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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To book a table for 2

76 replies

Namechanger2735 · 15/10/2017 12:48

Rang a restaurant to book a table, I said "2 and a high chair" she said, "okay a table for 3 will be 19:45 at the earliest". I then went on their website, table for 2 18:15. I've never known a restaurant to class a highchair as an extra person, we'll still be given a small table that would be given for 2 people. No extra food will need to be made as DD will eat off my plate (and it's a carverh anyway!)
Do you think I'll be greeted with a frosty reception?

OP posts:
Original poster
Namechanger2735 · 15/10/2017 19:18

Arrived 20 minutes early and was seated within 5 minutes. No mention of only saying 2 on the booking and politely asked if I'd like a high chair. Actually ended up with a 4 seater booth

OP posts:
Seti · 15/10/2017 20:10

UABU to go to a Toby Carvery. They're absolute dog food.

kali110 · 15/10/2017 20:17

What about the double booking?

Redglitter · 15/10/2017 20:20

Why's this even an issue. You made your requirements clear. They said table for 3 as lots obviously they work. Why even give it a second thought it's not like you were being charged for a 3rd place.

The things people get worked up about
....... Hmm

Original poster
Namechanger2735 · 15/10/2017 21:02

I didn't double book kali I only enquired on the phone, and then booked online.

OP posts:
Lweji · 16/10/2017 10:50

I suppose the main question is why, in the end, the restaurant could only offer a table for 3 for 19:45 at the earliest, but then the OP arrived early and got said table.

Unihorn · 16/10/2017 11:07

Lweji
Most restaurants don't offer 100% availability online or they'd screw themselves over for walk-ins or come into massive issues if tables all decided to stay for two or three hours. If the restaurant was busy when the OP restaurant turned up then she could've had a problem but I assume it wasn't as busy as they anticipated.

Lweji · 16/10/2017 11:09

The 19:45 at the earliest was not online, was over the phone, as per the OP.

Unihorn · 16/10/2017 11:12

They don't offer 100% availability at all, online or over the phone. It's not like an airline where they over book. For a start if you fully booked your restaurant and everyone decided to not bother showing up you might end up turning lots of walk-ins away.

They might book their tables out for 75 minute turn times and the previous tables may have left in 45 minutes or not have shown up at all.

Lweji · 16/10/2017 11:31

It doesn't make sense to me. Will they turn people down on the phone, then? Why?
What if nobody comes through the door?

Sure, don't overbook, but why not 100% or close to it?

I can understand that there could have been cancellations, but I'd have asked them about it.

2014newme · 16/10/2017 11:33

You need space for the highchair that's why you need a table for 3 people.
When I was a waitress I hated it when p did thus 'table for 2, plus 2 kids and a baby' means you need a table for 5 people.

2014newme · 16/10/2017 11:34

Urgh, a toby carvery? I've always wondered who goes there for a heated up frozen dinner. Rank!

BikeRunSki · 16/10/2017 15:55

High chairs take up space. The space needs to be available. Sticking a highchair on the side of a Table for 2 may mean that it is in the way of a fire exit, or a heavily trafficked area.

BeyondThePage · 16/10/2017 15:57

Urgh, a toby carvery? I've always wondered who goes there for a heated up frozen dinner. Rank

How rude.

Some of us like a nice roast carvery - carved whilst you wait... how exactly is that a heated up frozen dinner?

KatoPotato · 16/10/2017 16:05

Wow 2014newme... every day is a school day then?

TheCatsMother99 · 16/10/2017 16:05

Urgh, a toby carvery? I've always wondered who goes there for a heated up frozen dinner. Rank!

Look, it's not great but it definitely isn't frozen! It's great when you're hungover and want proper food, not a takeaway, but don't want to cook.

Whenever I've been it's absolutely rammed in there.

StewPots · 16/10/2017 16:41

TheCatsMother99 absolutely! It's my go-to sadly when I've done 3 12hour shifts back to back without anything proper for the whole time I've worked (live on sandwiches and crisps) and am craving lots of different veg and something hot!

I prefer my own roast dinners but after my shifts I cannot be arsed to make one, I don't trust DH not to ruin it and there's no one else to do it for me, so a Toby is ideal...does the job I need it to do once in a while GrinNot sorry

2014newme · 16/10/2017 16:50

Yes all the veg is frozen

TheCatsMother99 · 16/10/2017 17:40

Doesn't bother me that their veg is frozen, I eat frozen veg at home and it's meant to be fresher than a lot of the 'fresh' veg you get from a supermarket as it's frozen as soon as it's picked anyway.

2014newme · 16/10/2017 19:11

Frozen roast potatoes, sorry no. I like freshly cooked crispy ones with heavy made from Proper roasted bones

Unihorn · 16/10/2017 19:12

That's nice, some of us just like to go somewhere relatively easy and cheap so we don't have to cook and clean up ourselves. The wonders of restaurants eh.

coldcuptea · 16/10/2017 19:21

It is standard in restaurants that a high chair counts and that would be a table for three . I have three kids and often make large family bookings. They include the high chairs every single time .

DailyMailReadersAreThick · 16/10/2017 19:35

Urgh, a toby carvery? I've always wondered who goes there for a heated up frozen dinner. Rank

Urgh, a snob? I've always wondered who's friends with them. Rank

ilovesooty · 16/10/2017 19:40

Have I missed the point where the OP asked if she was BU to eat at a Toby carvery?

TheCatsMother99 · 16/10/2017 22:17

Apparently so ilovesooty as they're certainly being judged for it.