The budget-minded food connoisseur's best friend, Restaurant Week can also occasionally be a letdown. Suddenly flush with crowds looking for a deal, eateries don't always put their best face forward. On the Zagat Discussion boards, there have been a number of stories shared about Restaurant Weeks past, and while most praise the experience, a few weren't so lucky. With Winter Restaurant Week approaching, we thought it might be a good time to review some of those misfires.

Hands down, the number one problem seems to be gruff service. Take the Zagat member who lost her reservation at one restaurant after informing the maitre d', a day early, that she would no longer be a four-person party. "They told me they would have to cancel my reservation because they were overbooked for 'twos' but we could come and take our chances for a table at the bar. I was passed to the manager who proceeded to tell me they were running a business and had to 'maximize' their available space, but if we came early, they would 'make every attempt' to seat us." The couple ended up going elsewhere.

At least they didn't kick her out. That's what one Zagat member reports after trying to land a table at one of the hotter gastronomic temples in town: "Called in the morning for a reservation that evening and was told they were full up but would put me on a waiting list. That evening we were passing by and dropped in – maybe something opened up. I gave my name to the maitresse d' – she checked her book and said – follow me – and escorted us upstairs and seated us. I figured they had an opening and took me from the waiting list. We order a glass of wine – which they brought and proceeded to order our meal. We were sipping our wine when the maitresse d' appeared – she had a couple behind her. She told us we would have to leave the restaurant immediately – that we had no reservation – offered no apology or nothing – just leave. As we left we learned that our name was very similar to another reservation – but not the same."

Of course, for every Restaurant Week downer, there are several stories praising restaurants for treating diners like "big spenders" who are "every bit as important to them as their regular customers."

Have you had a wonderful or terrible Restaurant Week experience? Share it on the Zagat Discussion boards!