Question: restaraunt wait times

[widebody911]

Last weekend I went out to dinner with the wife and outlaws. We were told the wait would be "about an hour" which I think in hostess-ese means "some time between now and when the sun implodes." There was quite a crowd already waiting, so we bailed, found another place and waltzed right in.

How long are you willing to wait for a table? I've found that as I get older, my tolerance for waiting for food has shrunk considerably. For me to wait an hour to be seated, the food would have to be fed to me by naked female Brazilian volleyball players using Christina Hendricks' rack as a serving platter.

[widgeon13]

If I have to wait more than 15 minutes, I don't wait. It's not worth my time and I won't go back. Some places will take reservations for larger groups. For me it just show a lack of concern for the customer.

[mossguy]

We don't go out to eat on a whim or very often so we make reservations at our three or four favorite spots (not all at the same time, of course.). No waiting. Otherwise 10 minutes tops.

[stomachmonkey]

15-30 minutes.

Really depends on day / time of day and what else is in the area.

Around here Thurs/Fri/Sat if you show up at a restaurant after 6 it's a guaranteed wait.

If the wait is less than 30 you stay because by the time you hit another place and deal with their wait you have burned more than 30.

[HardDrive]

Depends entirely on the surroundings.

Warm summer night, restaurant gives you a 'pager' to let you know when tables are ready, drinks readily available........I'll wait an hour.

Crammed into a space with nowhere to sit, pouring rain outside? 15 minutes.

[vash]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Depends entirely on the surroundings.

Warm summer night, restaurant gives you a 'pager' to let you know when tables are ready, drinks readily available........I'll wait an hour.

Crammed into a space with nowhere to sit, pouring rain outside? 15 minutes.

This. Exactly. Good places are crowded. I work the wait time into the equation. Good friends, good family and I can wait a long time.

[imcarthur]

I eat in a lot of restaurants annually. 15 minutes is my max. I have been known to get vocal when promises/reservations are not kept.

Ian

[gprsh924]

I go out to eat in Chicago a lot. If you don't plan ahead correctly you will wait at pretty much anywhere worth eating at.

I pretty much abide by HardDrive's guidelines. The most I've waited is two hours, but we had a large group at a hotspot. We went across the street to the bar and got drunk. Made the great dinner even better.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by imcarthur

I eat in a lot of restaurants annually. 15 minutes is my max. I have been known to get vocal when promises/reservations are not kept.

Ian

I've actually walked up to tables of people who I've seen pay the check but still sit chatting away for another 10 minutes and politely asked them to leave.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I've actually walked up to tables of people who I've seen pay the check but still sit chatting away for another 10 minutes and politely asked them to leave.

Wow, I'm going to assume that would go over much better where you're from.

[A930Rocket]

Without reservations, 15-30 minutes. I appreciate good food, but I'm too impatient and cheap, thus I don't eat out often.

[Shuie]

No. Unless I am a guest on someone else's reservation, or someone else who is paying really wants to eat there. There is too much good food here and real crowds are rare. I'd rather eat off of a good taco cart than wait. YMMV.

[Bill Douglas]

I don't mind waiting in the bar, in fact I'll wait all evening. Standing, umm, 15 minutes.

[lendaddy]

To answer the question...if they have a comfortable place for us to stand/sit and enjoy a few drinks we'll wait for quite a while. But ask me to sit on a naugahyde bench next to a sweaty 22 year old while he and his date fight the awkward silence....yea, not so much.

[Evans, Marv]

Usually 15 to 30 minutes tops, but I agree that sometimes you have to take into consideration the amount of time it would take to go somewhere else.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

To answer the question...if they have a comfortable place for us to stand/sit and enjoy a few drinks we'll wait for quite a while. But ask me to sit on a naugahyde bench next to a sweaty 22 year old while he and his date fight the awkward silence....yea, not so much.

you could feel up his date -- might break the silence


be aware that some places deliberately make you wait and offer you a comfortable place for us to stand/sit and enjoy a few drinks at very high cost...

[trekkor]

I don't wait.


KT

[craigster59]

Usually around 15, and I'll wait in the bar. Unless it's one of those "all you can eat" joints, then I'll wait an hour. Twist up and smoke a few in the parking lot and then it's "Game On"!

[aigel]

I don't wait more than 15 unless they have a pager that you can take for a stroll or a bar that's nice. We don't eat out often and have our favorite places figured out. If we travel and walk into a long wait situation, we go find something else. I get in a very bad mood if my blood sugar drops too far!

G

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I've actually walked up to tables of people who I've seen pay the check but still sit chatting away for another 10 minutes and politely asked them to leave.

Hey man. You really need to not do that. That's the nice way for me to say it.


In fact, if you did that to me, I'd immediately order a few bottles of wine and 5 lbs of peel-and-eat shrimp for the table.