way back. Im still hungry so I drive through McDonald’s and get a burger, and when I did that she asked to be dropped off at her place.

It’s now the next day and I’m starting to think I didn’t handle the situation as well as I could have (I could have probably just asked for a discount). My girlfriend hasn’t responded to my texts so now I’m starting to think I’m an a**hole.. Am I the a**hole?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

dog_show_judge −  Those prices are not even expensive… It seems you are not suited to fine dining.. YTA. ​

EDIT: What makes you think you even deserve a discount?

GoauldofWar −  YTA for not knowing what false advertising is. Also for not knowing how the food at a fancy restaurant is going to be prepared. Also for thinking the restaurant was pushing you around, they weren’t. You accomplished nothing except a dine and dash and making yourself look like a giant ass in front of your girlfriend.. Good job big guy.

SantaPachaMama −  Well you ATE the whole thing. You should have stood up the moment you saw that dish come out and make the complaint. If you ate it? you pay for it .. YTA 100 times. Eternally.

Nuggetfeatures −  YTA. It’s gnocchi for God’s sake.

[Reddit User] −  YTA Stick to McDonald’s bud.

boogsiemalone −  So you ate the food then refused to pay? YTA. Your girlfriend must have been so embarrassed. Next time don’t consume the food then refuse to pay.

inevitablegirlie −  YTA. Nice restaurants frequently serve relatively small portions. It’s annoying, but it’s certainly not false advertising, and refusing to pay (or for that matter asking for a discount) is ridiculous.

You’re not being pushed around. You’re make false assumptions and blaming everyone around you for it. I would have been incredibly embarrassed to be around you for this.

ext2523 −  YTA. A manager comes and apologizes but asks us to leave. I don’t end up paying as they realized I called them out on their b**lshit. It wasn’t false advertising and they didn’t realize anything. They just didn’t want to deal you anymore. If you wanted a big steak from an fancy restaurant, it’s like $50.

Ruple −  YTA. This situation is ripped straight from a sitcom. Cartoonishly cheap guy walks into a restaurant slightly fancier / more expensive than the average Cracker Barrel, hilarity ensues.

If you’re not trolling: you ruined a fine dining experience for your girlfriend and caused a ruckus for the servers at the restaurant. EDIT: And then you took your girlfriend to a MCDONALDS DRIVE THROUGH.

sasberrie −  When I go to restaurants I expect an entree to fill me up and be enough for leftovers.. You sound… American.

Do you think the Redditor was right to stand his ground over portion sizes, or did he take things too far by refusing to pay? How would you handle a situation where a restaurant’s offerings don’t meet your expectations? Share your thoughts below!