On the one hand, what would a normal customer do if their steak was bad and the manager offered some restitution, such as "comping" it? It would seem strange if the customer said, "Oh, the steak was horrible but please, let me decline your offer and pay fully for it!"
On the other hand, when I had a friend accompany me to a shop dinner, "The breast bar" I told him not to complain incase we were not allowed to complain to management about our food. In your case, it worked out well, because you were allowed to complain and take compensation