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No Smoking, No Trans-Fats & No Waiting (NYC Restaurant Related)

RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
edited August 2011 in Strut Central
Compared to the other parts of the world I've visited, Americans seem to take the least amount of time to eat a meal.

Apparently not everyone feels that way.

How about you?

Is It Time For ???Dining Time Limit??? In NYC Restaurants?

Zagat Survey Says 60 Percent Of Americans Think People Take Too Long To Eat

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08/24/is-it-time-for-dining-time-limit-in-nyc-restaurants/
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  Comments

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    No Cell Phones is the Next.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    man, if I am throwing down $10-15 per appetizer and $20-30 per entree not to mention a $36 bottle of wine that retails at the shop down the street for $14.95 I am damn sure taking my time.

    FOH
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    If servers were paid by their employers more than a mere third of minimum wage, maybe there wouldn't be so much pressure to turn tables over so damn fast. But then that's just the way the restaurant owners want it.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    When I worked as a server I hated the lingerers. They'd finish their coffee and had paid their bill but sat for a half hour just chatting away, and leave you 15% tip. Almost always it was Europeans. If you're going to do something like that then leave a sizeable tip, you are taking money away from a server who is not able to turn the table over. I don't really give a fuck about the customer who wants a time limit so that they can sit, fuck their entitled asses, they will probably be a pain in the ass table. I think the rule should be that if you have paid you have to leave promptly, but if you're having an after dinner drink or two, or a coffee or two, that's fine, as long as you're racking up the bill, but motherfuckers who just sit there sipping water and admiring "the scene" are the worst.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    See what I'm saying? Bitch at your employer, not your customer.
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    If at least one other table is empty I'll stay as long as I feel like. If the place is crowded and people are waiting to be seated, I can take a hint.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    See what I'm saying? Bitch at your employer, not your customer.

    The other side of that coin is that if you pay a server a minimum wage and they are no longer working for tips, then service goes down. Sure some servers will still hustle to make more money but you know a large majority are going to say fuck it I'm getting paid anyway, I'll get to your drinks whenever.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    One shouldnt feel pressured to finish, but this is not your fuckin' house. `
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    That's why I always eat at the bar. But seriously, I'm not one to linger but I can't stand when I sense a server hurrying me along.
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    I'm not one to linger but I can't stand when I sense a server hurrying me along.

    Pretty much. If I've paid for a meal I think it entitles me to sit and take as long as I like to wrap up what I'm doing and leave. I've been in some really nice restaurants before when the staff have actually started stacking the chairs around my table when I was only seated 45 minutes earlier. Either you want my service or you don't but once I'm there best believe I'm not going to take kindly to being rudely rushed.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    I'd guess a restaurant wants to serve as many entrees as possible and these 2-3 hour diners are seriously cutting into the restaurant's profits, not just the servers.

    The restaurant owner is between a rock and a hard place.....they can't piss off clientele by rushing them out nor can they piss off clientele by making them wait too long.....so I believe it should be the restaurant that dictates it, not a law or ordinance as some in that article are suggesting.

    I won't wait more than 30 minutes for a meal ANYWHERE.....especially if they don't have a bar where I can wait.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Junior said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    I'm not one to linger but I can't stand when I sense a server hurrying me along.

    Pretty much. If I've paid for a meal I think it entitles me to sit and take as long as I like to wrap up what I'm doing and leave. I've been in some really nice restaurants before when the staff have actually started stacking the chairs around my table when I was only seated 45 minutes earlier. Either you want my service or you don't but once I'm there best believe I'm not going to take kindly to being rudely rushed.

    My fiance had a table the other night that wouldn't leave. They ate and paid the bill. The cafe cleared out. They'd been there for a couple of hours at that point and were the only people left. Tess finished up, cashed out, and had her shift drink. They were still there when she left.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    Not only am I staying at the table as long as I want after a big meal, but I've gone and unbottoned my pants under the table.
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    Junior said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    I'm not one to linger but I can't stand when I sense a server hurrying me along.

    Pretty much. If I've paid for a meal I think it entitles me to sit and take as long as I like to wrap up what I'm doing and leave. I've been in some really nice restaurants before when the staff have actually started stacking the chairs around my table when I was only seated 45 minutes earlier. Either you want my service or you don't but once I'm there best believe I'm not going to take kindly to being rudely rushed.

    My fiance had a table the other night that wouldn't leave. They ate and paid the bill. The cafe cleared out. They'd been there for a couple of hours at that point and were the only people left. Tess finished up, cashed out, and had her shift drink. They were still there when she left.

    Yeah it's all in moderation. I had a couple of friends who used to work at a restaurant and we'd go visit them after the pubs rang last orders so that we could raid the restaurant stores and sometimes there'd be people who'd been sitting there nursing a coffee for a couple of hours so I sympathise with your other half. It's just the quick turnaround that irks me. As a smoker there's nothing worse than finishing a course and having the next one thrust in front of you before you've even digested it. Like to have enough time for a chat, a thoughtful cigarette and a bit more wine before I tackle the next item.
  • barjesusbarjesus 872 Posts
    Garcia_Vega said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    See what I'm saying? Bitch at your employer, not your customer.

    The other side of that coin is that if you pay a server a minimum wage and they are no longer working for tips, then service goes down. Sure some servers will still hustle to make more money but you know a large majority are going to say fuck it I'm getting paid anyway, I'll get to your drinks whenever.

