To be mildly annoyed that table hoggers spoiled our meal a bit.

[Corialanusburt]

Arrived at restaurant with booking for 1 pm. We'd booked a a nice table in the window. Four mums were sitting chatting and feeding their babies, they'd finished eating and drinking. We were asked to wait as our table wasn't ready.
By 20 past we were given another more cramped table as ours hadn't been vacated. Throughout our meal people arrived waiting for tables as it had created a domino effect of having to wait for a table that was allocated the the group after them.
The mums left about when we did, an hour and a quarter after we'd arrived having not eaten or drunk themselves in that time.
What is a restaurant owner to do? If he'd gently asked them to leave, they could have left a Tripadvisor review saying that the restaurant discouraged baby feeding. Does the fact that you're a mother of a small child confer mystical table rights on you?
I know how it feels to need a comfortable place and the time to feed my baby but was this not a bit over the top?

Our pub just puts signs on the table which say that the table is reserved from a certain time, but feel free to use it until then.

Often there are signs on the table that say "Reserved at 2pm" for instance so you sit there knowing you have to leave before 2pm. I think that's good practice as if you haven't reserved you take your chances and make way for those who did.

The restaurant should have reserved your table. I have been refused an empty table before because it was reserved later. I have also been offered a table with the condition that I vacate it by a certain time if I've particularly wanted to sit there.
When we meet up with friends and are likely to linger for hours we always ask in advance If it's OK to do this and if it's not we go elsewhere.
The restaurant are to blame not the mums.

Christ, I hate that. I don't eat in places without a decent gap between the tables

Don't go to the Oxo tower then! We ended up just chatting to the couple next to us as we could all hear each other because we were practically on the same table - Must have had a gap of 2 inches between our tables.

Yeah it's the restaurants fault - my friend and I regularly eat out at a specific restaurant and bar that is very popular and often very busy on a weekend night so you have to book in advance ... each table is allocated a 2 hour window for the table and on really busy nights they will make it clear on your booking that the table will be needed back by X time for the next booking (covers plenty of time to eat a three course meal without being rushed). If they don't need the table they will let you sit there all night with drinks but if they need the table and you have finished eating, they will come and ask you, politely to vacate the table for other paying customers.

My friend and I were there one night and somehow it ended up that we had orderd a second bottle of wine as we were midway through our mains, but by the time we had finished out desserts we still had about half a bottle left and were happily sitting, chatting over our wine. A waiter politely but very nervously came up and basically said "I'm so sorry to interrupt ladies but we're particularly busy tonight and we could do with your table. We don't want to rush you out but as you only have drinks, we have a booth free at the bar if you wouldn't mind moving over there?"

We of course immediately said it was no problem and started to gather our stuff. The relieved looking waiter said he'd let us get sorted and take our wine (in an ice bucket next to the table) to the booth for us (though I think he just wanted to get out of there before we changed our minds!). By the time we'd got across to the bar he'd not only set up the wine bucket but he'd also brought over nibbles and a couple of shots on the house as a thank you, which was totally unnecessary but a very welcome gesture and we left the restaurant later praising them for how well they handled it.

I was once with a large party at a restaurant where we had booked a table.

The people who were hogging the space had been explicitly told that they needed to leave by a certain time because of our booking.

They agreed, but when the time came and we arrived (including one person in a wheelchair and two octogenarians), point black refused to budge.

The waiters were really flummoxed and after 20 minutes or so managed to rearrange the seating in another part of the restaurant so we could be seated on tables that were more or less together.

It was very odd indeed and made for a very unpleasant start to the gathering/celebration.

There is another thread running here today where people are complaining about being given a time to return the table, and are stating its rude to expect them to leave after 2 hourswhen they want to linger as long as you please!
Your table hoggers are probably on that one.....

I'd have walked out. That restaurant should have made them aware the table was reserved at 1 and then asked them to leave.

if there's a booking at 1pm for lunch there's obviously no time for anyone else before that. If they got in at 12pm and had lunch staying till 2pm or whatever is entirely reasonable.

restaurant to blame entirely

I had a restaurant. We told people that a table was resvered but they could sit there until 15 mins before the people booked were due.

At 12:45, we would have reminded them we need the tables back. They would have been free to leave feedback about not liking mothers feeding. We would have just left a reply stating that what there were saying was incorrect and what happened.

A company that runs with the 'what if they lie on trip advisor' mentality is going to end pissing others off anyway.

We didnt worry about that and were still nimber one in our city for 3 years, until we sold it.

I (and my group of friends) was thrown out of a locally popular seafood restaurant twice because they needed the table for other diners. We had booked a table and only just finished our main course when the owner came over and gave us the bill before telling us that a lot of people were walking in looking for tables so we needed to leave.

We had wanted coffees and desserts but were made to feel so uncomfortable that we wimped out and left! The second time we came to the conclusion that because we locals had only ordered fish and chips, they wanted the table for tourists people who might order more expensive seafood platters.
So we never go back there now despite them doing amazing fish and chips, if I owned a restaurant I wouldn't want to piss off locals who keep your trade going through the winter.

Yes YABU. I hate being rushed over a meal that I'm paying for as I am sure you do too. The restaurant should have intervened or reserved the table for you before hand. It is not the group of women's fault. Why do I see so many threads on forums moaning about mum's and babies socialising? Should they all just sit at home until their children turn 18 so that they don't inconvenience anyone? Why should you and your party have priority over this group of women and their children? Get a grip. The world doesn't revolve around you.

Why should you and your party have priority over this group of women and their children?

OP had reserved the table. Why not save your ire for the restaurant, who could - and should - have handled this. If they can't manage a booking system properly then don't take bookings. I don't think it's the OP's fault to turn up at a restaurant having booked ahead and be a bit miffed that she didn't get the table she'd reserved.

YABU a bit

If you'd reserved a particular table the restaurant should have reserved it and not tried to squeeze in another sitting.

If the restaurant has no problem with people lingering post meal then it is not rude for them to stay, nor is it hogging.

No ire, here was just a mild irritation. Was the restaurant's fault clearly for not managing the situation.
That aside, it didn't stop me wondering what goes on in peoples' minds to sit for over an hour after their final drink was finished,oblivious to groups of people standing next to them waiting for tables.