Restaurant maître d' talking about us to other customers

[heynow1111]

Went out for a meal with husband to a nice restaurant and booking was 1.5 hours. I am a slow eater and we were having a lovely time chatting so I wasn't clock watching.

In retrospect Maître d'/head waiter was hovering when I was close to finishing and I should have perhaps read this as they were rushing us to finish but I was so enjoying the meal and company I didn't register at the time.

Finished meal and Maître d'/head waiter said (in other words can't remember exactly) "sorry I've been waiting for you to finish, I didn't know what to do". I know they said sorry but you know when from someone's tone they are NOT sorry and what they said was more to point out you had annoyed them? At the time I felt really awkward and embarrassed like I should have been tracking the time or something? So I apologised.

After this had happened husband said that PRIOR to this, he had seen Maître d' talking behind their hand whilst looking at us and saying sorry. So talking about us whilst we were at that point totally unaware we had gone over time.

I think this could have been better managed by when we were coming close to end of our booking, saying excuse me, just to let you know you are coming to the end of your booking as we have another table at X time? I would have thought oh sh** and rushed up!

I completely get it must be annoying when customers go over on bookings and it must be complex coordinating everything but i thought it was handled unprofessionally. Just tell us you need the table now/soon rather than talking about us behind our backs to other customers and then informing us after the fact that we had 'held up' a booking? AIBU?

Depends on the type of customer I suppose. Many of us choose to not gobble down 3 courses and a couple glasses of wine in 1.5 hours. Dining out should not be a clock watching experience.

Well, obviously, those who do not wish to make a booking for a restaurant like this would not make a booking.

OP made a booking for a timed slot in this restaurant. It wasn't a surprise sprung on her. She went well over her time, and inconvenienced another group of diners who had also made a booking, as well as the restaurant staff.

But everyone in the restaurant willingly booked 😂. Including op...
What you would have done or not done is totally irrelevant.

90 mins is not a long time for a meal in a nice restaurant particularly if you are having 3 courses and wine. I worked in hospitality for 30 years and I can tell you this is not acceptable even if you are running over. Were the restaurant prompt in taking order, preparing and serving your food as they cannot set limits on time at table but then be partly to blame for you being slow. They could have sat the other guests at the bar with a drink and menus so they could start to decide then a polite excuse me but your table is due back shortly so would you perhaps like to take coffees or a liqueur at the bar etc much more professional than hovering like a fly waiting to be swatted.

If not, if the OP knows she eats slowly and had no intention of complying with the time slot given (and it’s pretty clear to me she didn’t - she just didn’t expect to be called out on it), I don’t understand why she didn’t book elsewhere

Well maybe but it's still the job of the staff to make sure that the courses are turned over quickly enough to get the table back.

If they are keeping an eye on the time, they can speed up the time between courses or tell you you can't have a dessert because they need the table back.

It is really annoying to book for a certain time and arrive and find that the table isn't ready. That is down to staff though, not the person who had the table beforehand.

Not a restaurant but I remember being on a cafe where they took ages to take the order and then when they brought the coffees over said we could only have the table for 30 mins as it was approaching lunchtime (including the time we'd already been there, so about 15).

I left them a bad review. Fine to have a 30 minute time limit, not fine to manage it so badly. And not fine to make it clear when we came into the cafe at the beginning. But then so many places expect you to be telepathic, eg knowing if it's counter service or table service.

I don’t know what’s so hilarious about this to warrant a smiley! I totally agree with Cheesecakefiend that the duration of the time slot offered by the restaurant is inadequate. Of course you are going to take the restaurant’s lead on this! Or often the precise time allocated is played down when booking.

I get that restaurants are doubling up bc of the awful time they had post-Covid but it doesn’t make for a happy dining experience. I’d rather pay more at the outset for an unrushed table for the night.

It doesn't matter that the time slot is inadequate, or whether you or cheesecakefiend would have baulked at booking such a slot.

I would have too, actually.
But did book it, so needed to comply with the time restriction. What are you not getting?

Btw, op's dh was well aware that there was an issue and totally ignored it.

Yes but it sounds like there was a cultural
difference at play and op having just come back from abroad was used to a more leisurely dining experience. And sometimes, even when there is a time limited slot, the restaurant don’t stick to it themselves because they are late or they have a last minute cancellation.

Also, it sounds like the restaurant handled it really unprofessionally.