Is saving a table while someone else gets coffee/cake etc an ok thing to do?

[Eeepsh]

Inspired by the M&S cafe thread, I hadn't realised that one person sitting at the table whilst other gets drinks, wasn't the done thing.

We do this as my 86 year old dad needs to sit down, but I always assumed everyone else did it anyway?

Only way to do it and only way i ever see people do it. Madness to all go up together.

It’s funny, what seems obvious when you’re with someone else, doesn’t seem so obvious when you’re on your own!
Personally I think a much better system is table service, or finding a table and then going to the counter, leaving cost etc there. Thats what they do at my local National Trust place, because it’s very busy and I think it’s a great way to ensure that people have somewhere to sit before they spend money on food.

Coat not cost.

It has never once occurred to me that this wouldn't be fine. People on here have such bizarre views.

Thank you to those who have suggested how I might reserve a table when alone. I'll try one of the suggestions next time I am in a cafe alone. As most people in here have said it's completely acceptable I hope /assume nobody will be annoyed with me and nobody will sit at the table I've left my cost at.

It's fine, better than clogging up the queue.
If you are on your own you share an available table or go elsewhere. Bigger parties always have priority over a single person.

Generally fine, and always fine with someone who is unable to stand.

However I did go in a national trust cafe in Spring where the queue was long and slow. All the tables were filled with people saving tables while people getting served were unable to find a seat. Due to the length of the queue people could have been finished by the time it took someone to queue, be served and collect their drinks. That was very annoying.

I also do this and think it is totally normal. Can you imagine the queue if everyone in groups of 4 etc queued up together or stood at the sides waiting for a purchase to have been made?!

This. It’s really off in a busy Costa with a big queue.

Of course it's the done thing, why would you want a whole family in the queue?

In Costa most are taking their coffee to go it's impossible to know how many tables are needed from the queue.

In this situation in the past I've sat down at the 'reserved' table with my toddler. Nobody owns a table. And no, I wasn't going to reserve one myself with my belongings and risk them getting stolen or cleared away in a large city centre cafe.

I’ve done it all my life . I won’t be stopping now 😂

Good point @FragrantFinger. From the establishment’s point of view they would much rather the group of 4 or 6 be able to order and sit down than one person on their own or an adult with a baby who is going to eat food brought from home

Of course is OK. If you're single and one person says they're keeping seats for another 3 at a table for 4 just sit down anyway. Ridiculous. You've been served. Take a place.

What a lot of absolute bollocks 😂
My grandad was 88 and did everything independently including queueing up to buy his lunch if he was out and fancied it!

However I do think it’s fine to save a table. Why would I queue up to buy a lunch without knowing I could sit down somewhere and eat it?

It is generally not acceptable if it's not a place with plenty of seats and has longer queues.

You can easily spend 10 minutes queuing, if you spend 30 minutes consuming then tables are being occupied for 25% more time than they are needed. So they need more tables to accommodate people.

I get it though, who wants to queue and buy then fund there is nowhere to sit? But then there might be if people didn't occupy whilst queueing. Very difficult.

Some places stop you doing this during busy times, my local you can only access seats from the out bit of the queue. If you have a disabled person with you who needs to sit a member of staff let's you through the barrier.

Another person? lol I throw my coat on a table, I'm not wasting my time in the queue if I'm not guaranteed a seat. Survival of the fittest.

@devildeepbluesea but at Costa if you have the app you don’t need to queue - you can sit down, use your phone and then go up and get your drinks in about 5 minutes

Yes, it’s fine but what’s not ok is walking to the front of the queue to peer at the sandwiches and give the impression you’re going to push in front, just wait your turn!

Agreed! Everyone I know does this!

I do find it really annoying. I'm usually on my own in a cafe, and I can't save a seat and queue at the same time. It annoys me that people who are behind me in the queue will get a seat where I have to risk there not being one when I get to the front. I know it's not considered rude, but often I'll go elsewhere rather than queue up in such a place.

I think more places should do “table reserved” signs - one place locally does those and it’s great. Saves me worrying about whether my coat / book / other random item will be cleared away and makes it more obvious that someone is planning to sit there.

But, yes, absolutely standard to bag a table before ordering.

I agree it is normal and generally reasonable, I'm often on my own and use a bag or coat. The only time I've been caught out by it was at an outdoor coffee van, there were two picnic benches, one taken, no queue. As I was ordering my drink a family of 5 adults and teens arrived behind me and four of them promptly took the free bench while one waited behind me. It was a 6 person bench so I took one of the spare seats at the bench, they did give me looks but there was still space for them all so not much they could say.

I don’t understand the ‘I’m on my own’ brigade. If I don’t have an item of clothing I leave my bag and throw an eye, most places are small enough you can see it. I just take my purse with me. Never been an issue and I live in London.

I’ve also never been given an evil eye for doing so, people who claim to have experienced this must live in a town with only one cafe and 5 seats for it to be such an issue