A food influencer walked into Truluck’s, an upscale seafood restaurant in Miami, Fla., and got a table. When he ditched it for a nearby bar, Fleming’s, after no server stopped by, a Truluck’s manager followed him to try to make things right.
Lawyer and self-described foodie Alec (@lawyereatz) recounts the “bizarre Miami dining experience” in a TikTok with over 6,000 views.
He notes that Truluck’s was almost empty when he was seated. But despite the lack of business, not one of the nearby servers stopped by the table.
“Mind you, the servers were all just kind of standing around not doing anything,” he says.
Ten minutes with no service later, and he decided to cross the street to Fleming’s, a steakhouse.
“About 10 minutes later, the manager from Truluck’s walks into Fleming’s,” he continues. The TikToker couldn’t believe what he did next.
Why Did The Truluck’s Manager Follow Him?
He says the manager approached him and said, “I noticed you left. Can we get you to come back?”
Alec says he declined the manager’s request to “poach” him from Fleming’s.
“I’m not sure how to feel about that that you followed us from your restaurant to another restaurant,” he says in the clip.
However, he says the manager paid for his drinks at Fleming’s to make up for the situation. The caption reads, “Props to the manager from Truluck’s for attempting to rectify the situation, he was a gentleman about it.”
Should You Leave A Restaurant If The Server Doesn’t Come?
Restaurant customers debated when it’s appropriate to leave after not receiving service on the r/restaurants subreddit.
A commenter agrees with the TikToker, writing, “I wait 10 minutes and if I never get a look or mention im out.”
“Depends how determined I am to eat there. I might just look up the menu on my phone and have my order ready when they finally approach the table,” a second diner said.
Others on the r/NoStupidQuestions subreddit said it’s fine to get up without speaking to your server, even if you’ve already ordered, as long as you don’t walkout on a tab.
“You walk up to the nearest manager and say ‘I need the check, I am leaving’ and then if they don’t go get the check you leave,” one said.
Another suggested, “You have to show intent to pay the bill in case something ever happens with the issue, which it likely won’t, but cover your ass.”
What Do Viewers Think Of The Manager’s Gesture?
In the comments, viewers reacted to the manager covering Alec’s drink tab at the competitor restaurant.
“Manager tried to make up for servers fail. Props to him,” a commenter wrote.
“Naw manager did well. He made up for their screw up. He understood the situation. It would have been worst if he didn’t do anything,” another said. Alec replied, “Completely agree and I commend him for it.”
However, some saod following them to the second restaurant was overboard.
One said, “I would write Truluck’s corporate. It is highly weird and unprofessional.”
A second suggested, “Feels like an over correction. Maybe just do a good job the first time?”
Others shared their own experiences with Truluck’s, noting that the restaurant goes above and beyond to right its wrongs.
“A while back we went to Truluck’s and they lost our credit card for what the dinner ended up being completely ‘on the house,'” a viewer shared. “The next day they called to inform us they had found our credit card and our server personally delivered to our house that same day.”
@lawyereatz Miami Restaurant Storytime. Props to the manager from Truluck’s for attempting to rectify the situation, he was a gentleman about it. @Truluck’s @Fleming’s Steakhouse #miami #miamirestaurant #storytime #miamifood
BroBible reached out to Alec via email and TikTok direct message, to Truluck’s via contact form, and to Fleming’s via email for further comment. We will update the story when they reply.