# Restaurant Reservation--Seating one hour late? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 16, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310 "2022-10-16T00:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/41 "2022-10-17T17:05:42Z")
Probably more importantly in a crush, the bartender can sling you a $12 drink in a lot less time than the kitchen can put together a plate of appetizers. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/42 "2022-10-17T17:06:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Except that i have zero interest in free drinks, so you wouldn’t keep me if that’s all you offered. Likewise. I don’t drink very much - one a month is on the high side for me, and my partner doesn’t drink at all. But a plate of calamari and a couple iced teas might tempt us to stay. It hasn’t happened to me yet, but I have seen restaurants give people a gift card for a discount on a future visit - rather like airlines offering travel vouchers to be bumped voluntarily. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/43 "2022-10-17T17:10:29Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > The economics of restaurants are such that an items for cost should be one third of the selling price, so a $12 app should contain $4 of food. Yeah, that’s the same guideline I learned, usually price of menu item is three to four times ingredient costs. (The place I briefly worked at pushed more towards four times, but it was a bit of a sliding scale, with cheaper items being more 4x and more expensive ones being 3x.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/44 "2022-10-17T19:10:38Z")
It’s a sucky situation. I suppose if we left they were still owed payment for the meal but they couldn’t say we intended to leave without paying. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/45 "2022-10-17T19:15:27Z")
We weren’t actually planning on leaving. We were planning on trying to get their attention. And it worked. It was kind of the nuclear method, though, as we did make a credible threat of walking out if they didn’t bring us the bill. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/46 "2022-10-17T19:18:23Z")
Out of curiosity, was this in the US? I find it that at restaurants here, they’re more than happy to get you out the door and turn your table over. The only times I’ve had issues with getting someone to pay attention to me so I can pay and leave the damned place has been outside the US (especially when I lived in Hungary. We often commented on how we needed a flare gun to get someones attention to be able to pay and leave.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/47 "2022-10-17T19:22:11Z")
Of course, but what if no one came with a bill? How long should anyone wait to pay their bill and leave? Should I act the fool and make a lot noise until someone comes with the bill? That shouldn’t be the restaurant’s preference. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/48 "2022-10-17T19:28:09Z")
It was in the US. It was at an Indian restaurant, and we wondered if we might be missing some cultural signal we were supposed to use to indicate “we’d like the bill, please.” But I’ve been to lots of other Indian restaurants in the US without that being an issue. I have dined i in places in Europe where i needed to ask for the bill, but didn’t have much trouble doing so. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/49 "2022-10-17T19:28:59Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’m not going to beg Chez Trendy to not charge my card. “Chez” in French means “the place of” so I amuse myself by thinking of “Chez Pierre” as “Pete’s Joint.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/50 "2022-10-17T19:33:16Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I get it, restaurants can run behind, workers get sick or don’t show up, yada, yada, yada. Their response should have been… We’re running about an hour behind; it’s not your fault (duh). A tab is open at the bar. Have a few drinks on us while you wait for a table. Yeah, or better, there will be a appetizer menu there, order one on the house. But I would say one drink , not two. Cheesecake Factory deliberately makes people wait. > [@saje](#): > > If they have no place to seat you, and no free staff to serve you because of the backup (whatever it was), how can they honor your reservation? A place in San Jose mailed us a Gift Cert worth two free meals to apologize. I talked that place up, gave it 5 stars on several sites (the food was fantastic also). > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Except that i have zero interest in free drinks, so you wouldn’t keep me if that’s all you offered. A free soft drink will keep us there for a short time. A hour wait means appetizer _and_ soft drinks. (Okay, once in a while the wife likes a fruity rum drink and I an irish coffee if they make a good one, but it depends on if we are driving). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/51 "2022-10-17T19:39:37Z")
I don’t ever remember waiting anything extreme like an hour, but I’ve had to wait a half hour before flagging someone down several times, and once I was seated and had to wait a half hour (I timed it) before someone came to my table to give me a menu. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/52 "2022-10-17T19:40:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > and once I was seated and had to wait a half hour (I timed it) before someone came to my table to give me a menu. That would bother me more than waiting for a table. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/53 "2022-10-17T19:55:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Except that i have zero interest in free drinks, so you wouldn’t keep me if that’s all you offered. > > A free soft drink will keep us there for a short time. A hour wait means appetizer _and_ soft drinks. Well, it’s probably good practice to offer a drink at the bar. But i prefer to drink water, and I’m just going to be cranky. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/54 "2022-10-17T21:35:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Out of curiosity, was this in the US? I find it that at restaurants here, they’re more than happy to get you out the door and turn your table over. The only times I’ve had issues with getting someone to pay attention to me so I can pay and leave the damned place has been outside the US (especially when I lived in Hungary. We often commented on how we needed a flare gun to get someones attention to be able to pay and leave.) I feel like this situation happens when your current waiter’s shift ends. Your table might get reassigned to someone else who misses the notice and now there’s a table with no one serving it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/55 "2022-10-17T22:35:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The only times I’ve had issues with getting someone to pay attention to me so I can pay and leave the damned place has been outside the US Part of that might be that outside the US, it’s often considered presumptuous to present the bill before it is requested. Sometimes, you have to physically approach a server to request the check. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/56 "2022-10-17T23:01:01Z")
I mean, I lived abroad for about six years, so I know, but sometimes servers can seem like they’re trying to avoid looking at you or approaching the table. One of the things I like about dining outside the US is that I very rarely feel rushed. On the other hand, when you’re in a hurry and trying to get the hell out and can’t find a server, it can get annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/57 "2022-10-18T05:12:19Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It does not matter if a place is “trendy”. It matters if it is good. A good restaurant will remain famous and be full of people, therefore the importance of reservations. Sure there are always off-peak days and/or times of day, of course. I guess you’ve forgotten the Great Recession. You could walk into a good restaurant at high noon and it would be **at most** half full. Eating out is a luxury. The mere fact that a restaurant is good is no guarantee that it will be busy enough for reservations to be necessary. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/58 "2022-10-18T11:20:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > One of the things I like about dining outside the US is that I very rarely feel rushed. One thing I love about dining in the Caribbean, especially St Martin, is that you’re never presented with your check, you have to specifically request it. Sitting there, gazing at the sea, it’s easy to then order another bottle of wine. Two hour dinners are the norm. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/59 "2022-10-18T12:15:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > If they’re willing to offer free drinks presumably they’d let you get a free appetizer or dessert instead. Perhaps, but since we rarely, if ever, have either, that wouldn’t be an enticement. Even tho I’m retired, I do like to maintain a schedule of sorts, and delaying dinner for at least an hour would cascade into other delays. I make an effort to be on time for scheduled events or appointments and I expect the same from those who make the schedules. If not, I have better things to do that sit around and waste my time. Each to his/her own. My time is mine to manage as I choose. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310/60 "2022-10-18T14:15:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The place I briefly worked at pushed more towards four times, but it was a bit of a sliding scale, with cheaper items being more 4x and more expensive ones being 3x. It’s a sliding scale for a reason. A salad that has $2 in ingredients and a 25% food cost will net you $6. A steak dinner that has $10 in ingredients and a 33% food cost will net you $20. Appetizers are usually higher food cost, as they contribute to the margin of a table’s bill, or are ordered at the bar where people are buying the highest profit margin item in the store. And then there’s the fact that, if a restaurant is backed up, the last thing they want to do is to add more orders to the kitchen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-reservation-seating-one-hour-late/973310.md?page=4)