thinking people should monopolise tables in self service restaurants when they haven't got any food

[workshy]

been out to Chester zoo today and had a fantastic time however we went to eat in one of the self service cafes, had to queue up for food for 15 minutes and then when we went to find a table there were none.

There were however lots of tables with one or 2 people sat on them with no food -when I asked if we could share there table we we told that the seats were taken by people who were still queuing for food and it would have taken us 10 minutes max to eat a bowl of pasta each

we were eventually shouted over by a very nice man who told us that they would be finished in a minute and he gave us his table

now I'm guilty of doing this in the past but now see the error of my ways -no issue with people sitting down to feed a baby while they wait for their partner, or people who are infirm sitting down to wait but these were people that just could be arsed

so AIBU to think that people shouldn't nick tables until they are actually ready to use them?

Yes...where do they wait?

This is a silly debate. It's table first, food second....every single time. I have three kids and I am NOT going to trail them along the self service with me, getting in everyone's way and making it all twice a difficult....I will send them to sit down and wait for me.

If anyone has a problem with that, they can write about it on piece of paper, roll it up, and insert it into their left nostril. I don't care.

I think there should be tables for those queueing with others, different tables for those who want to sit while one person queues, some more tables for those who want to BF, other tables for thosew ho don't want to look at the peopel BF, special tables close to the ashier with P&C spaces, right next o those soem with disability space, and a few tables far away for people without kids who don't like kids.

Sorted.

should keep everyone happy :o

*If you read the replies of the people who bag a table before getting their food, you will notice the tendency to say I, ME, a lot. Says a lot for this type of person.

YANBU. Stay unselfish. No one is asking large groups to queue, just wait for a table when they have their food. It is called waiting your turn.*

So sensible people who don't want their children and families to be a nuisance in the queue are now selfish are they?

Goodness me, there's a new take on things.

Next thing you know there'll be a thread complaining about entire families and small children in the queue when all they're buying is one tray of food!

WHY doesn't bold work? It should be *If you read the replies of the people who bag a table before getting their food, you will notice the tendency to say I, ME, a lot. Says a lot for this type of person.

YANBU. Stay unselfish. No one is asking large groups to queue, just wait for a table when they have their food. It is called waiting your turn.*

Aargh! Damn you ineffective emboldening feature!

I had always assumed it was very rude to do this when it was busy but fine to do when there was obviously enough room for others. This possibly stems from my mother

Now I am a parent myself when my one year olds are older and we are brave enough to take them out to eat then I'm guessing either DH or myself would have to order and the other find a table with the children- as another poster said, as most people do it there isn't much choice.

These threads get nowhere. I am like pictish - I do it and will continue to do it.

Exactly raindrop. DH occupies kids quietly whilst I fetch food. We'd get some really dirty looks if our 2yo and 5yo were in the queue and saw all the delicious things I DIDN'T buy them.

I used to work as a waitress in a similar cafe at a zoo (not Chester) and there was a sign asking people to make sure they had a table before ordering. This generally worked a lot better as people wouldn't queue up unless they had a table, and thus a table number.

I can't remember what happened about lone visitors though. I think they generally reserved the table with a jumper or something. You could also take the food away to the picnic area if you asked for plastic plates etc.

With 4 DC (5 when I am out with New Man and his 3yo DS), either I queue and get food while DC are sat at table, or if New Man is with me, he will queue and I will get a table.

It's not that easy to find a table that seats between 5 - 7 people anywhere, so if a large enough table is free, of course one of either me, New Man, or 14yo DD is going to grab it and start settling the younger DC's / find two high chairs etc. takes a lot of setting up for 4 / 5 DC!

And can you imagine how much room seven of us would take up in a queue, along with the resultant indecision of 5 DC changing their minds continuously over what they want to eat as all the food is in front of them! It's much quicker for everyone concerned, even other people waiting to be served, if I ask each DC outside the cafe what they wish to eat, then sit them down so they have no chance to change their minds!

If there is a family of four then I think it's reasonable that one parent and the DCs get a table while one parent queues.

I was at Chester Zoo on Saturday and a woman was sitting on her own with a coffee and cake right in the middle of six seats. She was there when we arrived and still there after we had queued, eaten and left. If she had sat at either end then a family could have shared the seats, but being right in the middle she made the rest of the seats unusable. That was being unreasonable.

