Refusing to pay for a meal constitutes a cancellation of the selling contract.
When you order from the menu, you have put in a buying order for that meal.
The menu acts as a catalog of goods on offer.
All prices and conditions have to be clearly displayed.
If, for instance, the waiter leaves a white space for a gratuity you should check to see whether you are already paying for service.
If you are, you are entitled to scratch out the white space.
Usually when the gratuity is part of the cost you must be made aware of that.
Are you tipping your waitress -- or are you tipping the restaurant? It makes a difference.
Too often the boss pockets the tips - yes they do.
Once the food is on the table and the maitre'd asks: "Is everything all right?" and the answer is yes, you have accepted the food and are obliged to pay for it.
Should the food not be good enough to eat, you have to say so before eating it.
However, eating it all and then refusing to pay is a cheap trick, but it happens.
In that case you are still obliged to pay for what you have drunk and for whatever was accepted.
Diners who refuse to pay have to leave names, addresses and numbers with the restaurateur.
He is entitled to sue you in a civil suit, but it is not that clear cut.
If a table scoffs everything and then won't pay, it is theft -- and he can call in the police.
So, when those hoverers bother you by asking if everything is all right they are covering their backs.
As soon as something disturbs you -- yell.
The restaurant has a right to make good -- accidents happen.
If the second try is as bad as the first, refuse the food.