i hate the singing, but i love the free birthday treats.

It's alright. The singing kinda makes me uncomfortable, lol. Free food is nice, though.

I think it's awesome, except for some reason when I'm out with my cheap friends I'm always the one chosen to have the fake birthday! And it's not like I really have a choice in the matter, they just suddenly say "and it's her birthday" to the server. Cheap asses.

fake birthday? really?

i think it's fun and since you usually bring extra people to the restaurant for birthday's it seems appropriate.

what kinda question is this!?!

I recognize that birthday plate from Citizen Cake... am I right, Yum? If so, they really do a delicious and elegant job.

Haha, and I've totally "birthdayed" people.

I love it, the singing is the embarrassing part!

X the singing! it's so embarassing

onion waffle - I recognized it from Gary Danko!!! They give you these little treat with your check, even if you'd already ordered a dessert.

no singing, but free dessert is good!

Ok, my answer would be the opposite of the 2nd choice.

Since when do places like crapplebees give away anything for free? Do you mean when they sing?

I think its actually less tacky when nicer places do it.

juliex0x0 - you're right, it was danko! they just personalized the treats and stuck a candle in it.

I asked this question because i have a friend who hates it when anyone makes a deal out of her birthday and doesn't like getting the attention/free treats. To me, I think, free treats, why not?!

I like the treats, hate the singing, because they always seem like they seriously dont have the time for it and your just another faceless piggy eating the food they serve.

Love the treats. Hate the singing.

They didn't sing because this plate is given to everyone - sans, the birthday message. I like the simple whisper of "oh yeah, and happy birthday" of it. Those things make me smile more than any big event they make out of it.

Personally, I think the singing is obnoxious. It interrupts the meal I'M having if I'm anywhere close to the birthday embarrassee.

As long as they don't sing, it's fine. I love dessert, so if it's free, even better.

We always go to the same Japanese Steakhouse,but this night we had like the whole table for ourselves with our friends and kids. we were joking with the waiter and we said that it was my birthday,he knew that we were joking but he still got the cake and icecream,candles,took a picture of us. Then I told him that I wanted the cake and icecream leftovers on a box..he mixed them with soy sauce,we had a blast.

I'll gladly accept the dessert but I do not want a lot of attention put on me. I hate attention. And I would actually prefer it from a more upscale place.

I hate the singing. I like the idea of a free dessert but I'll never admit that it's my birthday because I don't want to be embarrassed like that on my birthday. heh.

why would I turn down free cake and ice cream? LOVE free birthday treats at restaurants

p.s. minus the clapping and singing

I love it At our fav Japanese place they do a pinapple boat ice cream thingy

love free desserts but hate the singing..

love the treats...not a fan of singing...but really birthdays are all about fun...!!! so if there's singing involved so be it!

i like it - i just HATE being sung to.

what i really dislike though is that i took my boyfriend out for his birthday and the restaurant said that they gave a free birthday dessert and i looked at the bill and they charged us $60+ for the cake...um...had i known that i wouldn't have done it - since they said FREE -

at Moxies they bring you a free brownie with a sparkler in it:P but they arent allowed to sing. i like it better that way, not so embarassing:)

I think it's fantastic...as long as there is no singing. It's always nice to feel special on your birthday, and something small like this can really make your day when you start getting old enough that people don't make a big deal out of it anymore.

I'm completely for it. The annoying singing and clapping thing is an awful thing I could do without, too. That's fine for the kids but for adults I just think of how not fun it is for the waiters/servers and how it can sometimes show in their demeanor.

I think it's fun. Hey, I only get one day a year that's all mine, so I'll celebrate it anyway I can get it.

Love it but hate the singing part because it makes me feel uncomfortable.

I definitely think it's a nice gesture on behalf of the restaurant but I've never called out on the option. I can't stand the singing and having everyone stare at me!

I love it when its done for others but not so much when it's done for me. Plus, I hate the sing at those chain restaurants. When my older nephew turned 21 I took him to Gordon Biersch Brewery/Restaurant and they gave him a free 1/2 liter for his birthday then other patrons starting sending him different beers. ales and lagers as gifts.

It was very sweet of them - he turned down the free desert because I had a cake at home for him.

The previous birthday he got a free little kid's sundae at a restaurant and the waitress asked him if he wanted her to sing or to give him a kiss. We all said "kiss" and he started to say "sing" then he realized she was attractive so he opted for the kiss on the cheek and a hug. Despite our prodding he did not get the waitresses phone number. We noticed she didn't make the "kiss" offer to other guys having their birthdays at the restaurant.

So can we petition these restaurants to stop singing like we're petitioning Urban Decay to stop making that dumb Primer Potion Bottle??? (cause you know those servers don't want to do it either...) Sounds like we all like the free stuff w/o the embarrassment.

You gotta be careful about birthday treats sometimes. My friends took me to lunch at Applebee's last year for my birthday and we got charged for the treat. Had I known that was going to happen, I could've went without the singing and dessert.

I am horribly shy by nature, and it embarrasses me no end when restaurants do the singing thing. A discreet "Happy Birthday" would make me much happier.

No because I wont eat it - unless they serve me my entree (if I loved it) over again - but I don't do sweets/desert/fruit/anything of that nature: so my dining companion(s) would have to eat it for me and that would be a tiny bit awkward

agreed...free food and dessert especially is always good, but please no singing!

I love it!

free food is ALWAYS good. free dessert is even better!

but nobody has to sing...i think it'd just be best if we left that part alone.

I think it's tacky when the restaurant does it (like Crap-plebees, Red Robin, etc. - then again, it's not exactly fine dining is it?), but I think it's really sweet if my friend has arranged something with the restaurant before, like a candle in one of their cake slices, etc. which happened at my last birthday.

I agree with Yum. Free treats? I'm in!

I love it

just the dessert please!

singing is not only embarsssing for the birthday gal/guy, but also for the restaurant staff!

I'm all for the dessert, but nix the singing. It always seems so forced and to me that doesn't really say happy birthday.

Personally, I like the singing! But I also love making a big deal about my birthday

I have noticed, though, that a lot of places do charge you for the b-day treat without telling you before hand. Sneaky little bastards

i HATE the singing but i love a free dessert lol something like that above is perfect!

i work at a restaurant and singing is the WORST. the birthday boy (or girl) might feel embarrassed, but imagine actually being the one singing and shaking a tambourine while all your tables watch. not only that, but it takes away from the time we could be attending to our tables...plus i work in an upscale restaurant so many customers tend to get annoyed from it...i think the free dessert thing is great, but singing has got to go.