In most places I've been to recently you need to give a table number when ordering food. I have to confess I thought it was the norm.

When I was taking little ones who couldn't be left at a table we always used to take a picnic or we'd eat when the rush was over.

Fine to reserve a table but if someone comes with a tray of food I think fine if they sit down at said table. Most fast food places do have signs saying get your food before a seat - it is usually pub restaurants that do it the other way round.

YABU

It is madness to queue as a group and then sit down as a group. What do you do if you then find that there is no table? Try to return the food? Stand next to a table holding trays for 15 minutes while your children sit on the floor/disappear into the distance/trip up people with cups of hot liquid? Squeeze each child onto a separate table? (Actually, that one could work quite well...)

if there were signs up in a restaurant/cafe saying "Please buy food before sitting down", I would obey them (but more likely go elsewhere if it were busy). However, as others have said, just because I am doing my own waitering, it doesn't mean to say that members of my party don't get to sit down before we eat if this is OK with the restaurant.

I can see that this would be annoying if you have children too young to bag a table and no other adults in your group. However, in this situation, I think its fine to bag a table with coats.

Anyway, YABU if this 'rule' is not enforced by the cafe, YANBU if there are signs saying you have to buy food before taking a table, but in that case you should complain to a member of staff.

The mcdonalds near us used to have a sign, "Don't have others stand and eat while you sit down to just rest your feet," If everyone only used the tables when they had their food there would probably be no problem finding tables to eat at at all. So IMO a big YANBU.

Well I disagree with the queue then sit system. It would give me "no-seat" anxiety and as others have pointed out, you can't supervise or run after young children if you are carrying a tray of hot drinks.

Seat family, then nominate a food fetcher, it just makes sense, it's safer, less annoying for people in the queue and despite what a few posters have said, it's not selfish. You are paying after all- it's not like your're asking people to give up their lunch hour or pay for your meal! You are entitled to a table.

...sit first and then get food. That's how restaurants work?

Doesn't make a difference if it's self service or waitress service it's the same principle.

Stop making up rules OP.

I don't understand why self service places don't just adopt the ideas suggested up thread. So long as the actual establishment adopts a system and publicises it clearly then there's no problem. I think the m and s idea of queuing for a table and only then getting the food is a good one.

Having said that, if anyone finds themself in the position of having purchased the food but unable to find a table Because people have already bagged them- there is a foolproof solution. Rather than getting into an awkward confrontation with people bagging a table, just return to the till and make it into their problem. In this type of cafe/restaurant you are paying to purchase your meal and eat it on the premises using their facilities. If you just quietly but assertively say 'you've sold me a meal in your restaurant ; now you need to provide me with somewhere to eat it'- you'll be amazed how quickly they'll jump. People who havent actually purchased anything yet will not be prioritised over someone standing with a tray of food.

I ignore queue and get seat after food signs. The self service cafe needs a workable system.

M&S only did in Bath because of the arguments - if you meekly follow the food then seat signs they have no need to change.

Exotic it sounds a good system And other places would do well to adopt it without waiting for lots of disgruntled customers first.
The problem is purely that you have groups of people doing things in different ways (and of course single people can't bag a table first even if they want to). End of the day, it doesn't really matter what the system is, whether food first or table first- there just needs to be a recognisable system so that the daft situation doesn't arise of people having paid for their food but having no where to sit, while people bagging tables are sat waiting for possibly another 10 mins.

YANBU

There used to be fast food etiquette in this country - you get your food before rushing for a table when the restaurant is full.

Now its all selfish barstards grabbing tables while someone else buys the food, leaving those already with meals to look on as food goes cold.

Fine when there are a lot of free tables, but out of line when there are none and the place is rammed.

I particularly like the parents who send their kids to do it, because they think their little darlings wont be moved on by another family who already have their food. More fool them :)

I asked them why and it was purely to get rid of the fights! They don't do it elsewhere - they obviouly need more fights! I was on my own, in the busy Christmas shopping period and it was such a relief!

I don't know how old you are looktoshinford but there never was this 'golden age'!