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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that this pub/restaurant was rude and out of order for telling us we had to rush our meals?

65 replies

CrystalMuffins · 21/09/2014 17:07

We went out for Sunday lunch today to a two for one place, cheap and cheerful but always lovely when we've been there in the past.

We arrived at 2pm and we were seated the manager, who led us to our table and sat us down, before telling us that we had to be finished by 4pm because that table was booked. I noticed he was telling every single other person who was being seated the same thing, this was despite there being other empty tables in the pub. That gave us only two hours to enjoy our meal and a drink.

We ordered out food and then had a 45 minute wait for it to come. I was about to say something when it finally arrived. We order at 2.15 and it came at 3pm. By the time we has all finished it was 3.30 and we wanted a pudding, so ordered one each. The manager was the pacing up and down our part of the pub, getting more and more visibly agitated because people were still eating . I should say that no one was rushing, despite being told we had to be out 4pm.

He and other members of staff were pushing what empty tables were left together, which made me think that they had a large group booking for 4pm, but if that was the case why didn't they just close off that part of the pub and sit customers elsewhere? They were too busy pushing tables together and laying them that they were ignoring everyone else who wanted to pay their bills and not clearing dirty plates up.

We finally left at 4pm dead on, and I noticed a large birthday party arriving with party bags and cake etc.

AIBU to think that paying customers in a restaurant, no matter how cheap and cheerful should be allowed to take as long as they like to enjoy a meal and a catch up with friends and family? That's it's not out problem if they have a large booking later on and should have closed off a part of the pub to accommodate them earlier on? I've never been to a restaurant and been told that I had to be finished by a certain time before and thought it was really rude and disrespectful.

OP posts:
NickNacks · 21/09/2014 17:11

Yabu.

You were told in plenty of time and two hours is plenty of time. Fine to complain about the delay to food being brought out but it's daft to expect they shut that side of the restaurant two full hours before it's needed.

edamsavestheday · 21/09/2014 17:12

If he wanted you out he should have made sure you were served quickly. V rude.

Dinnerfor1 · 21/09/2014 17:13

You are partly being unreasonable. I've been to lots of places where I've been told they needed the table back by a certain time. It is very common in busy restaurants. They told you this before seating you, so you didn't need to stay there if you didn't think two hours was sufficient. I don't see how it was rude. If you wanted to take your time and not worry you should have gone somewhere else.

However, it sounds like the service wasn't brilliant, and I definitely wouldn't have been happy at waiting 45 minutes for food.

Gileswithachainsaw · 21/09/2014 17:13

Yabu. You were given the option to stay or go. You chose to stay knowing you would have to be finished by 4.

ILovePud · 21/09/2014 17:14

Personally I think it's quite common practice nowadays. I think they would have been unreasonable if they hadn't told you when you were offered the table that their was a time restriction but they did and so you had the choice at that point to accept on those terms or go somewhere else. I don't think it's something to lose sleep over, I can understand that you'd wanted a more leisurely lunch but in future you can vote with your feet and eat somewhere else.

LineRunner · 21/09/2014 17:15

But they were trying to 'close off part of the pub', for 4pm.

A 45 minute wait for a pub meal is unreasonable, though.

OwlinaTree · 21/09/2014 17:16

I've been told that a table is required at a certain time, so we would need to be done by then. It's then your choice whether to stay. I would not be happy with the two hour window if I'd booked a table in advance, but if I turned up on the off chance I'd accept it more.

In that situation, where a whole section is needed, they really could have avoided seating people there if there was other places people could sit. They certainly should have been treating you better as paying customers, I don't think you'll be recommending it to your friends.

So YABU about the pre warned end point, but YANBU about the serving staff's treatment.

ILoveTurnips · 21/09/2014 17:17

I think YABU and YANBU Grin

It's ok for hi to tell you that he needs the table for 4, if you had prebooked the table he should have told you this on the phone. He was BU not to ensure your food didn't arrive in good time.

Stokes · 21/09/2014 17:17

YABU,absolutely standard to be told a table is needed back by a certain time. However, the restaurant should then serve your food in time for you to have 3 courses, YANBU to be annoyed about the 45 min wait.

Original poster
CrystalMuffins · 21/09/2014 17:18

Well that's just it, had the service been a bit more prompt we'd have been long gone by 4pm. As it was the service was very slow and there were several large groups around us who'd been sat there far longer than we had and they only finished and paid up shorty before we did due to the slow service.

