Save the embarrassment and double-check those reservations

It's easy to make mistakes, isn't it?

Last weekend I made a whopper when clicking for an online reservation. My husband and I were meeting friends for dinner at the Water Street Kitchen and Bar in Wiscasset, Maine. I said I'd make reservations. I Googled the restaurant on my phone. It popped right up, or so I thought. I reserved a table for four at 6 p.m. I was sort of shocked that all times between 5 and 7 p.m. were available, but figured that it being a week ahead was the reason.

On the afternoon of my reservation, I took a minute to see if the restaurant still had Steak Frites, the dish I'd had there last summer. I clicked out of my email reminder on Open Table. That's when I saw a restaurant that I didn't recognize. I looked closer to see I had reservations in three hours at the Water Street Grille – in Yorktown, Virginia.

I wasn't going to make it. I called them immediately to apologize that my party needed to cancel our reservations. I didn't confess. The host said they appreciated my call.

I then tried to reserve at the Maine restaurant on Open Table, but there were no online reservations. I knew that a phone call was in order. I asked if they could get my party in that night, anytime was fine. As luck would have it, they could seat us just 15 minutes later than our original plans.

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When I got to the restaurant, I told the host how grateful I was for the reservation. Then I told her about the restaurant in Virginia. She told me that happens all the time, but not with the restaurant in Yorktown.

She told me that people come in all the time who have reserved online for the Water Street Kitchen and Bar somewhere in Rhode Island.

That got me curious to know if the Water Street Kitchen in East Greenwich gets diners who'd reserved in Maine.

I called the restaurant and talked to manager Heather Moran. She confirmed that people do indeed come in thinking they had reservations in Rhode Island but instead had mistakenly reserved in Maine.

"We've had whole parties that were booked in Maine but they were coming here," she said.

Tell me more, I asked.

Moran said 60 people arrived after a funeral for the collation lunch. That's 6-0. They had reserved the restaurant in Maine. They had even placed a food order for the group, as you would for such a catered affair.

"Our menus are very different," said Moran.

The Rhode Island Water Street Kitchen was able to accommodate the crowd. Every guest was welcome to order off the menu. That's going over and above on short notice.

Moran said they do their best to serve everyone, even in the worst of circumstances. She had nothing but sympathy for the organizer, who was dealing with the death of a loved one, she noted.

I'm wondering what the Maine restaurant did with that dinner for 60 they had ready?

I got lucky being able to fix my mistake. I'm sure all three of these restaurants save many people from embarrassment when they can. But with busy summer upon us, it's best to double-check before you make that reservation.