RESTAURANT THOUGHTS
Questions for you: You've reserved a table at a fine-dining restaurant and, as you check in, you're told your table's not quite ready. It's not quite ready 10, 15, 20 minutes later. And then some. At what point are you impatient? Annoyed? Exiting the restaurant in search of another source of nourishment?
Further: Do you feel entitled to some sort of compensation - a beverage? a nibble upon being seated? a please-forgive-us complimentary dessert? - if you feel the wait for a reserved table has been excessive?
I ask because I want to know how folks feel about reservations not being honored in a relatively timely fashion. I want to know how long a wait you feel is understandable and, if you're past the point of understanding, if you feel the restaurant should extend itself in any way to make up for any inconvenience caused. I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Now, onto other restaurant issues. In last week's Los Angeles Times' Food section (dated Sept. 12), Regina Schrambling tackled the interesting issue of modern-day restaurant criticism - to be precise, restaurant criticism Before Good (BG) and After Google (AG). Regina notes that Google has enabled zillions of Googlers to see the mugs of critics everywhere. Further, virtually anyone can set up review shop with a personal blog or access to a Web site, with many not following the traditional rules of anonymity and/or paying for one's meal when reviewing a restaurant.
The story bears reading by anyone interested in restaurant criticism - www.latimes.com/food - because it examines what's out there for food-centric folks like you to digest. The questions Regina Schrambling poses are excellent and the answers she receives from a range of culinary pros and amateurs fascinating. I'd love to hear your take on it - and also to understand what you seek in restaurant criticism.
cheers,
Andy
9.18.07
Further: Do you feel entitled to some sort of compensation - a beverage? a nibble upon being seated? a please-forgive-us complimentary dessert? - if you feel the wait for a reserved table has been excessive?
I ask because I want to know how folks feel about reservations not being honored in a relatively timely fashion. I want to know how long a wait you feel is understandable and, if you're past the point of understanding, if you feel the restaurant should extend itself in any way to make up for any inconvenience caused. I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Now, onto other restaurant issues. In last week's Los Angeles Times' Food section (dated Sept. 12), Regina Schrambling tackled the interesting issue of modern-day restaurant criticism - to be precise, restaurant criticism Before Good (BG) and After Google (AG). Regina notes that Google has enabled zillions of Googlers to see the mugs of critics everywhere. Further, virtually anyone can set up review shop with a personal blog or access to a Web site, with many not following the traditional rules of anonymity and/or paying for one's meal when reviewing a restaurant.
The story bears reading by anyone interested in restaurant criticism - www.latimes.com/food - because it examines what's out there for food-centric folks like you to digest. The questions Regina Schrambling poses are excellent and the answers she receives from a range of culinary pros and amateurs fascinating. I'd love to hear your take on it - and also to understand what you seek in restaurant criticism.
cheers,
Andy
9.18.07
posted by Andrea Clurfeld at 11:57 AM
9 Comments:
After 15 minutes, a guest should be offered a drink and an apology. Nothing longer than 15 minutes is acceptable business practice. I'd leave after that time. If you're waiting more than 30 minutes, the restaurant is obligated to comp your appetizers or deserts since you're going to be paying a sitter more money very likely or somehow else ruining your night.
I see this as overbooking like an airline and when they overbook they compensate.
How about the flip side of the coin?
How long should restaurant hold a table for someone that is late or a no show? How about a restaurant charging a little "compensation" for every 5 minutes a guest is late? Maybe people would show up on time?
When you reserve a table for a meal at a restaurant, you enter into a contract, both diner and restaurant. Both parties must deliver. The restaurant does have other options in other customers. The diner with a set time frame for dinner that might include a baby sitter on the clock has fewer options in terms of time. We have three children and can't go out to restaurants making us wait ninety minutes for a table or even thirty. On this I agree with Matt.
I believe both sides should honor their part and that if the diner is late, he should call so the restaurant can make adjustments and if the restaurant is late the restaurant should make adjustments to the diner's bill. Restaurants are in the business of being hospitable and accommodating and should be professional enough to keep on schedule.
Restaurants have the option as many exercise of telling diners that if they are more than 15 minutes late they will lose their table. What's wrong with this? Nothing and it's widely done. But what does a diner do when the table is not ready after a half hour or even more? Good restaurants make up for causing diners to wait. Good diners get there on time or call.
My experience is that restaurants that regularly keep their customers waiting eventually end up waiting for customers to walk in.
I wonder why Andy asked us this question and am WAITING eagerly to read why.
How about this.....the fact that
you are waiting is because the reservation before you is still sitting there??? so when you sit down do you want to be rushed??? when you are spending money there just because some one has that table when you are done???..I think not you really dont care if that table has another reservation behind you ..you are out to have a good time not a time limit...thats is the problem folks you just dont get it...oh yeah I held a table for two hours last night for a reservation and guess what NO SHOW
thanks...so would like when someone
tells you to get up because your time is up for that table??? oh and by the way i give 3 hours to eat and they still sit there backing up everything...just my two cents...great topic though
A better spin on this is the 90 minute time limit for some Shore eateries that will remain nameless (it was mentioned in a prior post)...
15 minutes is common accepted range...if you can't deal with delays, don't go out OR book a table when the place opens, then you and the other early birds can chow down and leave at your leisure.
But be real, going out at 8pm on a Saturday at a hotspot doesn't allow for machine like precision in seating.
Deal with it!
I have worked at several restaurants and know that poor management is most often the cause for reservation delays. Tables linger but that is to be expected and factored in to the way reservations are timed by the MANAGEMENT of the restaurant. When the diner makes a reservation, it is reasonable to be expected to be seated within 15 minutes of that time. At the good restaurants I worked at, the reservations were taken to allow for lingering and celebrations and the like. At the bad restaurants, there was routine overbooking and people were made to wait like captives.
Unprofessionalism is rampant in the industry however and it does not surprise me that some people posting here, clearly from restaurants who do not care about diners, only their profits, think it shold be expected that you wait for your reserved table on a Saturday night.
Name your restaurant please so we who honor our reservation by arriving on time can avoid your restaurant. You are the ones who need to learn to "DEAL" with doing business fair and square.
A certain Pt. Pleasant restaurant should be so nice when they make people wait … We did go on a Saturday night, but it was September and there were mostly locals out and about. We put our name in and waited, and waited, and waited. The response we got when asked why it was taking so long was that a group of four had our table and they were sitting talking. They had their dinner, dessert, and paid the check. but were just sitting there. We waited almost 2 hours and they gave us bread. Bread and kiddy cups for our wine. We finally told them we were leaving because they couldn’t tell the party of 4 to please move to the bar or to the patio … they just said, “O.K., sorry.” That was it. And that is the last time we will ever go there again. Some advice from my friend, the ex-waitress … you can politely tell someone to move to the bar because people do understand when there are like fifty people waiting outside for a table. It’s just crazy – they lost a lot of money from a group of people who were ready to get their food stoned. ;)
Your wait at Antonetta's was inexcusable and I wonder why you waited. You could have been at Blue less than 15 minutes into your wait!!!
Joking aside, if that had been me I would have expressed outrage and spread the word that basic courtesy is not to be found at Antonetta's. There are people who are not out dining all the time, just for special occasions. If this had been a couple's anniversary or birthday celebration, it would have been ruined.
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