aibu to think people should qait to purchase food before sitting down at a table?

[Allthingspretty]

In the queue of a cafe where there are lots of signs asking people to show consoderation at busy times about sitting down before ordering at last three people blatantly sit at the remaining tables whilst i and others arw qaiting to be served.

Aibu to have said very loudly so that one part of the offending party that it was very selfish of people. The. Sales assistant said she had told people about this before and was shouted at.

I was made to wait for a table simply because people were being selfish.
Aibu?

I always grab a table first, who wants to be standing about with a tray of food looking like a spare prick at a wedding?!

I remember the first thread I read about this, the majority all said how selfish it was! Well first come first served...or seated in this case.

I had no idea everybody thought like this. Clearly, OP, you and I need to change the way we go about eating in cafes

The place sounds altogether too busy. Other than a bus load of people piling in, in most places it'd be quite easy to figure out straight away that there would be a danger of there being no tables available once you'd got your food.

I'd be going somewhere else straight away if it looked busy enough for that to happen.

if the thought of being Told Off for bagging a table curdles your insides, take a packed lunch and sit in a bus shelter

good grief!

i wait until have have food then sit, just manners innit

Well this is how I do it:
Enter cafe
Suss out number of empty tables
Suss out number of people in queue
If first number is equal to or greater than second number I stay. Otherwise I go elsewhere.
Works for me...

We are obsessed with queuing in this country! I hate hate hate standing, wondering around a cafe with a tray of cooling food waiting for a table to free up. If someone is there to look for one while I order, then great! I don't mind being labeled a table hog

bowlers i think so. I wonder howpeople would feel if somone was payimg for their bus ticket and someone barged in front taking thelast seat.

Would people be happy to wait for another bus or stand or would they say something to thatperson?

Begonia-no i wont change.

well it serves you bloody right then doesn't it!

I am often out in a group of 8 people including 3 pre school age children. If we can't find a table big enough for us all when we arrive we don't stay. I certainly wouldn't have all 8 of us standing in the queue without knowing we had somewhere to sit.

It is much easier for one one or two people to find a seat than a bigger party anyway.

I think YAB a bit U - if I was in a busy cafe with a group, I'd definitely make sure we actually had a table before ordering, otherwise we'd be stood there looking stupid with food and nowhere to sit.

Table service is good.

I always get dd to save a seat, I wish I could look at the number of free tables and the number of people in the queue and work out if there would any room left for us, but most places do takeaway too which totally throws out the calculation.

Yes - YABU.
I'm with the majority on the thread - if you are in a group, then the ettiquette is that some people secure the table, whilst one oges to do the ordering. You wouldn't want to be standing there with food / drinks going cold if there's nowhere to sit. It's the way it works.

Tbh it is every man for himself in these places. Who in their right mind would get food and drinks for their family without a guaranteed seat? No dilemma. Kids get seats. I get food. And

We very very rarely go to cafes but on the odd occasion that we have we get a table first then food/drink.

I hadn't even really given it much thought it just seems easier I suppose to get everybody sat down first.

Absolutely ludicrous to make everyone stand in line, or to get them to stand there like gormless cretins whilst someone in the group queues. Sit down! Easy.

I'm still on your side, allthingspretty.

No one has said anything to indicate that it isn't a selfish and rude thing to do. I still won't be able to do this myself, but I might glare a little less at anybody who does assuming that Thursday posting MNers are typical of the whole country. I still think it's wrong though. Next thing I'll be hearing is that it's perfectly ok to potter along at 50 in the middle lane of a motorway.......!

OP do you live somewhere where there is only 1 cafe. Like Craggy Island? Why not go to a quieter one. I would. Even though I don't agree with the cafe concept

Groups grab a table before ordering. Single people who can't reserve a seat get their food and then ask to join another table ( there's almost always a free seat just not a table to themselves). I think this is the way of the world and it works!

I don't think it's selfish or rude. It's common sense. If everyone done this there wouldn't be a problem really. If you're on your own put your jacket on the seat.

To all those who don't grab a table: do you really (a) have your whole family in the queue like lemons clogging it up? And (b) do you really order your food and stand there, like lemons, with nowhere to eat it clogging up the cafe?

Perhaps you are lemons. I wouldn't dream of ordering food with no guarantee of having a table to sit at (including sharing if alone).

Its not "selfish" to secure a table before ordering food. Its bloody weird not to. Which is why so many places ask for a flipping table number.