I've never been told I have to be finished by a certain time before, anywhere. I find it hard to believe it common practice?

OP posts:
MrsCampbellBlack · 21/09/2014 17:21

It is common practice - we had this the other night, got to place at 5pm and told they'd need the table by 7pm - it was fine.

We ate quicker than perhaps we would normally have done but we hadn't booked and they fit us in.

WeAreEternal · 21/09/2014 17:22

YABU, two hours is more than enough time to order and eat lunch, they were right to let you know they needed the table clear by four, this is standard for busy restaurants with large bookings later in the day.

YANBU to have complained that the food took so long to come when they had made a point of insisting that you needed to leave by a particular time.

gincamparidryvermouth · 21/09/2014 17:23

I've never been told I have to be finished by a certain time before, anywhere. I find it hard to believe it common practice?

What kind of restaurants do you normally go to? Confused Turning tables is absolutely standard, I've never worked anywhere that didn't do it, and 2 hours is a completely normal slot.

45 minutes wait for your food is really poor but that's almost always due to a problem with the kitchen, not the floor staff.

HappyScotProudBrit · 21/09/2014 17:24

I've never been told I have to be finished by a certain time before, anywhere. I find it hard to believe it common practice?

if you don't have reservations, and you're dining in a popular restaurant, and/or at busy times, then it's very common.

WeAreEternal · 21/09/2014 17:25

Also, If you were not happy about being given a time to leave the table by why did you not say so and request a different table?

Original poster
CrystalMuffins · 21/09/2014 17:25

I go to all sorts of places to eat, and this has honestly never happened before. Maybe it's a new policy or something? They've certainly never said it in that restaurant until today.

OP posts:
TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle · 21/09/2014 17:27

It's fine to need the tables back by a certain time but then the service has to match the deadline. You should easily be able to fit in 2 courses in two hours if they're snappy about it.

I once ate at a london restaurant that took 45 mins to even take our order. When the next people for our table arrived, we'd only just been served dessert. They showed the people to our table anyway and made them stand there watching us eat our food. It was bloody awful and I'll never go back!

Viviennemary · 21/09/2014 17:29

You were told in plenty of time that you had to be out by four. But I think a 45 minute wait for a meal under these circumstances is poor. Give a report on trip advisor and don't go again/

BuggerLumpsAnnoyed · 21/09/2014 17:29

YABU. I work as a waitress and 2 hours is a standard/generous time allowance. If you are being accurate about how long it took the food to arrive then that is their only mistake. They need to take other bookings and they told you when you arrived which is fair.

CromerSutra · 21/09/2014 17:35

Fine for the pub staff to state you have the table for two hours, not fine if the service is so slow you are really rushed. We went to a restaurant once where they didn't seat us till 45 mins after our booked time and then by 9 pm they began conspicuously removing condiments from the table and making remarks about needing to close soon. It was a crap meal too. We never went back. There is a huge amount of choice where we live so if we receive crap service we just vote with our feet.

Original poster
CrystalMuffins · 21/09/2014 17:36

We didn't have a booking, just wandered in like we always do. There were plenty of tables, and it wasn't overly busy.

OP posts:
Lauren83 · 21/09/2014 17:38

Yabu

He told you before you ordered you could of chose not to eat if you weren't happy with 2 hours, I have never taken 2 hours to eat a meal either I think that's plenty

Topaz25 · 21/09/2014 17:38

YANBU. Even if it is standard for them to want the table back by a certain time it is unacceptable combined with the poor service and delays. 2 hours would have been enough time to eat if it hadn't taken them almost an hour to bring your meal! They'd have cleared tables quicker if they hadn't ignored people who wanted to pay. And the manager pacing must have made for an unpleasant atmosphere. If they keep this up then they don't have to worry about being busy much longer!

x2boys · 21/09/2014 17:39

Two hours is fine for a meal pudding couple of drinks etc I would have been happy with that I would not have been happy having to wait 45 mins for food however!

Bowlersarm · 21/09/2014 17:42

It has been common practice for years to let people have a table on the understanding they need to be finished for the next booking at a specified time.

They should have rushed your food through for you.

But YABU for expecting to be able to take as long as you like after being told at the outset that you couldn't.

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