Was I BU to leave the pub after being told off by the manager?

[EmptyTheFrickingBins]

I had booked a table for a group of seven people to celebrate a Ruby wedding anniversary. On arrival to the pub we found the table with our reservation and sat down to wait for the rest of party - this was at 4:30 which was our booked time.

Three other guests were already seated at the table and there was no indication that any other table had been reserved for us.

My parents - who are both elderly and disabled - arrived and I returned to the table with them where we asked the other guests if they'd be happy to share-- there would have been room and we couldn't move because the only free tables were for four or under. This was at 4:45 and we had been waiting for them to finish.

They reacted in a very angry way and stormed off from the table and must have informed the staff on the way out.

I just want to be clear - at no point where we rude or demanding.

We were viewing the menu when a manager in a pink top came over to the table and told us rudely that we shouldn't have asked the other guests to move (again - at no point did we do this), that another table had been reserved for us and we should have spoken to the staff - again none of this was indicated, and only the one table had our name on it!

I felt extremely embarrassed by the interaction - we sat at the table in good faith as it had the reserved sign on with our name.

The woman's attitude was awful and spoiled the night - we ended up leaving because we no longer felt welcome - everyone was looking at us as she told us off!

You went out for a celebration meal in a Hungry Horse pub? 😳

Really pushed the boat out there to make the occasion, eh! 😂😂

Everyone involved WBU.

✅ Guests taking a table for 10 despite being reserved. Even if they did sit down a while ago, they should have made themselves scarce before the reservation start time
✅ Presumably staff didn't make them aware of the reservation start time
✅ Staff for sitting them there and not making them finish before the reservation time
✅ You for not talking to staff
✅ Patrons for being pissy at you sitting at the other end of a long table

Why in God's name did you hang around for 15 minutes and not talk to the staff while you were waiting for 'your' table?

That's unbelievable.

You shouldn't have sat at a table where people had just finished their meal and were chatting. You should have informed the staff of your arrival and asked them to prepare the table for you. However, it was up to the staff to inform the people at your table that the table was reserved and that they could have it as long as they finished by the time you were booked to arrive. The staff member should then have reminded them that the table was reserved and given them a few minutes to get themselves ready to go, while informing you and your party that the table would be ready in a few minutes. The member of staff in the pink top should not have argued with you under any circumstances. That's just bad customer service. Even if your actions were a bit weird she should have gently asked you to wait for the table.

Is a Hungry Horse like a Beefeater?

I don't think we have any where I live.

And I am very sorry that your evening was spoiled and hope that you can all make it up to your parents in some way.

Exactly

Yeah pretty similar.

I'm guessing op not coming back as a pretty unanimous response that she didn't like

This is a waste of time. You won't admit you were wrong. Who in their right mind would just plonk themselves down at an already occupied table, even if it had a reserved sign on with their name? Most would find a member of staff and point out that their reserved table was occupied.

Shell probably ask for the thread to be deleted because it's outing (ie not gone her way)

Dreadful behaviour OP, so rude and worse you are arguing your point as if you still can not see why.

You intimidated people to leave earlier than they intended - whether they stil had food, regardless of whether its 5p a meal or whether your parents were about to pass out and your children screaming it is wrong. There were other tables sit your parenrs and or children there as a temporary measure until the situation is sorted

Your upset is that the other people voiced it to the management and you were seen for your bad behaviour by all. Bad luck.

I really don’t understand why you couldn’t have found a member of staff and said, ‘hey, we have a booking for X time.’ Who goes to bother other people and NOT the staff members who actually get paid to be bothered?!

YABU OP. You should have spoken to staff if people were sat at your reserved table. For all you know staff told them it was OK to sit there. It was passive aggressive to sit down and basically force them off despite it being reserved for you. You should have let staff do that.

Sounds really badly handled by the pub. You sat at your reserved table at the stated time. Staff should have been chivying along the people from the previous sitting to get the table cleared in time. Or looking out for you to apologise for the delay and offering you drinks at the bar while you waited. Rubbish service. Sorry it spoiled your day.

You always, always ask staff to show you to your table. Especially if you've booked.

You can't ever assume that a labelled table is yours, even if it makes sense to you.

It's a life lesson, next time you'll know.

Yes this mostly!

But in another place like this, with no risk of being punched, I may have done similar

Ie seen my table for 10 with nane on for 7pm, having 3 people on it.

I'd have joined the other end whilst waiting for them to finish.

I'd have said oh this is my table, no worries with you just finishing up before rest of people arrive.

(But this assumes someone with just drinks or finished plates so could move quick-I'd have spoken to staff if they were clearly about to eat their food)

Manager was very rude to you here.

'@SomethingDifferentt

I think your actions were bizarre op. If I turned up to a restaurant and the reserved table with our name on it had people sitting there eating - I'd approach the staff and tell them this.'

This!

Surely the immediate reaction should have been to query this with the staff and let them deal with it.

No need for such drama over something that could have been quickly solved when you first got there if you had simply spoken to a staff member.

How could they when noone from their group had approached any staff member to tell them they were there let alone there was an issue?

Ideally the staff would have been a bit more proactive.

Yeah sorry OP, I agree with the majority - it's really odd behaviour to just sit at a table with other customers without first asking a member of staff where your reserved table is. It's just really entitled and impatient, imo. I'd be annoyed too if I'd been the other customer.

Not sure the relevance of the pink top, either 🤔

OP, it's not your table until it's empty. The correct thing to do would be to approach the staff , tell them that you have a table reserved, but that there is somebody sat at it.

It is up to the staff then to politely ask them to move if they have exceeded their time slot . That happened in a Bella Italia we were in recently. It was lunchtime on Valentines Day and each table was advised that they had 1.5 hours for their meal and then they would have to move.

They were also advised to order their Starter and Mains to eat at the same time!

The HH are also wrong though, if they don't ask people to wait to be seated. Most places do that in order to ensure that reserved tables aren't taken or to make sure that 2 people don't take up a table for 8 etc.

We were viewing the menu when a manager in a pink top came over to the table and told us rudely that we shouldn't have asked the other guests to move (again - at no point did we do this), that another table had been reserved for us and we should have spoken to the staff - again none of this was indicated, and only the one table had our name on it!

You were rude. You should have asked the staff.
All these excuses about disabled parents and wanting to sit and so on - they could have sat down, which they did, while you found a member of staff to sort out the table issue, not tell the other people to move etc.
But you think you're right, so crack on.

Policy or not, surely you can see this would all have been avoided if you'd just mentioned to staff that someone appeared to be sat at your reserved table? Unfortunately common sense is in short supply with some people and they need it spelt out to them by staff that the table was already reserved. Had that happened then I doubt the outcome would have been the same.

The OP struggles with social norms and doesn’t like to be told they’re wrong. This thread isn’t going anywhere.