Restaurant wouldn’t accept gift card? – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

(WSVN) – A South Florida man got a gift card to one of his favorite restaurants, but when he went, they wouldn’t accept the card. Is that legal? It’s why he turned the problem over to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.

As we looked at Chris’s beautiful antique pickup truck, the number 50 was appropriate.

Christopher Crespo: “So, 1953 is Ford’s 50th anniversary of producing and production of their cars.”

The 50th anniversary Ford, which Chris decided to give himself, on…Take a guess.

Christopher Crespo: “So when I turned 50, it was kind of coincidental, cool to have their 50th anniversary car. So you know, it was kind of a way to make those things memorable. I only turn 50 once.”

And Chris got something else on his 50th birthday: A $100 gift card from his mother.

Christopher Crespo: “To a restaurant that we go to at least once a week, if not once every two weeks.”

One of Chris and Elizabeth’s favorite restaurants.

Christopher Crespo: “And we know the servers, we know the bartender, they know my name, they know my cell phone number.”

After eating there in August, Chris took out the gift card to pay for dinner.

Christopher Crespo: “She took it to her manager, walked back, and she said, ‘My manager’s not accepting it.’”

Chris asked to speak to the manager, whom he had never seen before.

Christopher Crespo: “His words were, ‘We’re in the new management, so I can’t accept your card.’”

Fortunately, Chris had actually brought the receipt for the gift card and also scanned the QR code to show the $100 balance.

Christopher Crespo: “He looked it over, he paused for five, 10 seconds, and he still stayed on the same as, ‘We’re not going to accept your gift card.’”

Chris says he shook his head and pulled out his wallet.

Christopher Crespo: “We just paid our tab, cash, and we just left.”

Chris lost $100, a favorite restaurant, and they lost a good customer.

Christopher Crespo: “So since that day that this happened, which was maybe a little bit over a month ago, I haven’t been back.”

Chris has called and emailed the restaurant over and over. No one has responded, leaving him with a worthless gift card given to him by his mother.

Christopher Crespo: “So if I buy a gift card today and a week from now, you change managers or are under new management, do I lose my gift card?”

We all have gift cards, so what’s the law on them, Howard?

Howard Finkelstein: “In almost every case, the business has to honor the gift card. They don’t expire and are as good as cash. But if the business is sold, sometimes the card is no longer good. In this case, they just changed management, so the card has to be honored.”

I called La Romanita in Hialeah. I was told the manager would be in the next day. The next day, I was told the next day, same thing on the third day.

I can take a hint, so I stopped by. No manager was there, so I asked to have the owner get in touch with me. A few hours later, Julio Amores called me and said the manager who refused Chris’s gift card had been fired, and of course, they would accept the gift card.

Christopher Crespo: “That’s great to hear, that’s good. I am glad at least he is doing the right thing, not only for me but for everyone else that might have a gift card.”

The next day, Chris went to La Romanita. They took the gift card, he got a great meal, and he is happy after that call to Help Me Howard.

Christopher Crespo: “I am glad that I called you guys, and I am glad you were able to give me a positive outcome at the end of this whole entire ordeal.”

Glad to help you, Chris, and glad the restaurant did the right thing.

Now, if a business won’t accept a gift card, it’s not worth it to sue over $100, so go to social media, see if a post or two gets their attention. One more thing, if you have gift cards in a drawer, use them, cause most of us will forget them, or if you are like me, you will lose them.

A problem eating you up? Here is some food for thought. Fork it over to us and let us digest the situation.

With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser 7News.

Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.