    I don't think people tip based on service, really. Rather, we do it because it is expected of us. Even, when I get really bad service, I rarely penalize the waiter, but I'm less likely to return, which penalizes the entire establishment. I'd be happy to pay more for food and less in tip, if I knew wait staff was being fairly compensated.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    I just don't get the appeal. It's midnight on a Tuesday???you don't have anywhere better to be than a deserted cafe? You're not even drinking anything.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    Junior said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    I'm not one to linger but I can't stand when I sense a server hurrying me along.

    Pretty much. If I've paid for a meal I think it entitles me to sit and take as long as I like to wrap up what I'm doing and leave. I've been in some really nice restaurants before when the staff have actually started stacking the chairs around my table when I was only seated 45 minutes earlier. Either you want my service or you don't but once I'm there best believe I'm not going to take kindly to being rudely rushed.

    You are entitled to an extent, its just as rude to sit there for an hour or more after you've paid, unless you've compensated accordingly. Like Batmon said, its not your house. But I do agree that its very rude to stack up chairs if you've only been there for 45 minutes, unless you came in at 10:50 when the kitchen closes at 11:00, and you've been fully served in those 45 minutes.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    If you are going to give me chips and hot sauce to start off my meal along with a drink, give me a minute to eat/drink some of it before my enchiladas arrive...damn! And don't ask me if I'm done when I haven't even touched my rice and beans yet. Don't you see the fork still in my hand?
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    If you are going to give me chips and hot sauce to start off my meal along with a drink. Give me a minute to eat/drink some of it before my enchiladas arrive...

    ^^^This I agree with^^^

    Also....don't bring out my apetizer and my entree out at the same time!
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    And if you are going to keep refilling my iced tea glass (thank you, kindly), don't swipe my partially-squeezed lemon slice away so soon unless you plan to replace it with a new one. Shit, I might even want to clean my hands with it after I'm done eating.
  • keithvanhornkeithvanhorn 3,855 Posts
    a time limit would not effect me. i get preoccupied with people waiting for a table who stare at me while i'm finishing a meal (this applies to your typical over-stuffed byob, not a large restaurant wtih a waiting area). it totally kills the vibe anyway, which is one of the reasons i avoid those places.

    when i saw the title of this thread, i thought this was going to be about Cosi & Starbucks where people setup home offices.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    If you are going to give me chips and hot sauce to start off my meal along with a drink, give me a minute to eat/drink some of it before my enchiladas arrive...damn! And don't ask me if I'm done when I haven't even touched my rice and beans yet. Don't you see the fork still in my hand?

    That's bad service, suffice it to say that there are a lot of people in the restaurant world who don't have a fucking clue about what they are supposed to do. Poor training and poor management.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    double
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    of course there are extremes of bad manners as a waiter and as a customer, but putting a time limit on a paid meal is uncivilized. also, how often are there NO empty tables in a restaurant you eat at? if they constantly have this problem, they dont need to put a time limit, they need to brainstorm where to put more tables.
    in italy, it is absolutely the norm to linger, get coffee, talk (loudly), relax at the table and take your sweet time before leaving. and they pretty much do not tip at all. restaurant culture folks..."its not a fuckin mcdonalds" (quoted from my drunken coke addled Israeli boss in a table service falafel shop when id tell him a table was waiting for theirs)

    and a note on tipping, ive waited tables various times in my life and i feel that if i had to earn a 20% tip (pasue). cordial, attentive and patient. if i dont get a semblance of decent service when i'm a restaurant guest, i have no problem leaving closer to 15%. bad, shitty service will get closer to 10%. ok your manager sucks, your life sucks ,whatever...dont take that shit out on me when i'm here with a date and already dropping $75.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    doble


    btw...for those that like thai food. great new spot on 15th and south in philly. great food, good service and they didnt put me on a timer.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    DB_Cooper said:
    I just don't get the appeal. It's midnight on a Tuesday???you don't have anywhere better to be than a deserted cafe? You're not even drinking anything.

    Sayin, take that shit to a real bar that stays open late.

    Are you that oblivious to the half the lights off, no music, and no bartender?

    I have a personal rule. Never be the last one to leave a party. Leave the shit on a high note.

    Who the fuck sits at their own home dinner table for 5 hours nursing a warm Chardonnay?

    Eat, Chill, Digest and keep it moving.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    batmon said:

    Who the fuck sits at their own home dinner table for 5 hours nursing a warm Chardonnay?


    Italians and Cajuns...basically 2-sides of the same coin I was brought up under. Our meals on weekends could last hours upon hours upon hours, all at the table.
  • FrankFrank 2,373 Posts
    Back in Europe, I've been known to rack up more with after dinner drinks than what other customers spend on a meal... here not so much but if I feel rushed or otherwise experience a shitty service, not only will this translate into a meager tip and no return visit but I will also bust out that tax exempt card. You get paid according to what and how you deliver. This being said, I usually eat early to avoid the crowds.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I have eaten at a resturant that asked for cell phone conversations to be taken outside. Apparently people are fine with it - the place was rammed with a line-up.
    If I ran a place that was a few levels and dollar signs above your casual dining spot, I would probably do the same.

    There's a very popular Japanese tapas place in Toronto that has a two-hour seating limit; seems reasonable to me for the size, menu style and vibe of the place.

    I'm with Jonny - if I am paying a few dollars for my meal, and it is a menu that offers multiple courses, folks have the right to take as long as they want...without glares from staff and away from the eyes of those waiting for seats. I had the most delicious and leisurely meal with faux_rillz and his lovely lady the other week. That one can take their time over different plates and drinks with friends while other people run the show is definitely in the top five of life's luxuries.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    sabadabada said:
    If at least one other table is empty I'll stay as long as I feel like. If the place is crowded and people are waiting to be seated, I can take a hint.

    Agreed.

    And if I end up taking an inordinate amount of time, I throw down extra on the tip.
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