Restaurants where you can't book, walk ins only

[SomethingLike]

AIBU to find these places a huge faff? Also to feel they're increasing in number?

I know I can just not go- BUT my favourite restaurant (food wise) is walk ins only. It's the only place that does a specific dish I really love and in the past month I have attempted to go three times. So I walk into reception and ask how long I have to wait for a table of two. The first two occasions I was told 90 minutes. I was starving so went elsewhere.

Last night I had a plan. I work near said restaurant and was meeting a friend after work for dinner. She couldn't meet me until 7.30pm. So at 6pm I went into restaurant and asked if I could put my name down for a table for two. 45 minute wait this time. I explained I was meeting my friend at half seven but they couldn't give me that time it was 6.45 or nothing, so I went back at 6.15 and got our names down for a 7.30pm table. It was such a faff!

I know a lot of people seemingly don't mind as the place is obviously very busy but does anyone else find this an annoying policy, not being able to just call up and book a table for when you want to go?

I don't see why it makes you laugh curren. As you said all businesses have downsides and work to lessen the impact.

I don't like queuing so I have worked out a way to eliminate it. That's the same principle, isn't it?

I don't mind if it's the equivalent of taking a ticket and wandering off (they text you, like in that Jay Rayner review) but no way am I going to stand in a physical queue. I don't blame them for wanting to maximise their turnover but with technology there is no need to make people physically stand and it's a power play.

I go fairly regularly to one where you can book for parties of 8+ but smaller tables are all walk in. That does seem to work well and the longest wait I have ever had for a table is 10 minutes. Sometimes ds1 makes us go to Harvester and every time there is a wait of at least 20 minutes (nothing really but with three dcs in tow it feels like an eternity and it's often more), but there are always a number of different sized empty tables, so I don't think they have their floor running all that well tbh.

Texting makes things even easier for people like me to jump the queue HowBadIsThisPlace.

I turn up and ask for a table and they say they have one that's just paying and that'll be clear in 15 minutes. So the queue gets longer and people are waiting in bars and cafes waiting for a text that never comes. If there's a physical queue and someone objects they just say we were ahead of them but just waiting for a text in a bar around the corner.

Most restaurants do it. Unless you can jump the queue, don't queue. Either walk in and be happy to take pot luck or always go somewhere you can book.

I wouldn't go to a restaurant I couldn't book if I am taking the kids. But the fact that restaurants can fill up without taking bookings means there are enough people who will go, so i understand why they wouldn't bother taking bookings when it could lose them business if they are busy and full without!

Pain for us though. I met up with some family members in Central London recently - exciting trip for us but we needed somewhere we could go for lunch - 12 of us in total. Someone had recommended Giraffe as a family friendly restaurant but they wouldn't let me book - how likely would it be that we would get a table of 12 in a busy restaurant?? So we booked somewhere else. The other place took our credit card details and said they would charge £5 per head if we didn't show up.

I can't be doing with hanging about for half an hour waiting for a table with bored, hungry and thirsty kids!

We were told this at Nandos so just stopped going at busy times. Although each time the wait has been shorter than they said, but still a pain with a toddler! It makes good business sense, why introduce booking when they are always rammed at peak hours without it.

wonders why these restaurants dont book half the restaurant and have walkins for the other half. Take a substantial deposit if you get a lot of people not turning up and hold the table only for 10 minutes.

I just won't go to restaurants that do this. It's a waste of my time and energy.

I agree with that alreadytaken.

More restaurants would allow booking if they could take in advance not just some nominal £5 but their expected profit on that size table - probably a considerable amount, which explains the OP's problem.

Each restaurant chooses a policy that they think maximises the number of paying customers.
So, they may also not welcome bookings for only 1-2 adults with babies & toddlers.

Most of my fav restaurants allow bookings - certainly from customers who they know won't let them down - but also are sufficiently large to nearly always have a free table.
I never queue to eat - would ruin my enjoyment of the occasion.

I only queue at the magpie in Whitby and that's only if I can't get a booking. Think they allow 25% bookings and the rest walk ins.

Never waited longer than 15 minutes though - wouldn't queue for much longer than that and the magpie medley is my all time favourite meal and I only get to go about once a year.

Our local pizza express often has a queue - I don't understand that, it's nowt special.

We rarely book though, as usually just going out in a couple and like to be spontaneous.

ClashCityRocker

I LOVE the Magpie in Whitby. As you said though their queue is 15 mins max it's not a "go away an entertain yourself for an hour and a half and then come back and wait another 15 minutes" job.

I just hope this policy doesn't keep spreading it ruins the evening for me I like to know I can turn up to a restaurant and sit down straight away!

I can understand why businesses like it, always rammed, no need to worry about people not turning up, for those that walk away there are plenty more that will queue.
I personally wouldnt queue, but I think there must be plenty that dont seem to mind.

I won't go somewhere if I can't book. More than happy to book somewhere which lets a table go after 15 mins grace if no show. With a no book restaurant I just assume I'll spend hours queueing with no guarantee of a table.

Don't these restaurants push the problem onto others nearby? There must be people who say we'll go to X if the queue is short, but I'll book Y just in case. I've never done that, but the world is full of inconsiderate people.

I'm always amazed at the queues for Nandos. However I've noticed that the majority of those queuing are teenagers. According to DD they are used to queuing and don't mind as much as older adults probably would. I think that this means that they probably make less money per table though as if their customers are anything like DD and her friends they spend as little as possible.

I used to hate not being able to book, but since my BIL and SIL started their restaurant I now totally understand it. A while back on a Saturday night (bank holiday weekend) they had a table of 8 and a table of 12 not show up. They only have 35 covers so it had a pretty massive impact. It wasn't the firsdt time so they no longer accept bookings, some people don't like it, but they've never been left with a mostly empty place on a Saturday night again so it's working out better for them.

It is annoying, but I can see why restaurants, especially busy ones, don't do it.

the trouble is the restaurants where it would be most useful to the customer (busy restaurants) are least likely to do it (busy restaurants have customers right outside!).

I won't use a restaurant if I can't book either. I can understand why they do it, but at the same time, I don't want to risk standing around for ages or not being able to get a table at all. I'd rather stay home and get a take away

Last year a restaurant that we used fairly regularly stopped taking bookings. A little while ago they sent me an email with a discount voucher and asked for 'feedback'. I replied to say that we no longer used them as they'd stopped taking bookings. I assume they had a lot of similar feedback as I got another email to say they'd reinstated bookings

Some restaurants where you have to queue even have a Michelin star so they must be doing something right.

DH and I love this place: Barrafina