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?

If the cafe/eatery didn't want families to sort a table out for themselves when they came in, there would be a hostess to take you to your designated seating. YABU. It is easier for families to seat themselves while someone from their party is ordering instead of each full table to queue for food. Yes, it can be annoying to find there is no place to sit when you've just ordered your food. But that's just bad luck/timing and not the fault of the other people who got there before you.

Summeraupair- your post exemplifies precisely that there IS a problem in many places!

What do you expect people to do if you have sold them a meal and they can't actually sit at a table to eat it?! Of course they will complain. And you should be complaining to your line manager that you are fed up with customers coming back to you and complaining. If all the front line staff do so, the chances are your management will get off their backside and sort a workable system- like the very simple and effective one described by exotic

*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.*

I have lived in this country all my life and as far as I am aware it has always been- "you grab a table and I'll get the food". I really don't recognise your model of a sad person with a plate of cold food being snubbed by greedy bastards blocking all the seats and ignoring them. It sounds like a scene from a musical, full of greedy villains whilst the poor hungry person is rejected and turned away.

When we eat out, DH seats the kids and occupies them, I get the food. If there were spare seats on our table we would always budge up and welcome a fellow diner.

No way would I risk myself, DH, a 5yo and a 2yo wandering free range with four meals and drinks and nowhere to eat them. I just wouldn't eat there and cafes need customers.

However, I do like the queue for a table idea adapted by Bath M and S as mentioned upthread. That sounds fair for everyone.

In ny particular cafe, the queue moves so quickly that it SHOULDN'T be a problem to save a seat, because you're only going to be waiting four minutes (my manager likes to get out his stopwatch and have a go at us if we're too slow). However people take longer than that to eat... I wish we could close the queue, but we do takeaway food aswell.

I did always believe (I think a pp said so too) that it was a kind of unwritten rule that if there's no seating queue or hostess, you save your seat with whoever you're with or ostentatiously dump some belongings on a seat. Therefore when people get angry with ME because they haven't done this, I smile sweetly, offer them a bag and get my manager to refund them their eating-in VAT.

...I do also get personally blamed for the mere existence of VAT but that's a whole other story!

The unwritten rule is to take a table when there are clearly people who ALREADY HAVE FOOD waiting around for tables to come free?

However posters try and spin it, its queue jumping and its rude.

And given that you dont actually have any food yet, you are not technically eating at the restaurant so stay the hell away from the tables.

I agree that some restaurants insist you get a table before ordering, but only when they are going to deliver the food to the table. As in - its not a self serve fast food establishment.

Etiquette in this country is in a slow decline :( I blame the parents.

The unwritten rule is to take a table when there are clearly people who ALREADY HAVE FOOD waiting around for tables to come free?

In that situation I'd leave the place and come back later

Etiquette in this country is in a slow decline

I agree but in this case you are commenting on a decline in etiquette that the majority of people don't seem to be able to recall

Thats ok Jins. Its not your fault you dont know how to conduct yourself in public ;)

Oh I see - your problem is that you are already hovering in the cafe clearly looking for a table and somebody else walks in and takes a table before you can get to it - well thats a bit like scooting into somebody else's parking space and is rude.

On the other hand, it would be ruder still to buy your food and then look around for somebody to evict from a table based on some rule that only exists in your head and that is not condoned by the owners of the establishment.

Ah but I do.

I leave the place if it's busy because I can't stand eating when people are tutting about other people's inability to follow rules they've made up

"On the other hand, it would be ruder still to buy your food and then look around for somebody to evict from a table based on some rule that only exists in your head and that is not condoned by the owners of the establishment."

What - when other tables are free? Ha ha no!

I find it weird that in real life the majority of people seem to queue and get the table after the food. (in my experience anyway) It's only a handful that rush over and grab the tables first. It seems to be the minority group of table grabbers posting on this thread. Very strange.

I have never experienced people getting food before having somewhere to sit. I can't understand that logic at all

Maybe you haven't been watching, caught up in the crush of bagging that empty table an all that

Agree with Sirzy- Noqontrol- I never see people queuing first. I am 42, so been knocking around a while, and everyone I know and see gets a table first unless the place is empty.

I can honestly say I don't know anyone who takes their whole party into the queue with them!

It is like queuing at a bar or getting in the correct lane early. These behaviours are polite and fair but once some people start to break the rules it very quickly disintegrates. If most people are not following the rules then those victims who still do suffer even more. ( so follow the crowd and look after yourself! )

That all said, I do like bars where everyone queues, they only seem to occur at holiday camps however.

I don't get it then. It must be regional youoldslag. Im 43 so similar to you, and what I see just isn't the same to what you see

Regional? I've lived in Wales, the South West and London and dined in the North, IOW, South East, and Cornwall. Don't think it's regional.

When I've got my food I sit at an empty table regardless of whether it is 'bagged'.

Why should I stand to eat when no-one is eating at the table?

When someone (usually a fat woman for some reason) says 'excuse me, I'm sitting there!' I just laugh and say 'obviously you're not'.

If everyone waited until they had their food first there woukd be a faster turn over of tables and more woukd be able to eat and sit down.

Members of a large party can wait outside or do something else.

When did people become so selfish.

An exception is when people have a REAL practical and logistic difficulty such as a lone parent with 4 under 5s, a pg woman or those with relevant disabilities.

I'm older than you both and suspect it might be regional as well. I've never come across entire families queuing for food before getting a table but having said that I never go into these sort of places if they are busy

Well, no probably not then. I've lived the north, midlands and south and still seen people queue first as a general rule. Whereas you see something different. But I take the regional comment back then.

Members of a large party can wait outside or do something else.- yes, like cows or something, herd them a round so they don't inconvenience oithers. How dare people have families!

Secondly When someone (usually a fat woman for some reason) says 'excuse me, I'm sitting there!' I just laugh and say 'obviously you're not'. "usually a fat woman?"??? WTAF?

Usually a fat woman?? Who you then laugh at rudely?

speechless.

I have travelled all over the uk and never experienced anything but find table, get food as the norm

Sorry Starlight, I have to ask, these large parties- do they wait in the car park until the tray carrier comes to the door and beckons them in?

Or the "do something else" bit- does that mean standing around in the cafe but not sitting or queueing or being in anyone's way or does it mean just going and doing something else instead of trying to eat?

Perhaps they could help evict the "fat women" you see bagging the tables.

What a strange world some people live in.

Well next time I go into one of those places I'm going to keep a careful eye on how many table baggers there are, how many people queuing first, and how many tables in total. And then report back my findings

I don't know why. I'm fat myself, but it is always the fat woman of the party that comes over. Maybe it is BECAUSE I'm fat so she's the only one confident to challenge me and my family tucking into our sarnies!?