Food
Sunday, December 6, 2009
How to Get the Dinner Reservations You Want
partner
Dear BA Foodist,
When a restaurant's reservationist says, "Sorry, we
only have tables available at 5:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.," am I
being told the truth? Or, as I suspect, are they playing hard
to get?
--Reagan Sims, NEW YORK
Dear Raegan,
As someone who makes reservations on a daily basis and gets this
response more than half the time, I understand your frustration.
I'll make it worse. No, they are not telling the truth, but
that lie is one that must be told, and here's why. A restaurant
is a business and must make money, or it won't be around long.
Restaurants make money by serving as many covers (restaurant-speak
for individual diners) as they can, which is maximized by turning
tables (restaurant-speak for how many times a table is reseated) as
often as possible. How many covers a restaurant will serve depends
on the seating capacity; three turns in one night is very good.
The Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America.
One restaurateur I spoke to said as many as 80 percent of diners
request reservations between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. So restaurants
need people to eat early and late. It's also important to
stagger the number of tables seated simultaneously, so as not to
overwhelm the kitchen. However, bigger restaurants hold a few
tables at prime time for regulars, VIPs, and last-minute
walk-ins.
My advice: Be respectful to the reservationist-you'll be amazed
at how far this will get you. Ask to be put on the waiting list.
And call back the afternoon of the day you want to dine-there's
often a cancellation.
Related:
The 5 Things You Need to Know About Tipping at
Restaurants
More from bon
appétit:
Related: restaurant, reservations, dining out
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Posted by Linz Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:35am PDT
Also, feel free to take a later reservation, and show up 1/2 hour early. Plan to have a drink in the bar/lounge, and likely if a table opens up, the hostess/maitre'd will gladly seat you sooner!
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Posted by sava Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:53am PDT
what i hate is showing up to a place with a reservation at 7:00 but not even being seated untill 8:00 i almost walked out,and didnt give very much of a tip!
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Posted by LaLa Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:12pm PDT
To Sava: yes im sure it was frustrating to you that you were seated an hour later however its not the restaurants fault that guests at the tables took longer than an hour and a half to eat (which is the average turnover time) and its not fair to take it out on your server because you were seated late. Instead vent your frustration to the maitre'd , or if you are in a average class resaraunt then the floor manager and they will do what they can to makeup for it. i.e. free drinks , discount or free dessert. Dont meddle in your own anger. Speak up and give the restaurant a chance to make up for it.
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Posted by Ahleah G Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:15pm PDT
sava it was not your server's fault that you were seated late, so it's not right to punish them! You should have voiced your displeasure to the manager (or asked the server to pass your comment along). A lot of restaurants will send over drinks or an appetizer to make up for an unacceptably long wait when you have a reservation.
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Posted by Loyalone Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:59pm PDT
Lucky me! I LOVE to dine early and cuz of that, I hardly ever need reservations even at the nicer restaurants. I like to go for drinks and dinner right after work on Fridays. Service seems better then too since it's not as busy yet.
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Posted by Em Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:37am PDT
Actually, I work as a hostess in a restaurant and every single time I have told a customer that these are the two times we have available it is the truth. We do not stagger our tables. When you ask if there is anything else available it is a little annoying because the truth is, no there is nothing else available. If there was I would have offered it to you. It's not a game, just a reservation at a restaurant.
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Posted by frick Tue Aug 18, 2009 7:49am PDT
it takes too much energy to try and explain what goes on (and why) in a restaurant to people who have NEVER worked in a restaurant. they'll never get it. for some reason they always think were trying to screw over the customers. it makes no sense whatsoever. but that's just my opinion.
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Posted by Lizz Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:15pm PDT
To Sava: I'm sure your server wished you had walked out. It's not the server's fault that you weren't seated in a timely fashion and on top of that I'll bet you were an ass to deal with. Leaving a substandard tip after that is wrong. Next time take it out on someone who is actually responsible for your long wait, not the person trying to make you happy.
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Posted by Johnell Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:46pm PDT
I have worked in the service industry for 7 years and people like sava who take the blame out on the person who is not responsible for your reservation(server) gets the bad attitude and horrible tip. This is what I would tell you go to the the DAMN DRIVE THRU IDIOT!!!! You can have it your way and in a timely manner!
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Posted by another hockey fan Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:20am PDT
My hubby and I never eat after 7:00 pm. I always prefer to eat between 5 and 6:30 because I do not stay up late and even though I rarely eat until I'm stuffed, I can't stand going to be bed on a full stomach.
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