What Would You Do? Fire and a Gas Leak at Restaurants in the Magic Valley

What would you do? What would you do if you were sitting in a restaurant eating a meal and somebody yelled fire or gas leak? If you don't see anything or smell anything would you run out? Would you finish your meal? Does it depend on what kind of food you are eating or where you are in the eating process if you take it outside with you? If you were done or almost done, do you still ask for a refund? There have been a couple of instances lately in the Magic Valley to raise these questions, and if you were eating when they took place, what would you do?

Restaurant Catches Fire in Magic Valley

Last week Burley Brothers BBQ had a slight fire, and fortunately, they were not open at the time and everyone was ok, as well as the restaurant is still standing, and not too much damage was done. It did get me thinking though, had the restaurant been open, and someone in the kitchen yelled fire, would you leave? If you are sitting there enjoying a delicious meal, and do not see or smell the fire, how long would you sit there and keep eating or do you run instantly? While surely the people you are with or management would force you to leave, my thought is, if I have a few bites left, let me finish first, so long as I am safe from the flames. If the fire is visible and fast approaching, then I am fleeing, but not without my plate. If you are eating soup or sushi, or perhaps a big breakfast that requires more than one plate, then your mission to eat and dash out of the building may become a little tougher.

Gas Leak at Restaurant in Twin Falls

A listener notified me that a local restaurant had a gas leak last week when they were in the store ordering some lunch, and he waited until he received his food before leaving and the restaurant closed its doors. Unless it is a dire situation, I would have made the same decision to get my food before evacuating. His meal was almost ready before they announced the leak, which may have played a factor. If you were in a sit-down restaurant and this happened, would you rush out, continue to eat, or take the dish with you? Say you are near the end of your meal or have finished and are waiting for others at your table to finish, would you ask for a refund? The most important thing in all this is to make sure you are safe, but when you are a foodie like me and some of my coworkers, the thought of walking from good food, while likely hungry, would be tough if I do not sense any danger at the moment. 

Get our free mobile app

Luckily in both of these instances, everybody was ok and both places will be fine going forward. In a situation like this, I would want to be safe and enjoy my meal, so I would likely sit and take a few bites, letting the crowd and panic get through the doors, before picking up my plate, and following everyone outside once the rush to exit has lessened. I would finish my meal in my car or standing outside, depending on the weather, and look at returning my plate to a waiter or waitress, while also contemplating a request for a refund for the disruption in my meal, but may not if I finish everything. Hopefully, this situation never occurs for any of us, but if you find yourself eating at a restaurant that has a gas leak or catches fire midmeal, what would you do?