Tip Towed.

[Bobsentme]

Following the advice of the Moderators.

[Ree]

Apologies.

My post was meant to be sarcastic not personal.

Why were you trying to be sarcastic? In my opinion, there was no need for sarcasm.
Save it for the sucky customers, and not your fellow members.

The member read the post incorrectly and had some questions.

Not everyone is going to agree with the way every situation is handled, and bainsidhe had a right to disagree with your manager, as long as it was done respectfully, and it was.

[iviles]

Oh, goodie. I get to be the first person posting a response against the manager. Well sort of. I mean, I'm finding myself torn here. I've worked fast food and dealt with the little jerks who loiter, park haphazardly while littering and blocking the parking lot (as in, drive-thru customers couldn't get through on late nights). We had signs posted with no loitering. We yelled at them and threatened calling the cops. Cops would usually refuse to come on the grounds that our signs weren't posted "clearly enough". I mean, come on already. And I've also had jerks park in my personal parking space where I live and have had them towed. So I most definitely understand the irritation and vindictiveness the manager felt.

I understand what ur saying and that your playing devils advicate but I never leave my car in an unknown lot with out asking someone that works there if its ok. In this day and age its a little scary to see a car that you have no idea whos it is especialy at night. And that way they can keep an eye on it to if something were to happen.

[rerant]

bainsidhe, I have to disagree with you.
Even if someone isn't trashing the joint, if their car is parked in the business' lot and the individual is not a patron of that establishment, and that lot has adequate signage stating it's for customers only, then regardless of the reasons why the car was left there the managers still have every right to have it towed.


Thems the rules, thems the breaks.

[blas]

Also, it would be one thing if it were just one or two vehicles abandoned there for a certain amount of time. But 22? And the fact that this is probably not a very big restaurant nor a very big parking lot? No way would I let 22 vehicles just sit there as long as they wanted.

My question still goes unanswered...where did all the kids go that they had to leave their 22 vehicles at the OP's parking lot?

[Bobsentme]

Also, it would be one thing if it were just one or two vehicles abandoned there for a certain amount of time. But 22? And the fact that this is probably not a very big restaurant nor a very big parking lot? No way would I let 22 vehicles just sit there as long as they wanted.

My question still goes unanswered...where did all the kids go that they had to leave their 22 vehicles at the OP's parking lot?

From what I remember hearing at school over the next week, there was some party a few miles down the street, that they didn't want to attract a lot of attention towards.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I just want to add my applause and admiration to the manager.

[kibbles]

I'm gonna say the manager was out of line on this one. You said there were 22 cars...did every single driver of these cars participate in trashing the lobby, or was it just a couple of people..meaning a lot of people who did nothing wrong got their cars towed.

[Broomjockey]

a lot of people who did nothing wrong got their cars towed.

Not taking sides, just pointing out that it has been stated that there's a *Customer Parking Only* policy, and by leaving their cars there, they were, infact, doing something wrong. Is it possible that nothing would have happened had the lobby not been trashed? It's probable. But strictly speaking, every car that was towed there was a reason for it.

[flybye023]

I'm siding with the people who think it was ok to do.

1. They trashed the restaurant. Maybe, yeah, some of the kids weren't in on it but they didn't stop it either.
2. Those cars were there long enough for 18 of them to be towed (remember, 4 belonged to the employees) so it had to be quite awhile.
3. The police and the owners backed up the staff. Would either one really have done that if the manager had in some way been out of line.
4. There were signs posted saying for customer/patron use only.

[bainsidhe]

Out of curiosity, how long were the cars there? I'm not denying it wasn't perfectly legal to have the cars towed, but if parking is "for customer use only" and a few of them WERE customers....just curious what the specifics are. I assume you're considered a customer only whilst in the building?

And whoops, missed the comment about fast food hell. Yup, 'tis a restaurant after all.

I'm glad the owners at least backed up the manager, whether one agrees with his actions or not. And I really hope this teaches future wannabe patrons to treat their fellow man/woman with respect. Many of us outgrew the throwing of food/trashing restaurant stage at the age of three.

Edit to add: Thanks to the mods for sticking up for my post and for those respectfully disagreeing with me. I didn't realize I was going to irritate so many people, but I appreciate the chance for myself and others to voice a difference of opinion.

[Broomjockey]

Out of curiosity, how long were the cars there? I'm not denying it wasn't perfectly legal to have the cars towed, but if parking is "for customer use only" and a few of them WERE customers....just curious what the specifics are. I assume you're considered a customer only whilst in the building?

Making assumptions on what I can, which is pretty much just the last part. I'd say being a customer ends as soon as you leave the property.

[kibbles]

Not taking sides, just pointing out that it has been stated that there's a *Customer Parking Only* policy, and by leaving their cars there, they were, infact, doing something wrong. Is it possible that nothing would have happened had the lobby not been trashed? It's probable. But strictly speaking, every car that was towed there was a reason for it.

But from the OP post, the cars weren't being towed because of how long they were there; but, because of the trashed lobby, that's the way I was looking at it.

Also, in response to the post talking of the kids not stopping the trashing...umm...why should someone be punished because they didn't put themselves in the middle of something that wasn't their responsibility to stop in the first place?? Things could have escalated a lot worse if other kids just there for a good time, tried to intervene with the others.

The ones who trashed the lobby obviously were up to no good, it might have gotten worse if other kids tried to intervene. They shouldn't be punished for not wishing to get in the middle IMO.

[Broomjockey]

But from the OP post, the cars weren't being towed because of how long they were there; but, because of the trashed lobby, that's the way I was looking at it.
<snip>
The ones who trashed the lobby obviously were up to no good, it might have gotten worse if other kids tried to intervene. They shouldn't be punished for not wishing to get in the middle IMO.

Devil's Advocate time. Honestly, it doesn't matter how you LOOK at it, it matters that legally, the shop was in the right. They had signs posted saying customer parking only. They left the property, they weren't customers, they couldn't park there. The cause is irrelevant. If they tried to sue, the kids would get laughed out of court for claiming it was "retaliation." Whether the lobby was trashed or not, each and every one of the kids broke the same rule, and suffered the same fate. The ones who trashed the lobby just broke an extra rule.

Would you disagree with Bobsentme's manager if the lobby hadn't been trashed first, but he did it anyway? There's currently a thread over in sightings where numerous people advocate towing of cars that take personal spots. Would you disagree with them?

Remember, the kids being sucky in the restuarant or not, they were still sucky parkers. You can (and should be encouraged to) disagree with what happened, but thinking that the kids who didn't trash the resturaunt are somehow innocent victims is a pretty narrow way of looking at the situation.

We now end this test of the Devil's Advocate system.

[iradney]

I look at it this way:

If those kids were guests in my house, and proceeded to trash my house the way they trashed the restaurant; and then left their cars blocking up my driveway, would you still say that towing them would be wrong?

As a few posters have already said, there were signs posted up saying that the parking lot is for customers of the restaurant only. Once you have paid, eaten and left, you are no longer a customer of that establishment. Therefore, you then need to move your car. Just the same as if you have people over for dinner. Once they've eaten and said their goodbyes, they must remove their cars from your driveway and head on home, or to their next destination.