I understand an owner wanting to please customers and serve them even at the last minute.
The part I don’t understand about this thread is the assertion that “if business is slow, staff gets to go home early.” During my time in the business, no one ever, for any reason, sent us home early, even if we were just pacing around after finishing everything.
That reminds me of this scene from Undercover Boss. The heavy guy is a manager of a Hooters restaurant, the thin guy is the president of Hooters working undercover at the restaurant. (If you don’t want to watch the clip, the manager basically forces the waitresses to humiliate themselves for his pleasure in order to earn the right to go home early.)
You don’t understand about an owner wanting to save money in labor costs? Hell, my boss encourages me to send people home when we’re not busy.
Wiki says otherwise, and has links to various news stories at the bottom of the article: Perkins Restaurant & Bakery - Wikipedia
Back to the OP - even if you could somehow force a restaurant to serve customers who arrive at anytime up until the exact stated closing time, you wouldn’t be able to stop them from claiming to those last-minute customers that they had sold out of everything except, say, caesar salad, or something else requiring no burners, fryers, pans, or oven time.
Right. The places I worked were apparently completely unconcerned about saving labor costs and entirely focused on making sure nobody got away with anything.
Restaurants are open for the pleasure and convenience of the customers. They provide food and service, both of which quantities are in demand by those who visit them. Those places that treat their customers cavalierly, for whatever reasons, usually lose those people as customers. Those places that show deference and courtesy usually gain those people as faithful customers and in addition, gain new customers via word of mouth. In business, there is very little reason to be rude or to not bend over backward to someone who’s making a reasonable, although possibly difficult, request. And, in the event that some owner or manager does not have the facilities or manpower to do an adequate job, then the least they can do is to explain this to the customers, and in a pleasant and courteous way. Civility, in shorter and shorter supply these days, is never out of fashion, just endangered.
Off topic, but your story reminds me of an experience I once had.
I work as a locksmith for a hospital now but before I did I worked at a store front shop. We often got work requests from our state to rekey businesses that owed money to the government. Usually retail places but once we got called to rekey an operating restraunt. The state, per protocol, gave no prior warning so we were both entering the premises at the same time unbeknownst to everyone there. Full staff, full restraunt, etc. just prior to lunch time.
The state personell politely informed management that they were taking control of the property and that everyone (staff and customers) needed to leave because once the locks were rekeyed, the doors would be locked. We’re talking about customers mid-meal being told they had to leave. There were some pretty upset folks that day.
No, restuarants are open to make money. If staying open costs more money than it brings in, then it makes business sense to not stay open.
Fortunately it doesn’t happen often, but on occasion I send my employees home early. Although I am not in food service I can’t see it worth any customer related business to keep paying staff if there are no customers. The employees are usually thrilled to give up an hour or so pay in order to get home earlier and I am happy to save that money.
To me, I always assumed when a business closed at 10 they CLOSED at 10. Meaning if you want to eat, you are to have ordered and are out the door BY 10. Anyone that arrives at five minutes to 10 and expects a business to stay open an extra hour to accommodate them is unreasonable.
They make money by providing a service to customers. The way they do that will determine if they make money or go out of business.
And if they don’t make money by serving people five minutes to closing, well, there you go!
Regardless of your position, it’s STILL a dick move to go in right before closing.
Not by servicing ONE customer after hours. A customer like that costs you money and one a night will put you OUT of business.
Not really. There are all sorts of situations when that might not be true.
No one else? That is absolutely, 100% wrong.
Where is the lie, exactly?
I’m suprised so many people claim they never have sent people home early. At the lab I work at, there have been numerous times people have been sent home early just because there’s nothing for them to do. This covers both hourly and salaried employees. Plus I’ve often noticed smaller stores and restaurants will close early if business is slow.
If you come in with a friend 5 minutes before closing, you spend two hours there and your check comes to 75$. The Manager has to stay. Server has to stay and at least one cook has to stay, then he has to clean up. Safe to say that’s more than 75$.
I assume most restaurants don’t have union work rules to worry about. So couldn’t a manager serve one table? I realize it would still probably come to more than $75, but I’m just curious.
Worst story ever!
Theoretically I suppose he/she could. One of the roles of our manager was to fill in if say someone didn’t show up, or if their was a rush and the staff needed help serving tables etc. But if the staff was there they would rather and should be doing managerial tasks. Usually near the end of the night before closing he/she is counting and balance the night shifts sales with the wait staff, securing cash etc. This was the case for the restaurant I worked in. Mind you it was large and a busy one.
I’d imagine if it was a smaller mom & pop business they probably could send the server home.