Do You Like It When Restaurants Give Birthday Treats?

March 17, 2008

YumJimmy took me out for a fancy-pants dinner on my birthday, and I was surprised to see that they brought out a birthday dessert plate at the end of our meal. The place was too upscale for singing — which was okay for me — but it got me wondering, what do you think of special birthday treats from restaurants?

47 Comments

bigsee 5 years 9 weeks

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.

megln1022 5 years 9 weeks

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

Tami715 5 years 9 weeks

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 ;)

milosmommy 5 years 9 weeks

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.

niny 5 years 9 weeks

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

aimeeb 5 years 9 weeks

I love it :)

aoitenshi 5 years 9 weeks

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

bigestivediscuit 5 years 9 weeks

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.

porkypocky 5 years 9 weeks

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.

ayuninur 5 years 9 weeks

I love it!

ladypenguin 5 years 9 weeks

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

Giasbash6260 5 years 9 weeks

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

Rancher'sGirl 5 years 9 weeks

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.

ayanaphil 5 years 9 weeks

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.

hvanness331 5 years 9 weeks

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.

wackdoodle 5 years 9 weeks

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.

randomname12345 5 years 9 weeks

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!

Tabloid 5 years 9 weeks

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

Marci 5 years 9 weeks

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.

EllaDee 5 years 9 weeks

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.

GrapeBubbleGum 5 years 9 weeks

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.

juicylove 5 years 9 weeks

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:)

ilanac13 5 years 9 weeks

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 -