"Pete C." > wrote in message
...

>
> Nope, not a valid excuse. If you have an issue with seating capacity
> resolve it, i.e. expand, do not ever annoy your customers with the not
> seating until the full party is there crap. This only makes you look
> greedy and give the impression that you think the customers are a
> nuisance and you just want to take their money and get them the hell
> out.
>
> Pete C.

The purpose of a restaurant is to make money. Food just happens to be the
method.

If you were a cab driver and were flagged over by two guys that gave you
that same story, would you sit and wait for the third party and not run the
meter while other fares were standing by that you can take instead? Of
course not.

Turning over tables is figured into the price. They may have two or three
seatings a night and if you just sit and take up a table, money is lost.

Expand? They should spend $10,000 to $100,000 to add more seats so you can
sit and wait for a friend? Where does the money come from to pay for it?
It has to come from customers that pay. The trick is to make you feel as
though you are important, but turn the table over and over as needed. Off
peak times when there is plenty of capacity, sure, sit as long as you'd
like. During the busy time, they cannot afford to do that. If you have a
reservation for 7:30, arrive on time, would you want to wait because the
party ahead of you lingered an extra 45 minutes past the norm?

Sorry, no sensible business person can allow valuable tables to be taken up
as a waiting area. They must make a profit in order to give you the service
you expect. Tuesday at 4 PM, sure, never on Saturday night at 7.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/