The New Intimacy

Birthday at a Restaurant ......Do you want attention on you or not?

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Contributor: Bignuf Bignuf
Do you want a bunch of waiters and waitresses, you don't know, going through the motions of singing you "happy birthday", while a bunch of strangers look on (or wonder why they are waiting to get their drink refilled)? Are we the only "spoil sports" who find this stuff annoying and degrading (to the wait staff)?

No insult if you LOVE the guys and gals at Outback singing to you, but I just had to ask.
09/11/2012
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Contributor: Sundae Sparkles Sundae Sparkles
I love going out to eat on my birthday but my family knows if there is any singing going down I will walk out. I think its highly annoying.
09/11/2012
Contributor: funluvinmama funluvinmama
Quote:
Originally posted by Sundae Sparkles
I love going out to eat on my birthday but my family knows if there is any singing going down I will walk out. I think its highly annoying.
I am the same. I will gladly go out to eat for my birthday, but if they start singing I will get up and leave them there to find their own way home.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Nope, I can't stand it. I think it's a dopey tradition that shouldn't even be reserved for kids.
09/11/2012
Contributor: satinlady550 satinlady550
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
Do you want a bunch of waiters and waitresses, you don't know, going through the motions of singing you "happy birthday", while a bunch of strangers look on (or wonder why they are waiting to get their drink refilled)? Are we the only ... more
It isn't that bad and when you are doing it for your young child they love the attention.. Most of the time..
09/11/2012
Contributor: wdanas wdanas
I had this happen to me one time thanks to my mother in law looking to embarrass me. So I turned around and started dancing along with the folks singing happy birthday to me. Mother in law was livid - how dare I not be embarrassed? I felt like I won a small, if petty, victory.

Beyond that I don't care any particular way about it, personally, but we don't make a point to tell the waitstaff or have anyone come sing to the birthday guy/girl.
09/11/2012
Contributor: - Kira - - Kira -
No. I hated this even as a child.
09/11/2012
Contributor: mandiegk mandiegk
Quote:
Originally posted by Sundae Sparkles
I love going out to eat on my birthday but my family knows if there is any singing going down I will walk out. I think its highly annoying.
Agreed. I would be absolutely mortified.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Taylor Taylor
I don't like it, I purposely only select eating at places where they don't sing on my birthday.
09/11/2012
Contributor: hjtee hjtee
I just find it silly, for adults.
It's kind of cute for kids, they enjoy that sort of thing.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Willowe Willowe
Nope, I hate it when that happens to me. Always hated it when I was a kid, too.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Rossie Rossie
Don't like that kind of attention at all - feels kind of stupid.
09/11/2012
Contributor: MrWishyWashy MrWishyWashy
OMG no!
09/11/2012
Contributor: Happenstance Happenstance
No no no no no. I hate public scenes. I hate attention like that. As a semi-socially anxious introvert, that is like hell.
09/11/2012
Contributor: HB042 HB042
It's pretty much the worst way to celebrate a birthday.
09/11/2012
Contributor: mlmac mlmac
I don't really like to be the center of attention for anything, especially for something like my birthday, but if it really please's my wife, I probably would still go through with it just for her, but I still won't like it.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Mamastoys Mamastoys
No, I don't like attention placed on me for anything. I've had it done and tolerated by my family but I would prefer not to get any attention!
09/11/2012
Contributor: deltalima deltalima
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
Do you want a bunch of waiters and waitresses, you don't know, going through the motions of singing you "happy birthday", while a bunch of strangers look on (or wonder why they are waiting to get their drink refilled)? Are we the only ... more
No. I hate it.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Ex-prude Ex-prude
Nope. I am too shy.
09/11/2012
Contributor: PeachCandy PeachCandy
I hate it
09/11/2012
Contributor: Deeder Deeder
I absolutely hate it when the attention is focused on me, but if I'm out at a restaurant and it's someone else's birthday? You can bet your ass that I'll be the one to alert the wait staff.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Thumper Logic Thumper Logic
Heck no, attention from friends and family are more than enough!
09/11/2012
Contributor: anonkitty anonkitty
No way. Last time that happened, I almost ducked under the table half way through.
09/11/2012
Contributor: gsfanatic gsfanatic
Nope, and I give the same courtesy to my friends. When we're in a place where it's mostly us though, they get sung too
09/11/2012
Contributor: kitty1949 kitty1949
Absolutely not. I'm a total wallflower.
09/11/2012
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
I don't mind a little fun on my b-day! Go ahead sing me a song!
09/12/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
Do you want a bunch of waiters and waitresses, you don't know, going through the motions of singing you "happy birthday", while a bunch of strangers look on (or wonder why they are waiting to get their drink refilled)? Are we the only ... more
I'm kind of shy, but kind of not. It depends on where I'm at and who I'm with. I definitely don't try for the spotlight, but I would probably just laugh and try and make light of the situation if they began singing to me. I wouldn't freak or get too embarrassed, but I don't like attention on me while receiving gifts or anything like that. I think I'd be okay being sung to though. I remember as kids my best girl friend and my sister and I would go out to eat a lot and each time, we'd tell the waitresses that it was one of our B-days although it never was true except one time, when it was my friend's B-day. So we'd all be surprised when they all came out to sing to one of us. LOL. It was hilarious because we'd switch it up and sometimes I'd go tell them it was my sister's b-day and she'd be looking all crazy when they sung to her, or I'd say it was my friends. Man that was so fun!

So I guess I wouldn't be too embarrassed. We've done it before just for laughs, but I don't really want other kinds of attention. When they're singing to you, the attention is really on them anyways, not you so it's not a huge thing for me.

I don't see why it's degrading. Now I don't think they should be forced to, but everywhere I've ever gone, they've had a lot of fun acting crazy while singing to one of us.
09/12/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by wdanas
I had this happen to me one time thanks to my mother in law looking to embarrass me. So I turned around and started dancing along with the folks singing happy birthday to me. Mother in law was livid - how dare I not be embarrassed? I felt like I won ... more
Now that's how you do it! LOL. I love that you turned an embarassing situation into something fun, and oh I bet it did chap her a**! LOL. That is awesome that you had the guts to do that.

If it were one of our kids' b-days, I'd so tell the staff and embarrass the living daylights out of them. It's hard to embarrass them. I guess I'm so close in age to them that I can act crazy with them and they just laugh. But I know they'd have red cheeks if I had the staff sing to them AND I SUNG ALONG! Oh yes! This was a perfect thread because our oldest has his 15th B-day in three days! Oh, I don't think I'll be able to resist.

Good thing is when everyone can laugh about it though. That's what I like about my family. We're all shy-ish, but have wonderful laughs at our own and each other's expenses!
09/12/2012
Contributor: 123joy 123joy
I hate that!!!!!!!!!!!! one time at fridays they told us they don't sing lol and i was happy they didn't
09/12/2012
Contributor: 123joy 123joy
Quote:
Originally posted by Deeder
I absolutely hate it when the attention is focused on me, but if I'm out at a restaurant and it's someone else's birthday? You can bet your ass that I'll be the one to alert the wait staff.
lmao i should get the last person that did it to me
09/12/2012