I have never had this experience happen to me while waiting on others to arrive. I have always been seated.

Timbuktu does that even if it's a party of 2 and 1 person is parking the car.

There's a list in here somewhere, EL. Top Ten places that will seat you while you're waiting for the rest of your party to arrive.

I rarely run into that anymore. Perhaps because I don't return to restaurants that are foolish enough to impose such a rule.

I think its ok if only half the party or less is there, especially if the resi if for more than 4. But 3 of 4? That's ridiculous.

I agree, EL. This practice irritates me more than anything else a restaurant does on purpose.

I've run into that rule quite often, as my old co-workers and I often meet up in a chosen location for a little reunion. It's actually costing the restaurant money because, if we'd been able to be seated, we'd be ordering. Drinks, appetizers, etc.

Plus we block their doorway or monopolize the bar area.

captcha-mcmahon stimanga

There is a very high-end restaurant in Bethany Beach (one of 4 owned by a local guy) that does this and I will not go back. The table would be occupied no matter what, so I see no point if one person or a couple is not yet there.

I could see where this would be done so that reservations are not intentionally made for a larger party than is actually attending, to give the group more room. I could ceratinly see people reserving for 6 when it's actually only 4. That does cheat the establishment out of seating space, which translates to $.

This happens to me fairly regularly and I also get really annoyed by it. I don't want to wiggle my way into the bar. I want to wait at the table and not have worry about paying or transferring the bar tab.

The snooty place can can put a sign outside and direct you to the bust stop bench on the corner as the place to assemble before deigning to pass through their ennobled entrance.

Better yet, the party should arrange to meet and assemble somewhere else first... and then stay there.

Usually, I believe this is a maneuver by the host or manager to send you to the bar or lounge and spend money while you wait.

I've been in the restaurant business for 18 years and I barely understand the logic behind it. I'm not even sure the restaurants that enforce this policy understand why they are doing it.

If I had to hazard a guess I would say that the number one reason to do this would be to get the customers to the bar for a cocktail while they are waiting. The problem here is that you're forcing them to do so, and most people don't like to be forced into a situation. I'm not sure why a restaurant would want to potentially anger their guests. The funny thing is some restaurants don't adequately train their hosts to direct people into the lounge even if they are enforcing the 'incomplete party' policy.

Then you have the 'we don't want to tie up the table' defense, which to some degree I understand. The more unseated tables you have in the restaurant, the more flexibility the maitre'd has in terms of where to seat people. Here's an example of a situation where this would apply:

Say three out of the four people in the party come in, at which point there is a 4 top and a 2 top open in the dining room and they are next to each other; all other tables are occupied. Instead of taking the three to the table, they get sent to the bar. Before the 4th person arrives, another 4 top becomes available in another part of the dining room. The a party of 6 walks in without a reservation, and you put the 4 and deuce together to form a 6 and take them there, then take the 3+1 to the other 4 top when the rest of the party arrives. If you had sat the 3 right when they came in, you would have nowhere to put the 6, but since you stalled their seating you were able to adjust your seating strategy to accommodate everybody. But again, is this really worth risking putting the 3 in a bad mood because you wouldn't take them to the table? I'm not sure to be honest with you, but I would lean towards 'no'.

The last reason I can think of would be to 'train' guests into making sure their party is full before walking in. I can't see this working enough to warrant the policy, but I have no data to back that up.

I have no idea why this policy has become so main stream as it's clear that diners can seriously get turned off by it (as evidenced by comments here).

This happened to me recently and the establishment was less than 25% full. I was really annoyed as I did not see any reason to make us wait. It's one thing if it's busy, but it definitely wasn't.

When a restaurant host/ess asks me to wait in the bar, I say, "Sure, I'll go to the bar, but I'll just be taking up space because I won't be buying anything. Would you like to show me to my table?" It doesn't work every time, but it does often enough to make the gamble worthwhile.

Janoff sidewalk

This policy has less to do with generating an additional sale for the restaurant bar, and more to do with ensuring a positive dining experience for their guests.

