Restaurant Service Question 2

[Justin Thyme]

So what is your limit on waiting to be seated? Let's assume this is a place you want to eat and it is your decision, not your spouses or friend's call on waiting or going somewhere else.

Oh, and does offering $10 to the host move you up on the list or is that only in the movies?

[Red]

$10? Your joking right?


If we have Lil' Red with us we'll wait maybe 15 minutes depending on how busy the waiting area is. If it's just us, we will go wait at the bar then we'll wait maybe 30, depending on where we are at, how much we don't want to find another parking place someplace else, and how much we want to eat there.

[Dreamwebber]

I have waited an hour before but prefer 45 minutes or less.

[Milk]

justinthyme said:

So what is your limit on waiting to be seated? Let's assume this is a place you want to eat and it is your decision, not your spouses or friend's call on waiting or going somewhere else.

Oh, and does offering $10 to the host move you up on the list or is that only in the movies?

At Ed's, taking bribes for seating was a fireable offense, but I know that one hostess got offered $50 to seat someone once. That was when the wait was "officially" 2 hours long.

Personally, there is no amount of amazing food or service that will get me to wait more than 30 minutes.

[Justin Thyme]

I actually don't see a problem with seating someone ahead of someone else because of a gratuity extended. If they are willing to pay for advancement on the seating list then that's all well and good. If they get seated ahead of me and I don't like it then I should have tipped the host.

[atticflea]

Going out to eat on any other night than a Fri. or Sat. is gastronomically more civilized.

[LimitedRecourse]

Can't think of a place that serves food so delicious that it's worth more than a 30 minute wait.

[yankeestuckinsouth]

As a hostess (and a server), I must say that being offered a tip to "bump you up" on the wait list is rude. I have many other people that have been waiting on tables much longer than the "tipper" and it can be very difficult to deal with their anger when they see someone being sat quicker than they were. If customers go out to eat on a weekend night, they should expect to wait at LEAST 45 min to an hour (more for parties over 5). Call ahead seating, or reservations can always shorten this time. (Although, please be considerate and not call 5 minutes before you walk in the door and expect a table.) The normal dining experience takes about 1 to 1 1\2 hour and it is not the hostesses or hosts that can speed this up, but the customers themselves.

[Milk]

Table waits are shorter if the table ahead of you didn't want separate checks.

[twisted23]

so you'll tip the hostess but not the server?? AGH

[Justin Thyme]

twisted23 said:

so you'll tip the hostess but not the server?? AGH

Nowhere, let me repeat that, NOWHERE will you find me refusing a tip to the server. My tips usually exceed 20%. My tip might have been a day late at a lunch counter that I frequent but the tip is always there and delayed tipping at that lunch counter hasn't happened in 7 years.

Try to read what people write without a chip on your shoulder. Also try to understand that I will ask questions to promote conversation. That's part of my job here.

Now that I have that out of the way, do you see anything wrong with tipping the host for faster seating?

[staffsgtsbunny]

I guess it depends on the resteraunt and the circumstances for me. I make a point of it not to go out on days like Mother's Day because I know every resteraunt is going to be loaded to the hilt and a hell of a wait, and special occasion dates aren't my favorite either. I've also looked at the situation of a 30 minute wait as would I be able to be in my car and seated somewhere else within that amount of time or would it be best to stick around. It depends on how badly I want that resteraunt's food.

I will say that tipping a host/hostess can also get some customers ahead of you very angry. If you're going to attempt it, make it as low key as possible. In some establishments the host/hostess can lose their jobs for accepting the money.

[twisted23]

jesus christ justin. haha. i was being facetious! chill out.....there is no chip on my shoulder. it was a JOKE.

you people need a vacation.

[tncoaster37]

Actually you do have a chip on your shoulder since you demand that tipping is mandatory when in fact it should be voluntary based on how good the serve is. As in my case, I don't go to over-priced places where steaks are $15 and up.

[Kordax]

Mrs. Kordax will be officially allowed out of her prayer closet for a brief session at the Big River Grill today @ 3:15 with some of her fellow workers -- be sure to treat her like junk & crud so she'll have something tangible to complain about ....

[Laura Rice]

kordax said:

Mrs. Kordax will be officially allowed out of her prayer closet for a brief session at the Big River Grill today @ 3:15 with some of her fellow workers -- be sure to treat her like junk & crud so she'll have something tangible to complain about ....

Oh... You are evil!!!

