I honestly think all three are unlikely - and all are adding far more than what we read/know.
I read three different stories - the whole story each time, so spare me your, “only read the headline” condescension.
Here is what I read happened:
Patron is asked to remove his hat.
He says OK and complies
His son objects because of his medical condition (at THIS point, ignorance about his medical condition is off the table - and this is before the situation deteriorates).
Others also object because of his medical condition.
Someone - one story says manager, one story says server - tells him he should have brought a note or called ahead
This is where the restaurant swerved into stupidity - nobody, I mean NOBODY brings a doctor’s note to a restaurant, or calls ahead because of something like this. This is the thing that escalated the situation from misunderstanding to plain rude behavior.
I used to be a waiter - at some very high-end restaurants. There are four major points here that point to gross mismanagement, which is why the manager should be replaced.
#1 - any competent staff recognizes that they are about to leave. The situation is completely different from the guy who sits down with the beanie on his head. (HERE’S a huge hint to the staff and management - he ate the whole meal without the beanie.)
#2 - the group just dropped big dollars on the restaurant and the wait staff - I’ve been to this restaurant, a tip of at least 17% is added to the bill for parties that large. They were not deadbeats, nor do we have any reason to assume earlier problems with the group.
#3 - groups of this size should be offered a private room as a matter of course. When I used to go there, this was standard procedure. Large groups are inherently disruptive to the other diners.
#4 - The incident staff/management created was far more disruptive to other diners than the man wearing the beanie as he was getting ready to leave.
NEVER inform a patron about what they SHOULD have done. This is unhelpful. Only let them know what they can do at the moment to correct the problem - POLITELY! And as you apologize on the spot for saying something in the first place, let them know what to do the next time to avoid any misunderstanding.
The way to handle it was to say nothing, because they were obviously ready to leave.
Having said something, as soon as they were informed of the medical situation, APOLOGIZE and thank them for their patronage. In the apology include the recognition that they are ready to leave (this is also a polite, non-confrontational way to encourage them to leave).
The staff and management missed several opportunities to be gracious hosts, this is an attitude problem, and that attitude obviously starts at the top - no restaurant wants to be infected with that attitude. The Morton’s I knew when I worked in Nashville certainly wasn’t.
You respond to a civil apology issued for the sake of reaching a common understanding with a “spare me your condescension” statement.
Very classy. That told me all I need to know about you.
I likely have a heck of a lot more experience than you do at good customer service, patient relations, and medicine as well, and I understand it and am good at it, so I don’t need a lecture from someone like you if your behavior is any indication.
Talk about being wrong and big enough to admit it.
I have news for you, Mr. “Prima Facie Evidence”, you can’t even get your own story straight. Laughably, you said it was “Prima Facie” evidence which is what I orginally took issue with, and it clearly WASN’T that, although I suspect you have no idea what it even means. You then risibly contradicted yourself in your last post, and say that “Someone” said it from some other story, definitely not the linked story.
But given your attitude, I would fully expect someone like you to read something in a paper or see it on television and interpret that as “Prima Facie Evidence”.
That is okay, you have plenty in common with a large population in this country that eats up things from the media in exactly the same way, so don’t feel alone. You have plenty of comrades out there.
Enjoy.