How do you save a table at breakfast? Row with other guest

[PJHarvey]

So you're staying in a hotel with one other person, and breakfast is a buffet where you can choose your own table. How do you save your spot?

• take turns going up to get food, so there's always someone at the table.
• both go up together but leave some belongings there, like a jacket or sunglasses.
• something else to indicate your presence (if so what?)

I had a pretty unpleasant encounter with a horrible man this morning over this, and am wondering who is in the wrong.

Thanks all. DH and I take it in turns, and I was sitting at the table on my own when an American man starts shouting at me (in front of his teenage daughter) that I stole his table. I asked what he meant as the table was empty when we found it, and he said he had folded his napkin on the table to indicate it was taken.

I've never heard of this before? Is this an American thing? We're in a European city.

He tried to get me to move, I refused, he then shouted a bit more until my DH turned up and he backed off.

I thought it was bizarre and incredibly rude, we didn't notice anything unusual about his napkin!

Take turns

Depends.

Had you already sat at the table and used cutlery, had drinks on it?

Or had you just stood by the table - left it untouched and then wandered off?

Normally in a hotel you don’t sit at a dirty table. If the table had no evidence of you being there then it’s up for grabs

btw - bet fre tip - if we see a table that we feel is really for us - we both go and sit down - then one get a couple of cold drinks etc - leave our jumper/coat on back of chair and drinks on table - works for us but we often go away short breaks outside school hols so relatively quiet

Terrribletwos · Today 17:01
You quickly go and get coffee and plonk it down with your bag and then go back to buffet.

This and cutlery and jacket on back of chair.

Yes, if you hadn't actually used anything at the table, I'd have just sat elsewhere. How was he supposed to know it was "yours" ?

He thought a folded napkin on a table indicated it was taken?

He's stupid.

Take it in turns

It depends on how busy the dining room is. If it’s very busy, we would find a table and one would sit down whilst the other goes for drinks, then we would both go for food.

Always take turns because bums reserve seats

Assuming you did one of your three suggestions, I think your problem here was the horrible man.

Or did he bag the table without giving any indication that he was using it and then get upset at your lack of psychic powers to see that the empty table belonged to the man currently standing by the conveyor belt toaster?

Was it the only table left?

I'll either leave something on the table or if I'm on my own quickly get a glass of juice to hold the table and then get the rest of my breakfast at my own speed.

If you are on your own I’ve discovered leaving a juice or coffee when you go to get your food means they take it away and clean the table 😁 so I always leave something like a cardigan over the chair or my bag on the seat.

Yeah I wouldn't notice a folded napkin. He sounds irrational.

That's what I was thinking although in my case DH is disabled so he's at the table and I'm at the buffet twice.

If I was on my own I'd leave something like a jacket on the chair or book where the plate would go that would clearly need to be moved in order to use that seat at the table.

This and so many similar things become much bigger issues when you travel alone.

Pubs are the biggest one. How do you go to the loo without losing your table and/or leaving your drink or belongings unattended?

I’ve been away for work this week alone and I grab a juice or tea and put that on a table with my keycard before going for food (provided the table is always in view, I wouldn’t leave my keycard out of sight).

never heard of the napkin thing.

Cross posted, but I don't think repositioning the napkin in a slightly different way is a universally accepted way of indicating that a table has been taken.

Leave a jacket etc, and get drinks first. Then go and get food.

They have a good system in many Irish hotels (not been to any UK ones yet, do self catering). When you sit down a server comes over and delivers your tea/coffee etc. to the table, then everyone can go up to the buffet. They will refill tea/coffee as requested. Maybe it's the same in UK.

Otherwise we'd put belongings on the table, or go up individually I suppose.

He was weird. You need to leave something obvious: jacket on the back of the chair, a drink, book, sunglasses. A folded napkin doesn't cut it.

I would go before I sit down or wait until I'd finished and go on the way out.

If it's quiet leave a coat or similar, if it's busy or you have to go out of sight of your table then take turns.

In Singapore I learnt that leaving a packet of tissues on a table is universally accepted that the table / seat is taken, unsure about folded napkins in America though.

If I noticed a napkin out of place but nothing else, I'd assume it was a mistake by the table-layer or had been knocked. I wouldn't see it as a sign someone had taken the table.