[yankeestuckinsouth]

so you'll tip the hostess but not the server?? AGH - Twisted


LOLOLOL I found this hysterical after previous threads.
Love it.
-Your fellow BRHP server\hostess

[twisted23]

tncoaster....its time to pull the stick out of your smelly ass.....i never demanded a damn thing from you or anyone....dumbass.

[twisted23]

i'm glad my little yankee sees and understands my sarcasm....

like i said...you people need to chill out....drink a beer or something.

[Justin Thyme]

twisted23 said:

jesus christ justin. haha. i was being facetious! chill out.....there is no chip on my shoulder. it was a JOKE.

Oh, sorry. It's hard to tell sometimes.

you people need a vacation.

Yes. Yes, I do.

But tell me, do you agree with your co-worker about offering a tip to the hostess for faster seating to be insulting to the host?

I don't understand it making the people waiting in line mad. If I had been waiting a while in line and saw this happening it wouldn't make me mad a bit. It would make me want to offer the host money to get seated faster also. Do these people that get mad feel they are owed a free lunch too?

[tncoaster37]

Twisted, You have proven that you aren't that mature. No one expects a free lunch but there is no way in the world would I wait an hr in line at any restaurant. It doesn't matter about how good the food is. If I wanted to eat out and it took me more than 30 minutes to wait. I could have saved time and money by cooking my own dinner.

[tncoaster37]

Sorry about that twisted. Be forget the past post.

[twisted23]

no worries justin, it is kinda hard sometimes to tell on here if people are joking around or being serious...no offense taken.

as far as the whole tipping the host thing...i don't think i would be insulted so much...if i were in that position i would just kinda feel stuck between a rock and a hard place so to speak.
of course i would be tempted to take a tip. who wouldn't?
that said though, i would be worried about the repercussions. and by that i mean, i would worry about other customers getting pissy, cause in reality we all know some impatient people would get a little angry if someone got bumped up ahead of them. unfortunately, thats just how you see a lot of people react...

that is just me though...

and as far as feeling they deserved a free meal...you'd be suprised at how many people feel they deserve free "something" in a restaurant. its kinda silly. people will come up with the most feeble excuse as to why they deserve a free meal/dessert/appetizer....its kinda sad. ah well, such is the business i guess.

[Babs]

I would wait 30 minutes in the bar...be fine with me! I would never offer a gratuity for earlier seating. It's not a silent auction.

[Tsavodiner]

I. Don't. Wait.

[ScarlettP]

I don't wait more than 30 minutes. On the RARE occasion that we go out on a weekend night to a popular place, even my husband knows how to make a reservation. I've seen people become very angry when we get seated before them... but GEES! Anyone can pick up a phone.

If it's fast food, I don't stand in line more than 5 minutes because there's always another joint next door.

[Jay]

30 minutes is about my maximum. I don't want to wait any more than that.

[staffsgtsbunny]

I worked as a hostess years ago. People would approach me all the time with money in hand to seat them ahead of everyone else. Other people would approach me and give me an ass chewing because they were there first and they have been waiting and they didn't think it was fair that money talks, especially when it's against the policy of the resteraunt to take the money to begin with. I avoided all of it by NOT taking the money, and telling the customer accusing me of doing so that they were wrong. I took great pleasure in that, as a matter of fact.

Some resteraunts don't allow their staff to take tips for seating you ahead, so you could possibly get them in trouble, even if they don't take it, a simple offer is a reason for some managers to do away with that person......

I suggest maybe calling ahead, or if you want to go someplace special find out their "slow" nights. It would alleviate so much more. I realize here in Atlanta that's nearly impossible, but why aggravate the situation?

[Tookie]

I can wait for a long time if there is a decent bar and I really want to have dinner at that particular restaurant.

[Justin Thyme]

I realize here in Atlanta that's nearly impossible, but why aggravate the situation?

Because that's part of the fun of a night out in Atlanta.

I don't wait more than 15 minutes unless Stychen really, really wants to eat there. I also don't tip the host for faster seating. I call ahead or make reservations at the places that take call ahead seating or reservations.

Still, if I walk into a restaurant and I'm waiting and not tipping the host for faster seating I'm not going to get angry at the people who want to be seated so quickly that they are willing to pay their hard earned money to be seated ahead of me. In fact if someone does get huffy with a host over this I'm probably going to get involved by making fun of that person for being too cheap to tip the host.