The mum did not think it was fair for a waiter to complain about her family's noise levels as they needed to raise their voices to be heard over the restaurant's music

A mum has been left 'baffled' after being asked to keep the noise down when she was dining in a 'really loud' restaurant.

The parent, who has worked in hospitality herself, understands staff need must intervene if a group is disturbing other guests - but doesn't think her group did anything wrong.

She says her table of nine - made up of family celebrating a birthday - 'weren't whispering to each other' but that they were not yelling either. So she can't understand why a waiter approached the group during their main course and asked them to 'keep it down as another table had complained.'

While she admits they might have been 'loud', she says they had to be if they wanted to be heard over the restaurant's music - and she thinks staff could have handled the complaint better.

"The music got really loud as the evening went on so we probably were 'loud' but only so we could converse," the diner wrote in a post to Mumsnet sharing her upset.

She added: "It really put a shadow over the whole thing. We go out as a family a few times a year and have NEVER been asked to be quiet or had any kind of complaint so I am fairly confident we weren’t actually a*****s."

In response, commenters were quick to comfort the 'mortified' mum, who emphasised the group had been 'laughing at childhood stories', 'not swearing or shouting or chucking food or arguing.'

However, several suggested they could not answer her question as to who was in the wrong. "Surely we can't really judge this as we weren't there?" read one such reply.

Though others rebuffed the mum's suggestion when she wrote: "I have worked in hospitality for many years and I just wouldn't have had this conversation as a waiter unless someone was really disturbing other guests. I'd have nodded and smiled at the complainers and given them a free drink." Several pointed out she may have been in the wrong if the waiter had decided to intervene. "For the waiter to ask I would expect you were pretty loud," someone put.

However, someone disagreed: "Yes, doesn't sound like it was managed well by the waiter. Even if you were being loud there was no need to tell you there had been a complaint. Puts a whole awkwardness on your night."

Keen to comfort the mum, a different commenter said: "Big tables are always louder than couples, it’s the nature of the beast. You're not in the wrong, the restaurant should have accommodated in the seating plan or put you in their private dining area."

Another thought: "Someone - probably the manager - should have thought first turn the music down."

Source:
courtesy of MIRROR

by AMBER O'CONNOR, LIFESTYLE WRITER

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