A reservation mistake, a missed dinner, a hefty fine and... a song to make it up to her. This is the surreal but authentic story that happened to Irene Llorca, a publicist from Madrid, who simply wanted to spend an informal evening at a tavern with friends. But the story took a decidedly different turn - until it went viral and ended, thankfully, with a smile.
A tavern dinner that never happened
It all starts with a simple wish: Irene wants to organize a convivial dinner with seven friends at La Mina tavern, in the Madrid neighborhood of Chamberí. She picks up the phone, Googles “Mina Madrid,” finds a number, calls, makes a reservation. Or so he thinks. Too bad that number belongs to Mina, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bilbao, not the little pop place in the capital. Two places, two cities, two cooking philosophies, one name to mislead. And so, while in Bilbao everything is ready to welcome the group - table set, staff lined up, dishes prepared - in Madrid Irene shows up on time at the tavern where, however... no one is waiting for her.
The surprise: 480 euro penalty for no-show
Ended there? Not quite. As reported by the website La Vanguardia, a few days later, Irene finds out that she has been fined for no-show by the starred restaurant in Bilbao: 480 euros in total, 80 euros per person. This is the amount stipulated by the restaurant's cancellation policy in case of an unreported absence, a measure adopted by many haute cuisine restaurants to protect themselves from last-minute cancellations, which are considered harmful and disrespectful to the work of the brigade.
A song to make up for it
But Irene does not lose heart. Instead of protesting, threatening or ignoring the situation, she decides to face it with creativity and good humor. She writes an apology song - ironic and sympathetic - with stanzas such as:
“We arrived happy, ready to dine, and they tell us: there is no reservation or place here.” or “What fault was I, if on Google ‘Mina Madrid’ was the first result.” The video goes viral on social media and reaches those affected: Álvaro Garrido and Lara Martín, owners of Mina in Bilbao. Instead of remaining unyielding, the two welcome the gesture with irony and understanding.
The grace of the Mina of Bilbao
After listening to the song and evaluating Irene's attitude, the restaurateurs decided to cancel the penalty. “In Irene's case it was an oversight, although in general we maintain our cancellation policy,”, said Lara Martín, maître d' of the restaurant.
A reflection on the no-show phenomenon
Irene's case has once again raised attention to the growing phenomenon of no-shows in restaurants. Some restaurants report worrying frequencies, as low as 20-30% of reservations, resulting in economic losses and wasted resources. For their part, restaurateurs are protecting themselves with deposits, pre-authorization or penalties, but the best solution always remains mutual respect. Irene's gesture-creative, polite, spontaneous-showed that even behind a mistake can lie an opportunity to strengthen the bond between customers and restaurateurs.
A bittersweet ending (but more sweet than bitter)
The story ended in the best way possible: no hard feelings, no money lost, and a good lesson in how even a simple “I'm sorry” - said from the heart, or perhaps sung with a smile - can really make a difference. Meanwhile, the video of the song continues to circulate on social media, and Mina decided to share it to raise awareness about conscious booking. "Irene made a mistake. But she put her face on it. And that's worth more than 480 euros."
