Was it unreasonable to take the table

[user17382]

Out with Dm today and my young DC's. There is a particular cafe that we really like and hadn't visited for a while. Went in and there were not tables so we said we would do some more shopping and then come back to see if any were free. Went back about 30 mins later and we see a table of 4. So we went straight to it and sat down/took coats off etc and went up to order.

At this point we realised a couple at the counter were complaining about us to the waitress. Apparently they had been about to sit at our table and as it was the last one available in there they now had nowhere to sit. Staff were very good and moved things around to get them some chairs but they spent the whole time in there tutting and giving us dirty looks.

My logic is that when going in to somewhere busy we always find a table first and then order. If we waited in line with the kids and then went to find a table and couldn't get one we would be stuck as the kids are too young to take the food or drink as takeout. But then I did feel really uncomfortable and that maybe we did something wrong.

Yes @Fallenangelofthenorth it's Jim from FridayNight Dinner!!!!!

He'd insert himself into the 4 th chair in a group of 3 friends! Love it.

It never happens in RL! No one wants to be that person either.

You don't have to be a mind reader to know that people in the queue are going to want a seat.

That's weaponised incompetence

Cool. Tell that to the nearly 500 agreeing 😂

Buzzword bingo ding ding ding!

*You don't have to be a mind reader to know that people in the queue are going to want a seat.

That's weaponised incompetence*

You do have to be a mind reader to know that they haven't already got one 😉

There's so much mind reading required with " food first."

I mean OP didn't read the minds of the couple in the queue and look what happened there.

I think that's why food first is turning out to be so niche.

Whereas two people both queuing rather than one of them sitting at a table to ensure they have somewhere to eat is competence in the extreme is it?

*You don't have to be a mind reader to know that people in the queue are going to want a seat.

That's weaponised incompetence**

Tbh every customer will want a seat, cos it's a cafe 🤷‍♀️Doesn't really help though does it?

Yabu It's basically queue jumping in my opinion.

Common sense would say they’d already have one. How is the OP not to know the couple in the queue aren’t getting food for the women and children on table B? How is she to know they’re not getting a takeaway?

If a couple both queue up for food instead of one of them sitting at a free table, they’re the incompetent ones. The majority of people find a table then get the food.

It’s not queue jumping!

This is the scene…

Woman and family walk into a cafe to eat, she sees an EMPTY table. Now, to eat in, in this cafe you need to sit at a table, and here is an empty table. No one is on it, no bags, coats etc. She sits at a table no one else has physically claimed or said they wanted (and not being psychic she is not to know others thoughts)

Now, there are people queuing, but we don’t normally have to do any mental gymnastics when out for some food, but they could be getting take out, they could be with another table, but what OP knows they didn’t do, is claim the table in any way. She sat at an empty table to be able to order food. If she had ordered food, the other couple would have taken the table, leaving her without a table and a load of food/drinks. That would make her a fool. She wasn’t a fool, she took an empty table so she could eat food at it. She needed the table first though, and she got it.

They're not "invading your space and conversations" . There's no need to be such a drama queen.

I'd put money on the venn diagram of people who get a fit of the vapours at sharing a table matching the venn diagram of the sort of person who huffs and puffs, usually sighing deeply about having to move their bag.

I really couldn't imagine being so rude in real life that if there was a free space at a table and I saw someone without a space , NOT, offering to share.

The mental gymnastics there in making up reasons to hog tables are quite impressive.

I'd put my headphones in and listen to pleasant music or a podcast. Ive welcomed people to share "my space" - as you put it - when they've been without space in a cafe, and shared wonderful conversations with them & met some really interesting people.

The mental gymnastics there in making up reasons to hog tables are quite impressive.

I'd say the mental gymnastics to call sitting at an empty table in a cafe, " hogging " is at olympic level.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle hogging a table? Or sitting at an empty table?

No huffing and puffing from me. I’m polite and sociable, but I don’t want a stranger sitting at our table when my friends and I have chosen to meet, which we rarely do.

A 4 seater table isn’t very big, so a 4th stranger sitting RIGHT next to you won’t make you feel at your most comfortable would it? Especially if the conversation is delicate/tricky. When my friends and I last met? My one friend spoke a lot about her father as it was the anniversary of his death, she cried, we talked and cried with her. I am really not interested in who is around me and if they have no space to sit. They shouldn’t have bought anything if there was no room, or just waited until a table was available. The entire population of the cafe isn’t my problem.

I'd put my headphones in and listen to pleasant music or a podcast. Ive welcomed people to share "my space" - as you put it - when they've been without space in a cafe, and shared wonderful conversations with them & met some really interesting people.

Hmm, bit tricky if you're in a group of people, mid way through a ( maybe important ) conversation.

This is just about lone diners taking up one seat at a table, it's also about groups sitting together.

This isn't just about

I'd put money on the venn diagram of people who get a fit of the vapours at sharing a table matching the venn diagram of the sort of person who huffs and puffs, usually sighing deeply about having to move their bag.

Pure misguided speculation.

This thread is nuts. Well, some posters are nuts. Luckily they’re in the minority

Perhaps it's the " telepathy couple" from OP's cafe?

And ok, let’s remove the “mental gymnastics” and break it down.

Walks into cafe for food. “I need an empty table to sit at before I can eat. oh, there’s one”

Sits down…

If there are no seats available, should i just stand up with my purchased food, so as not to invade other people's space!!

No one CHOOSES to share a table with random people. I can't understand people on this thread being so stupid.

The cafes should stop serving people for a while if there is nowhere to sit. It shouldm't get to a level where people are wandering around with purchased food, not able to find a seat.

No one CHOOSES to share a table with random people. I can't understand people on this thread being so stupid.

Don't ever go to altrinham market or maccy majors then - there you have to share tables as each table to for about 12/14 people, random people all sit together. The places are both packed so it seems people do choice to share tables

@user1471554720 not if you CHOSE to buy food with no where for you to sit. You absolutely took that risk and chose to do it.
Bagsy a table first, no problem. And no tables free at all, wait or go somewhere else where this is space.