It’s a tale as old as time. You walk into a restaurant on a Saturday night, about to check in with the hostess, when you get a call from a friend who’s running late. No matter, you think, you can just wait at the table. As the hostess motions for you to step aside, you discover that the restaurant has a strict policy about seating incomplete groups. What gives? While it’s annoying from a guest perspective, it’s necessary from the restaurant’s perspective. It’s one of those things restaurant owners wish you knew. A busy dinner service at a restaurant is like a well-oiled machine, but only if everything goes right. When you make a reservation, you’re usually warned that it will only be held for 15 minutes. That time is built in specifically to allow for good service. Each server gets 2-3 new tables every 15 minutes, depending on the size of the restaurant, and this system allows servers to give good service to each table, pace themselves, and help set a good pace for the kitchen. If your party is seated before everyone arrives, they have to serve you, no matter how late the rest of your guests are. Think about it: If you order a drink, appetizer, salad and dinner, and your friend shows up and orders the entire meal again 20 minutes later, it can throw the whole operation off. It also means the staff may not be able to seat the next reservation on time, or take a walk-in, and that’s real money lost. If your 6:15 p.m. table is 30 minutes behind schedule, the 8 p.m. party that’s scheduled for that same table now has to wait. Unhappy guests cost restaurants money. Plus, later tables mean staff is staying later as well, and in many cases that means overtime pay. So, if that dreaded call from your always-late friend comes in, just have a seat at the bar and let the restaurant move on.