In a fine dining atmosphere, being a server is an art. There is a sequence of events that need to take place in order to provide the type of service guests expect when dining at a nice restaurant. When a table is sat with 3 and they are waiting for the 4th, the server must come by and greet the 3 that have been seated, and then come back again and provide the same greeting when the 4th arrives. Oftentimes these guests will be on different drink schedules, need more time with a menu while others are ready, leave to go to the restroom, all issues that throw off the choreography the server has undoubtedly taken time to set in place to make YOUR dining experience a good one.

Remember, as much as everyone on this blog wants to think they are the only diners that matter, you are not, though it is the responsibility of the server to make you, and every other guest feel that way. Seating incomplete tables hinders the server's ability to provide great service to you, as well as all of those other strangers sitting around you that you don't care about, but they do.

Tell us, Adam -- are guests who are forced to order drinks in the bar less in need of a trip to the bathroom, once seated at your table, than guests who wait at your table for the rest of their party? Or do you avoid such a rude interruption of your delicate "choreography" by having all diners chained to their tables for the duration of the meal?

Admittedly, I have never taken the choreography of the server into account when being irritated by this policy.

EL, I think a hiccup in your argument lies in your assumption that 9 times out of 10 it is a very short wait. In my experience, it's more like 50 percent of the time that a party is split up for a reasonable period. The other half of the time, people just sit tight for 30 minutes or so, claiming all along that "he's on the way."

Also, many policies like this are particular to the restaurant because of location and the resulting clientele. I used to work at a particular Pratt Street restaurant that needed a number of policies that I otherwise would see as cumbersome, but because our clientele was always either folks from the convention center across the street or baseball fans on their way to the game, we had to develop a system of policies that benefited the greatest number of people. People were often upset about it, but it really was the best way, even if they didn't like hearing it.

That makes sense to me. EL

I really don't think it's so much "we want to compel you to buy drinks" as it is "we don't want you milling about the lobby, but also not taking up a table if you wont order for a half hour". Yeah if someone is parking the car, sure.

But I've definitely experienced like, the 12 top that is supposed to arrive at 6:30, then half of them don't get there until 7:00, and then yeah it does throw the plan out of whack.

Restaurants do run on thin margins -- there are restaurants out there that require a deposit for a reservation.

captcha= jimmies julie

I really don't mind waiting at the bar, but I hate the hassle of getting the bar tab transferred over. Considering the tabs at most restaurants are all computerized, this process should be easier than the restaurants make it out to be.

I favor waiting until the entire party is present. I'm sure restaurants have their own reasons, but, here's mine. In our group we have an aggressive couple who try to arrive early and commandeer the best seats at the table and then stage direct the rest of the group. I prefer we're all seated at the same time and can just duke it out for seating. Civil bunch....

ruth, if there's even one good reason to go out to dinner on a frequent basis with an "aggressive couple" who "stage direct the rest of the group", you sure didn't mention it. Why not just ditch that troublesome couple and buy some peace at dinner?

You must stand at your table until your entire party arrives.
Standing persons are unservicible and can be moved as necessary.

This has happened to me at Miss Shirley's, where there is no bar to "stand at" and order a drink while we wait.

So much for that theory....at least there.

RoCK, don't get the bar tab transferred. Pay it at the bar and tip well. News travels fast and the rest of your dining experience should be a good one.

I just couldn't pass up.

Captcha: I'm pelvic

We just spent the holiday with extended family, including a relative who will turn 90 in a couple of months. If we had been asked to wait for our table while the cars were being parked, she would have had great difficulty in standing that long. I hope that most places will make an exception for the elderly and the infirm.

What does it come down to? Choreography as mentioned and table revenue as well.

If I seat X persons at a table and they wait for Y to arrive 10 to 15 minutes later (say, they were trying to find parking) the the table already has their drink orders and probably know what they want to eat. Now the wait staff has to get Y their drink and wait for them to figure out what they want to eat - another 5 to 10 minutes - along with serving their other tables.
Do the math: on a 45 to 60 minute table turn, seating the party and waiting for "Y" as cost the restaurant (and the server) a table turn throughout the service.

Multiply this through the restaurant you the owner will lose thousands over the course of time.

If they whole party is not at my restaurant, trust me, another one is and will be seated immediately.

One other explanation as well: it reduces the amount of people wandering through the restaurant looking for their party.

Lastly, take it up with the owner, not the Maitre D' or host. Trust me, your screaming pales in comparison to the owners when we don't follow orders.