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?

Blimey OP you're getting a hammering 1.5 hours in a restaurant is no time at all.

Maybe PPs only have Pizza Hut and McDonalds to gage by?

Maitre de was really really rude!

You shouldn't have apologised! The only place I eat that has a time slot is a shitty all you can eat place and they make it clear when you book that you need to be out by such an' such a time.

What a way to ruin a night out. Wanker!

Such a positively British thread to be outraged at being in a restaurant for 1.5 hours! Hilarious!

OP accepted a 1.5 hour booking. It's on her to manage her time better, knowing this was what was agreed prior to the meal.

You have likely cost the restaurant a bottle of wine for the next table and the restaurants inability to provide the table as booked. I’d be grateful it’s not on your bill rather than whinging on the Internet that they didn’t appreciate you being tardy.

Ah take it back!! Didn't read OP properly. She knew it was 1.5 hours!

Sorry!

I don't have the luxury to eat out esp in nice places but how does one spend 90 mins on eating a restaurant dinner. I have no idea if you are unreasonable or not, OP but couldn't get over the fact that you couldn't finish your food in 1.5h.

I would say it is equally "passive-aggressive" to know you have a specific time slot and simply ignore that fact, knowing that it is going to be difficult for staff to simply ask you to hurry up and leave. If you want to have leisurely meals then you choose places that don't have time slots. Simple.

You don't actually know that they were talking about you.

I love how this thread has people who are outraged that you were only allowed 90 minutes and other people who are stunned that anyone could take so long to eat their food!

If you knew the time the table was needed for the next people you should have been finished and gone at least 10 minuites before. You were rude yes you should have been keeping a check on the time. Knowing there would be customers waiting. Providing you never had a long wait for your meal and had to rush your food.

If restaurants are in very high demand, they often specify (when you book) that they will need the table back after a certain time, usually 1.5 hours or 2 hours. Otherwise they run the risk of someone booking a table at 7pm, finishing their meal at 8pm and then sitting there chatting and making one brandy and a coffee last until 11pm - which isn't a problem on a really quiet night, but loses the restaurant a lot of money on busy nights.

You’re U and NU. If you knew you were on limited time you should have factored that in so you are U. You’re NU in that the waiter could have diplomatically said something.

If you couldn't make a longer booking, then you should either have tried somewhere else or kept an eye on the time during the meal.

@Neriah

I don't know anywhere (decent) in my city that hasn't adopted this odious time slot system. When I go out to eat I spend a lot of money on food, wine, cocktails, coffee, the whole hog. The relaxation, ambience and good company are just as important as the food imo. Sure, if you just want to scoff something at Pizza Hut then fair enough and sometimes I do. But if I'm spending good money I expect to be treated accordingly.

The thing is, maybe you wouldn't be bothered, but unfortunately there are plenty of people who would, so the poor man really couldn't win. If you had been half aware of your surroundings, you would have noticed him when he first turned up, checked the time and hurried up and/or asked for the bill so that you could leave promptly.

Time flies when you’re having fun. Talking behind anyone’s back is rude, full stop. Maybe you should have been a little more situationally aware but shit happens. Hope you still had a nice time.

Can't believe these responses. Restaurants turning tables is annoying and not customer-friendly. I don't want to eat stupidly early or stupidly late and as a paying customer I don't expect to be rushed. I'd rather they charged more! OP, YANBU. Sadly a lot of people working in hospitality seem not to know the meaning of the word.

But the OP chose the restaurant knowing there was a time limit, so how have you concluded 'YANBU'?

This.

You could post anything on MN and people would rush to say it's your fault.

Maitre D' is literally "master of"...their job, for which they are presumably paid, is to manage the restaurant which includes table occupancy. If they "don't know what to do" to manage a table of two who just need a polite reminder of the time, they should probably find alternative employment.

Obviously YANBU and should be glad you weren't out for dinner with some of the dull clock watchers on this thread!

Restaurants have to do more covers per shift to just break even in many cases, so many are going under. Shit happens? That's a big fuck you to the people waiting for their booked table and all the staff. I would suggest rather, Go elsewhere if you don't want to honour the agreed upon time slot.

A maitre d' should be able to manage this sort of situation better. Whatever the rights and wrongs of overstaying your slot, it's hardly masterful hosting to leave all parties feeling aggrieved about the situation.

The fact that the sector has been hit hard is irrelevant. I wouldn't accept a time limit and therefore would not give them my business in the first place. I give it to places that don't. And as a result I go to them more often. So they benefit from that.
I don't owe them my business.

if they served you wihtin reasnable time then yes you should hurry up

i once went somewhere with this time limit but they were so slow bringing our orders i atually said i hope youre extending our booking weve been here an hour with only one course they sort of looked shocked but said ok

She made a mistake. No point crucifying OP over it. You live and you learn.

Above was in response to @greenhydrangea