Food
Friday, November 20, 2009
Secrets to get the table you want at any restaurant
user
With the economy so tight, I’ve been
cooking at home more and looking for
quick and easy ways to
get dinner on the table. So when I do go out, I want to make it
really count. I've found that where you sit in a restaurant can
have as profound of an effect on your night as what you order.
Facing a swinging kitchen door, being banished to a desolate back
room, getting wedged next to a cougar birthday blowout: a bad table
can really put a damper on your dining experience. But I’ve learned
that you don’t need to be a big shot to get the best seat in the
house. Here are some tips for scoring a coveted table:
Be Your Own Personal Assistant. When you call to
make your reservation, say you’re making it “On behalf of Mr. or
Mrs. (your last name).” Try to sound harried but polite.
The reservationist will take note, or, at the very least,
relate.
Be a Regular. Instead of bouncing from bistro to
grill to cantina, cultivate a relationship with a favorite
restaurant. Make a point of telling the owner how much you love
their establishment (and how the competing place next door has an
underwhelming ribeye). They’ll likely reward your loyalty with
prime real estate.
Bribe. If you're bold and somewhat freewheeling
with your money, the “slip the host some cash” trick is usually
quite effective. I never have the guts for it, but rest assured
that this practice is completely acceptable within the restaurant
industry. Just try not to be showy about it, and never attempt it
with denominations under $10.
Arrive on Time. This seems obvious (it is) but keep
in mind that if you’re more than fifteen minutes late, your
reserved table is likely to disappear. If you know you’re going to
be late, always call to alert the restaurant – hosts and managers
genuinely appreciate this.
Look Sharp. In our super-casual country, some people
consider their favorite pair of sweats perfectly appropriate for
more formal situations. Not to pass judgment on these choices, but
just remember that “your lawn” and “a nice restaurant” are very
different fashion moments. The front-of-the-house tends to give
high-profile tables to well-dressed
clientele.
Say It’s a Special Occasion. It’s best not to
outright lie about a birthday or anniversary – your waiter might
stick a candle in your crème brûlée,
which can be
awkward. But consider telling the host, vaguely, that the night is
a special one. Because it is!
Send Yourself Champagne. If you’re planning on
ordering champagne or wine with dinner, call ahead (as though you
were someone not joining the dinner) and say you’d like to
send your party a bottle of champagne. This puts you
in the category of people popular and influential enough to have
champagne sent to them—which restaurant managers love. When it’s
delivered, appear surprised but nonchalant. Bonus: your dining
companion will be thrilled.
Eating at your own table at home? Here are some delicious
dishes to put on it:
Steak Au Poivre
Coq au Vin Stew
Sweet
Potato Gnocchi
Easy Sole Meuniere
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Posted by Andrew Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:02pm PST
Send Yourself Champagne. Now that is one I have definitely never heard of! Nice...thanks for the tip...
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Posted by Jen Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:52pm PST
Anoter good one is go to the restaurant with a hospital mask on and have a big red sign that says: I have the N1H1, evryone will leave and bam! you sit where ever you like. Plus no tipping! Think about it, you will only see your server once so you wont have to tip.
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Posted by Georgia Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:57pm PST
So if you pretend your very important and rich you can have a nice table at the restaurant?
I'll give the restaurant hostess a tip, if you don't offer me a nice table away from the toilets and kitchen I won't sit down and eat at your restaurant and I will never come back.
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Posted by Rhino Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:02pm PST
Heather,
Have people become SO "full of themselves", that they have to have the "perfect table"? Just sit your butt down and eat the food!
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Posted by cs Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:16pm PST
Being a regular and knowing the staff by name will get you everywhere in a restaurant. Also, every table in every restaurant is numbered. Learn the number of your favorite table and request it with your reservation. After a few visits that table will be referred to within the restaurant as "your" table. If you go regularly you can eventually get a standing reservation for that table at that time and day (even your favorite server).
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Posted by mark Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:18pm PST
unless there are no other tables available , you can always refuse to sit beside the restroom or by the kitchen door . the hostess will usually sit you where YOU WANT TO!
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Posted by Cara Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:57pm PST
As a hostess at a popular restaurant, I can tell you from personal experience that we do not favor one guest over another in our seating patterns. Each server has a specific section in the restaurant, and we seat these sections in rotation in order to keep an even number of tables per server, as well as prevent giving a server multiple tables at once, which would result in a lowered quality of service. When people believe that we intentionally profile people and place them in a section accordingly, it offends us as hosts, because I pride myself in offering equal service to everyone. If you have a request to sit in a specific part of the restaurant, please tell the host right when you get there, and i guarantee that they will do everything in their power to seat you in that area. Please do not wait until we are seating you to complain about the area you were placed in. If the restaurant is busy, that may be the only table open. One more thing... if you see a group of open tables, do not automatically assume that you can sit there. The most likely explanation is that the section belongs to a server who is not scheduled to arrive until later.
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Posted by Chuk Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:59pm PST
This is ridiculous... Sit wherever they put you. Your food will taste the same. I promise.
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Posted by Craig C Sun Nov 15, 2009 4:01pm PST
what an idotic and meaningless article.
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Posted by alex Sun Nov 15, 2009 4:05pm PST
This is hilarious. I have been in the restaurant business for 10 years, mostly as a hostess, and none of these, except for the special occasion and on time suggestions, would make me seat someone at a "better" table. This is my suggestion: If you have been to the restaurant before, when you call to make a reservation, request a table by the window, or a booth- the host will do the best they can to seat you at those tables, if they don't It's NOTHING against you. It is possible that if you are a party of 2 and you want to sit at a booth, the reason that you may not get that particular booth, it could be for a larger party and it could be their special occasion. ALSO, a word to the wise...don't get angry at the host, they have a million customers coming up to them every 10 seconds asking for a variety of things. They seat everyone according to who came in first, who has a reservation, and if everyone in your party has arrived.
p.s. If you call to make a reservation and the host tells you that they have a 5.30 or a 9.30 opening for your party DON'T ask, "Really? Nothing at 7.30??" this is the most annoying question ever, if they had it available, they would tell you. They're not hiding reservations from you- they want you to come in- it just happens to be booked at that particular time.
*sigh*
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