Over/under thirties night out @ Alaturka Taverna

Can't make it either, due to massively increased workload. Was really looking forward to it as well!

2 bad - trop de travail... I'll try to come later. have fun!

Well that was one fun night out! Thanks so much for organizing, Nicky.

A bit of a pity they tried to screw us with the bill at the end, but good we didn't fall for it.

Thanks, Oli. However, apparently one person was seen by another TTer leaving without paying. I know everyone has a few drinks and fun etc. and probably really does realise when it's too late, but it makes it very awkward for the few left at the end. And it also puts me off organising again. (It would be really nice if they would call by the restaurant and pay their bill.)

To be honest, I reckon we brought them a lot more custom than they would have had otherwise and our tips well and truly cover any odd drinks that got forgotten. In any case, it was 'All you can eat' and some eat more than others. I didn't get so much as a thank-you from the owner, just a complaint about the bill! Surely they can write that stuff off anyway???

But all in all, it was fun and thank everyone very much for coming. I'm just a bit disappointed you didn't reveal your dancing skills ...

I really enjoyed it, thanks for organising it. I even caught the S-Bahn home almost straight away. Oh and I definitely paid my bill!

Great night, thanks for all the work organising Nicki. Now you deserve a chill-out

No, the money that is not paid comes out of the pocket of your server. So even if your tips did cover the cost he/she slaved away for you all evening for nothing. I'd be pretty pissed off too.

I was assuming they were just trying to screw us. But if Nicky says there might actually have been someone who "forgot" to pay entirely, then that is bad indeed. I can see someone missing a drink, but missing the bill altogether?!

The place was very decently priced. The buffet for EUR 8.50 was fab, in terms quality, quantity and variety, and you won't find many places that serve a Helles for EUR 2.60. Ah and they had this belly dancer, that insisted I make a fool of myself. At the end I even got 2 free Rakis, one for my coupon and one from Orchidia

Great night out! Thanks for organizing Nicky!
The food was really good and it was nice to see so many people dance.

Sorry to hear that you had troubles with the bill later on. Just to narrow things down: I think I was one of the first who paid.

Def you were the first to be kissed.

A very good evening Nicky. Thank you for organising it, you have a rather good knack at this sort of thing.

Sorry to hear about the bill problem, I do remember paying before leaving.

Fun evening - good food, interesting entertainment. I paid, 18.50 was my total; I left around 22:00. I hope whoever didn't pay remembers and gets back to the restaurant, it's a shame to make them wary of large groups.

Thanks Nicky for organising it It has always been like this when big crowds gathered. I remembered having situations like this in CN too and was always ENCOURAGE to pay my bill first!

@Nicky--since there is a witness yesterday, should'nt we name him or her here (the purpose is not to finger point) but at least for him or her to clarify.

Great companion, Canada,french, Aussies and etc. Very reasonable price for both food quality and portion. The most entertaining part was when oliver did his belly dance and Allerhausen+Codemonkey were blushing (You could even see it with just candle light). Good that i was'nt sitting at the corner hehe.

That wasn't blushing that was the light being reflected off her naked stomach 2cm from my nose!

Thanks Nicky for organising :-)
Just to clarify, the girl sitting next to me (Fabienne) was there with her husband who was sitting in front of her (he paid for both of them.

No names and no accusations to make sure we all stay friends. OK! If someone does actually remember, when sober today, that they didn't pay, it would be great if they did. Otherwise it's forgotten. Yeah, sure the server shouldn't have to forfeit his tips (although he must surely get a salary too, so he's not completely out of pocket), but the restaurant can surely afford to write off a bit of food and a couple of drinks. If we hadn't been there I'm sure half those tables would have been empty - although generally a busy place, now is holiday season.

So thanks again everyone - keep those bellies wobbling - and we'll have to think up a foolproof system for future occasions, especially so the restaurants don't take advantage of us.

And now let's think abou the chill-out on Sunday. And wasn't Languagecom going to organise some Salsa???

Am I correct in assuming that you didn't have to pay out of your own pocket? Because if you did we'll have a whip round.

@Smartini---So did you manage to find your car keys? I hope yesterday has not been awful for you due to the panic.

I'm not sure of the final outcome. At least one mistake on the part of the restaurant was uncovered before I left. From Oli's post I understand no-one paid any extra. Right, Oli2000?

But in general, can someone enlighten me as to the actual law? Surely, ultimately the waiter is responsible for collecting his money. Or can we be made to wash dishes for other people's unpaid bills? Obviously the Germans make it easy for them, staying glued to the same chair all evening. But you'd think any waiter with any sense would start collecting his dough, when he sees a large group starting to move around.

@Andy101 Thanks for asking...all is well :-) !! After the restaurant yesterday I went to my landlady and she had an extra key (phew !!) so I was able to get into my apartment.

I actually found my keys this evening, I had left them at an apartment that I had visited before heading to the restaurant ...thank god I found them as this avoids me a lot of hassle !!

@Nicky
Perhaps next time you should implement the TTF DK style payment system. You pay for what you ordered when it's
brought to the table, not at the end of the night...

@smartini
What is it with you, lost keys, and being locked out of your place's??

Is it the one where the organizer pays?

No Nicky, I didn't pay anything extra. I made it clear that we wouldn't and he let it go. I guess I would have if I had known there actually were uncovered dishes/drinks, but as I said I had the impression they were just trying to screw us, esp. b/c he already started moaning about uncovered drinks at a point when not even everyone had paid (including myself).

I'm not happy with the TTF DK style payment either, it's a pain fumbling around in my wallet everytime I get a drink. The best approach I've seen so far is what we used to have at Curry Nights: Everybody keeps written track of what they've had and sorts it out with the waiter before he leaves.

Alternatively, in some pubs/restaurants (e.g. Molly Malone's) the waiter/barman keeps written track of what you've had on your beer mat. That is the best solution, i.e. he is treating everyone as individuals responsible for themselves rather than keeping track somewhere behind the counter of what the entire group has had. Ultimately, it's the waiter's responsibility to get his money from each individual, unless we specify beforehand that we want a collective bill (which we don't). Perhaps we should point out at the beginning that we want separate bills for each person.

So if you go to a store and steal something, it's the shop clerks responsibility to make you pay for it?

I really question the ethics of people who think they are justified receiving goods or services and not paying for them.

As to the legalities of it, if you are caught doing a "dine and dash" it is considered the same thing as stealing and you can be charged. Most of the time it doesn't happen that way as it's difficult to prove and not worth the bother but make no mistake your actions were criminal.

I am of course not questioning the fact that everybody should pay for their stuff - the point is how to make sure this happens.

Also, let's not forget it does also happen the other way around. There have been (albeit rare) occasions where the bar/restaurant positively added a few drinks to the bill, perhaps out of clumsiness, sometimes deliberately just b/c they thought they would get away with it. That is equally criminal, i.e. fraud/theft, but they are hardly going to get sued for it which is why such things keep happening.

In any case, it underlines the necessity to keep written track of each individual, ideally visible on the beer mat.

Think we need to be a bit more creative here. Beermat method is good, but what happens when people start moving around? Perhaps next time we should speak directly to the restaurant when we reserve a table and ask them how they intend to cope with such a large group.