Sober woman 'embarrasses' friends by correcting her drink order. 'It was not a Piña Koala.' AITA?
"AITA for embarrassing my friends by correcting my drink order?"
I (22F) don't drink for personal reasons, but I love the taste of piña coladas. I recently went out to eat at Outback Steakhouse with two friends and saw "piña Koala" on the menu. It was described as a cocktail version of a piña colada with a koala on it. When the server came, I asked if they could possibly make a virgin Piña Koala, and she said she'd ask the bar.
A few minutes later, someone from the bar came over and said "Here's a virgin version of the drink" and put it on the table. It was not a Piña Koala. This was a tall pink drink with a koala rubber duck on it (I later figured out this was their other "Koala" theme drink).
She had already left before I could process that I got the wrong drink. I looked at it again and said aloud to my friends "This isn't a piña colada..." One of my friends responded with "It's okay, at least you got a drink." I shook my head and expressed that I ordered a piña colada and that's what I was expecting. My other friend shook their head in response saying.
"They went through the pain of making the drink virgin for you. Just be grateful." I said that I was going to correct them because it wasn't what I ordered. My friends went back and forth with me for a while insisting that it would be completely rude and unnecessary of me to correct them. They even suggested I just try the drink and only correct them if the drink was "awful."
I'll admit I did try a sip of the drink and it was good in its own right, but I wanted a piña colada. They kept reiterating how the bar went through the "trouble" of going out of their way to make a virgin drink for me, so I should just be happy they even did that. Finally, the server arrived and I corrected my order, ignoring my friends.
The server was very kind and apologized and had the bar make me a virgin piña Koala. My friends were so annoyed and irritated with me the whole night. They insisted I was being a "Karen" and should have just stayed quiet. They said I embarrassed them with my entitlement. I just continued to ignore them. The end of the night was awkward and I've been thinking about this incident for a few days now.
I normally struggle to correct my orders so being able to do so was a big step for me, but I still wonder if my friends were right and I should have been grateful to receive anything. AITA?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
East_Parking8340 said:
NTA. It’s not entitlement, is getting what you ordered. Making a virgin drink is no more complex than making one with alcohol in it - it’s all about liquids and proportions. I guarantee you that if they had ordered steak and got a bowl of soup (or if they ordered a Dyson from Amazon and got and aliExpress special) they’d have said something fairly robust about it.
I really wonder whether someone changed your order to include one with alcohol and you ruined their ‘prank’ - if you didn’t know how it was meant to taste you would find it harder to know if it was virgin. There’s too much emotion involved for it to be solely about sorting out an incorrect order. As long as you didn’t shriek like a teakettle you’re good.
jmbbl said:
Asking politely for what you actually ordered isn't being a Karen. Your friends are wrong. NTA.
philautos said:
Yes, you acted entitled -- because you WERE entitled to get what you ordered. That's why it's called an order and not a wish upon a star. Of course, people, including servers, do sometimes make mistakes, and part of not being an AH is not being nasty about it.
But that doesn't mean you have to take whatever they give you. It means you address the matter politely, and they in turn politely fix the problem. And it seems like that's exactly what you and the server did. NTA. Your friends are -- and especially so if they know what you're struggling with.
Ducky818 said:
NTA. You ordered something, they said they could accommodate it, and you should expect that. If they couldn't make it, they should have said so. Accepting the wrong order is a decision someone makes but it is not required. And it seems you were nice about it with the server.
I want what I order and I expect that if the place expects me to pay for it. I'm betting if your friends received something (food, drink, clothing, etc.) other than what they ordered, they would demand it be corrected. They are afraid of a big confrontation. They will learn to nicely stand up for themselves as they mature.
ParsimoniousSalad said:
NTA. What business is it of your friends to try to "defend" the restaurant? They got the drink order wrong, you politely corrected it, they remade it. Done deal, no drama required. Your friends need something else to pick at.
KingsRansom79 said:
NTA. Your friends sound very immature. People make mistakes with orders all the time. It’s completely normal to let them know and allow them to correct it. You did so in a respectful manner. I’m a bartender. I want people to tell me when something isn’t right or they don’t like it. We want people to leave happy…and come back.
pukui7 said:
NTA. Your friends need to learn that merely asking for things to be corrected isn't an issue by itself. Having a bad attitude or being unreasonable is the problem. And it doesn't sound like either of these apply to you.