To be annoyed at my seat in restaurant?

[inkyspells]

So last night me and partner went for a Indian meal for a belated birthday celebration.
Heard lots of good reviews but because there was just the two of us they put us on the two table (which was bang in the middle and people either side,no room to move etc )
I felt so uncomfortable the whole meal.
Felt like the other people watching us eating,couldn’t talk etc
I asked to move but they said “2 people is these tables “
Anyway il add a photo with arrow showing our table
abiu ? Or are these tables ridiculous
Bear in mind we have 2 curry’s ,2 cocktails ,2 rice ,a nan all on there and literally couldn’t move.

I’d have left and gone somewhere else.

Same here. What happens when someone needs to go to the loo? Or just, you know, arrive or leave?

That’s just way too close. In that space there should be two tables of four with a bigger gap between them.

Same. They didn’t want your custom. That arrangement is ridiculous.

Is this the first time you have been to a cramped restaurant?! It’s not ideal, but often the case for small cheap places, and I can’t imagine starting a thread on this. How was the food?

I’m interested to know why people think you’re being unreasonable.

There is one too many tables in that row. I'm slim and I'd have had trouble getting to a seat between those tables.

To add, I would have refused to stay if they would not give me a different table.

It wasn’t that cheap
Came to just over £100 so not what I class as “cheap”
Food was fine but the expensive ruined it.
As soon as I seen the tables I should of left but partner is the type who just gets on with it so I didn’t want to rock the boat

The food was probably full of bits of fluff from the clothes of people squeezing past it.

No way would I have sat there, it's far too cramped!

I'd expect that in a cafe but not a restaurant. Far too close.

Ha maybe!

I wouldn’t have stayed there either, if they couldn’t move me I’d have left.

I've been to some cramped restaurants where it's pretty tight, but there's not even plausible room to squeeze between those tables. Agree with pp that there's a table too many.

I eat in cheap places several times every week and have done for the 50 years. Ive never been in a place where anyone with reasonable size thighs would have to have a table moved in order to slide through and sit down.

I doubt if it would pass fire regulations.

Yanbu. I hate this kind of set up. It looks like mcdonald's, not somewhere you can sit and enjoy a whole meal for an hour+

Yeah, cramped restaurants are fine if it’s cheap and you can push your seat back in order to leave or arrive at the table. It doesn’t look like there’s that option here.

im saying youre not unreasonable because there is no room to get out to the toilet or whatever. Unless you’re a size 6.

They cram tables in to make more money but they should consider people’s comfort. How could a pregnant woman get in there! Or do they not want pregnant woman lol. Imagine turning up and then having to turn you away as you're too pregnant and all the tables you could potentially access are full. That would be discriminatory.

i dont know if there are fire regulations or if the local authority decides how many seats they are licensed for but if there was a tea light on the table that got knocked and set the tablecloth or napkins on a table on fire, you’d think there should be room for people to escape.

So maybe someone on here could advise on the legalities.

I’m regularly asking to switch tables in restaurants. I’m paying to eat there. If I’m not comfortable what’s the point?

The size of the table looks fairly standard to me for 2 people. They're a little bit close together, but equally, if they had only 3 tables on that run they'd be spread very far apart. Perhaps they should push the middle 2 tables together to make a 4 person table, and just have the 2 outer ones as 2 person tables, that would feel a bit more spacious.

It wouldn't be a particularly big deal for me.

McDonalds always have plenty of space to get in and out of tables. I spend many a happy hour reading papers over a grilled chicken salad and a coffee.

Agreed, it’s shite. I hate places that cram as many people as physically possible into a small space at the expense of comfort where you can’t even get up to use the loo without disturbing the people next to you or risking your arse ending up in their food as you squeeze through an unreasonably small gap.

I went somewhere similar a while ago with someone where the purpose was for us to discuss some relatively serious personal stuff only for us to be unable to because the couple sat next to us were so close we could hear every word of each others conversations even when talking quietly.

Ime this is pretty normal for an Indian restaurant.

That's a ridiculous set up. I was going to say it's like our McDonald's, space between tables wise, and the tables are rooted to the floor and you literally hold in every bit of your body squeezing through so as not to knock everything off the other table. I hate those tiny spaces and a table that holds one plate and drink and it's full. Did you even use the toilet?