Plugging in your cell phone

[MrTango]

My meal would have been ruined - I would have asked for the check for anything that I had consumed  and left there and then. I *really* do not want someone that close to me anywhere.  And I would have let management know why.  I am sorry if her cell phone is out, but she has no right to interrupt others, and get in their face for any reason other than an emergency - a dead cell phone battery is not an emergency.

This strikes me as an overreaction to something extremely minor. Your meal ruined?  I think that is a bit much.

I didn't want to be the first to say this, but I completely agree.

[whatsanenigma]

I think the way she went about it was rude.  I think she should have asked permission to plug her phone in, said something like "I am so sorry but I really need a charge in my cell phone because [insert reason here], and that is the only electrical outlet I see, would you mind if I used it please?".  And then given the OP the chance to get up and move out of the way, or plug it in herself or something.

That said, it probably would have been best to tell the restuarant staff of her plight and ask where would be a good place to plug the phone in.  They might have had a better solution, under their counter or something.  Not that I think they would be obligated to provide this service but if it was an important issue for cell phone lady, they might have been able to accomodate her. 

And who knows what her reason was?  It might really have been something important. 

So yes, I think she approached it in a rude way but I think I personally would just easily let it slide, because who knows what was going through her mind.  She might have been in a really important need to charge her phone, maybe so important that her politeness meter was a bit scrambled.

[snowdragon]

My meal would have been ruined - I would have asked for the check for anything that I had consumed  and left there and then. I *really* do not want someone that close to me anywhere.  And I would have let management know why.  I am sorry if her cell phone is out, but she has no right to interrupt others, and get in their face for any reason other than an emergency - a dead cell phone battery is not an emergency.

This strikes me as an overreaction to something extremely minor. Your meal ruined?  I think that is a bit much.

I didn't want to be the first to say this, but I completely agree.

yes, my meal would have been ruined.  I would have been  interrupted fro personal m eating and visiting with whomever I was with, had my personal space not  only invaded but had someone "in my face".   And for the rest of my meal I would have been expecting her to come back  and do it again. So, yes, my meal would have been ruined and I would have left.
   I am allowed to feel that way if you don't like it. 

  Really, what makes this woman's desire to have her cellphone charged so all fired important that she gets to interrupt another party....that's what I find extremely ridiculous.  Basically her actions say - " I am ever so much more important than you - so I can get into your personal space, interrupt your eating  and your conversation for whatever I want ."   Ridiculous. 

[sparksals]

It sounds to me that sitting so close to the hostess station was quite a distraction, 3 feet from the entrance.  If your meal is so easily ruined, maybe the noise and everything else associated with that less than prime seat also ruins it.  Someone slipping in to plug in the phone is hardly a hardship.  Yes, she should have asked, she should have said excuse me, but the phone sitting on a ledge, no cord to trip on, I don't think she did anything meal ruining worthy.

[Wulfie]

I am going to agree with Snowdragon. It is possible that her actions would have ruined my meal also.Just because it would not ruin YOUR meal, doesn't mean that it would not ruin it for someone else. Dismissing someone else's feelings because you don't share them and say that they are wrong for feeling that way is a bit rude in my book as well.   

Sometimes people get upset at rudeness from others (gee isn't that why many of us are on this list) and that would have been enough to put a damper on my evening.  Someone rudely encroaching on my personal space while I am eating with not a word of either apology for doing so or asking if it was OK before hand would probably have been enough.

[Only me]

HI OP here,

**sparksals, just for clarification my friends seat was 3ft from the Hostess station at the front entrance. sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but the actual Hostest stand is about 10 ft into the restaurant. As for the table being close to hostess stand that actually was ok cause the 3ft was plenty of room.

I dont' know that she asked or didn't ask the bistro staff about plugging in her phone. The woman who plugged her phone in could have easily walked in front of the hostess station and pluggd in the phone from that side. The phone would have been jsut as close to my friend but would have avoided me getting a big flash of a 2 round chest muscles and my friend getting butt in her face.

We are not stewing about it, and the rude poitn is not that she plugged her phone in, its the way it was done.

Onlyme

[sparksals]

I am going to agree with Snowdragon. It is possible that her actions would have ruined my meal also.Just because it would not ruin YOUR meal, doesn't mean that it would not ruin it for someone else. Dismissing someone else's feelings because you don't share them and say that they are wrong for feeling that way is a bit rude in my book as well.   

Sometimes people get upset at rudeness from others (gee isn't that why many of us are on this list) and that would have been enough to put a damper on my evening.  Someone rudely encroaching on my personal space while I am eating with not a word of either apology for doing so or asking if it was OK before hand would probably have been enough.

I don't believe it is dismissive at all.  It seems like such a small thing to be so upset about , it ruins your *general* meal, wanting to get the cheque and leave. There are so many other things to get upset about.


I don't believe one owns the personal space in the restaurant.  It is a public place, after all.  Sometimes tables are placed close together and if someone walks by into your *general* personal space, they could actually be closer than the woman who plugged her phone in. 

[sparksals]

HI OP here,

**sparksals, just for clarification my friends seat was 3ft from the Hostess station at the front entrance. sorry if I wasn't clear enough, but the actual Hostest stand is about 10 ft into the restaurant. As for the table being close to hostess stand that actually was ok cause the 3ft was plenty of room.

I dont' know that she asked or didn't ask the bistro staff about plugging in her phone. The woman who plugged her phone in could have easily walked in front of the hostess station and pluggd in the phone from that side. The phone would have been jsut as close to my friend but would have avoided me getting a big flash of a 2 round chest muscles and my friend getting butt in her face.

We are not stewing about it, and the rude poitn is not that she plugged her phone in, its the way it was done.

Onlyme

I can agree with the way it was done.  She should have asked or said 'excuse me'.

[Wulfie]

I don't believe it is dismissive at all.  It seems like such a small thing to be so upset about , it ruins your *general* meal, wanting to get the cheque and leave. There are so many other things to get upset about.

I don't believe one owns the personal space in the restaurant.  It is a public place, after all.  Sometimes tables are placed close together and if someone walks by into your *general* personal space, they could actually be closer than the woman who plugged her phone in.

I agree to a point. Yes, you do not have as much personal space in a restaurant but someone 5 inches from your face as in the OP is not acceptable to me. We are not talking about a fraction of a second while passing by, that is a totally different situation.

[White Lotus]

What I wouldn't have liked one bit is that Cell Phone Woman's phone and charger are under my feet, and she MUST come back, which will be at a time of her choosing, and she will not ask, she will just barge.  Yes, that would ruin my meal with grim anticipation.  Had she asked me if I minded and let me plug it in, sure, no problem.  Happens to the best of us -- maybe her car charger broke and she didn't realize it or something. That would not even bother me, much less ruin my meal.  It is the invasion of my personal space and the certainty that it will happen again that is OTT here. 

[sparksals]

It's not at your feet, though.  She put it on a ledge. 

[TeamBhakta]

I would've told her "If someone picks up your phone and walks off with it, don't expect me to let you know. You're on your own"