Bad Etiquette to save a CS table??

[Disney8704]

No body said that there should be a time limit or to scarf your food down. I expect people to take some time to eat. That way they can take their time eating and relax some. But to just sit there and talk and their done eating and theres people looking for a table, its just plain rude. When they can simply get up and leave and talk outside making that table available for someone else. Besides hasnt anyone ever heard of discuessing ur plans for the remainder of the day WHILE your eating?

So now in addition to keeping the whole family in line with us, we have to scarf our food down like hogs too? Just who gets to decide it too long to occupy a table? Maybe Disney should install timers with an electrical pulse. You get only 15 minute, and then you get a shock. After all the table is for sitting and eating, and you need to move it.

Sounds like a punch of people need to learn how to relax!

 

[Luv4Disney]

Geeze whats wrong with these people? Did they all wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?

Me - DH and I sometimes grab a table and then one of us go and get the food and sometimes we both stand in line THEN get a table. It really just depends how crowded it is. If its super croweded and I see a table that is available, we go and grab it while either DH or I go and get the food. If not crowded, and theres A LOT of empty tables, then we will both get in line and then get a table.

I dont find it rude to grab a table then get food. What I do find it being rude is someone not sharing a table when there arent other available tables and people just sitting there after eating.

This is exactly what DH and I do as well. Rude or not - different people, different opinions.

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

Well, put me on the "rude" list. I always look for a table and sit with the kids while DH gets the food. Call it "common sense"

Im on the rude list too then!!!! And proud of it!!!! Im sorry but the same people who dislike my choice to send my hubby and kids to the table and wait a few minutes for me are the same who dislike the entire family being in line at once, making it even longer. Now with that said I wont hog a table at a pool all day unless I am eating or enjoying drinks while using the table to plan out our day with maps and such.

 

[stellablue]

This is exactly what DH and I do as well. Rude or not - different people, different opinions.

Sorry, but I would not feel comfortable sharing a table with a stranger and I certainly don't feel obligated to share my table if I see others looking. This is just my personal comfort level. I am not a selfish person, but I am entitled to enjoy a private lunch with my DBF while on vacation. We certainly don't just hang around and hog the table forever. We leave when we are done & clean up after ourselves. That said, if a restaurant was supercrowded, we would probably skip it and try back at a less busy time.

We are very respectful people and follow common mannerisms-hold doors for people, give up bus seats for elderly and people with small children, clean up after ourselves, but I don't live my vacation for the sake of pleasing others & I don't feel I should have to.

No one should ever be considered rude for not sharing their table with a stranger.

 

[Debbie Jean]

No body said that there should be a time limit or to scarf your food down. I expect people to take some time to eat. That way they can take their time eating and relax some. But to just sit there and talk and their done eating and theres people looking for a table, its just plain rude. When they can simply get up and leave and talk outside making that table available for someone else. Besides hasnt anyone ever heard of discuessing ur plans for the remainder of the day WHILE your eating?

Totally agree, though I'm not so sure I would call it rude so much as clueless.

I wrote:
"I find it really annoying to be walking around with a tray full of food while folks who have clearly finished sit there discussing how they want to organize the rest of their day"

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Sorry, but I would not feel comfortable sharing a table with a stranger and I certainly don't feel obligated to share my table if I see others looking. This is just my personal comfort level. I am not a selfish person, but I am entitled to enjoy a private lunch with my DBF while on vacation. We certainly don't just hang around and hog the table forever. We leave when we are done & clean up after ourselves. That said, if a restaurant was supercrowded, we would probably skip it and try back at a less busy time.

We are very respectful people and follow common mannerisms-hold doors for people, give up bus seats for elderly and people with small children, clean up after ourselves, but I don't live my vacation for the sake of pleasing others & I don't feel I should have to.

No one should ever be considered rude for not sharing their table with a stranger.

You make some very good points which is why I totally agree with everything you said.

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

To each their own. The world does not revolve around one point of view. I will continue to order while my husband and kids find a seat. There have been times where finding a seat takes longer then ordering food and then my $30 cheeseburger gets cold and im upset. If I cant find a seat before ordering then I will go else where or eat later. Finding a table while I order allows my husband to start feeding our infant daughter and allows him to save time picking up straws and napkins so we may leave sooner, freeing up space for others.

 

[northcapemaymom]

Where are all these people who aren't in line, but not at a table waiting for food supposed to stand and wait? There's not that much room in the ordering area at some CS restaurants for people to stand and wait to the side - especially with hungry and impatient children. When we get a table while my hubby gets the food - we are usually taking turns running to the bathroom or getting napkins, straws and misc. condiments for our meal. We also try to eat at off times so that there are plenty of tables available for others. I don't think there is a solution for the table jockeying. When people are hungry sometimes it's "every man for himself". Now as soon as we are done eating we leave quickly so someone else can have our table. We can always finish our drinks and digest on a bench somewhere.

 

[mefordis]

To me, this is not a black and white situation. For example, if someone is looking for a table, food in hand, and two teenage boys are sitting at a table, not eating, and holding that table (say 30 minutes at least while we are squatting in the corner eating with a 3 year old) I'd say it's rude. They should give up the table until the rest of their party with their food arrives. THIS HAPPENED TO US IN HERSHEY PARK.

If this was a table with five children, waiting for the dad to bring the food, I wouldn't think they should leave the table for us. Or if this was a 92 year old person, I wouldn't have expected them to get up for us.

I hope this is clear. It's not black and white.

 

[Disney8704]

And what would happen if those teenagers would give up their table for someone, only to have their food show up and they have no table to go to now because they gave up their table. Do you think thats fair?

To me, this is not a black and white situation. For example, if someone is looking for a table, food in hand, and two teenage boys are sitting at a table, not eating, and holding that table (say 30 minutes at least while we are squatting in the corner eating with a 3 year old) I'd say it's rude. They should give up the table until the rest of their party with their food arrives. THIS HAPPENED TO US IN HERSHEY PARK.

If this was a table with five children, waiting for the dad to bring the food, I wouldn't think they should leave the table for us. Or if this was a 92 year old person, I wouldn't have expected them to get up for us.

I hope this is clear. It's not black and white.

 

[mefordis]

And what would happen if those teenagers would give up their table for someone, only to have their food show up and they have no table to go to now because they gave up their table. Do you think thats fair?

They occupied that table for the entire time we ate -- their party arrived much later.

I don't know. I just wouldn't have felt right sitting there taking up a table for 45 minutes NOT EATING while someone else sat on the ground with a 3 year old, trying to eat their food. If they had let us sit there WITH them, we could have eaten and left before their peeps showed up.

Allowing someone to sit down when it is apparent they need a seat is the right thing to do.

It's called class. Some people have it, some people don't and those who don't probably never will.

I wouldn't mind sharing my table with someone, either. In fact, in some cases the person may not give you an option. If there is an open seat, they are sitting down.

 

[Debbie Jean]

And what would happen if those teenagers would give up their table for someone, only to have their food show up and they have no table to go to now because they gave up their table. Do you think thats fair?

Call me "old fashioned", but I'd like to think that the two teenage boys would have gotten up on their own and offered their seats when they saw a mother squatting on the floor in a corner with a 3 year old. I'm thinking they could have managed much better without the table than she did.

 

[Disney8704]

Yea but you cant figure how long they are gonna sit there waiting for their food to come, and neither can they. How are they supposed to know if their food is gonna show up in the next 5 minutes or 20 minutes? You cant just know these things at all. To expect someone to just give up their table is wrong. They need a place to sit and eat as well. And if you need to sit down bad enough, go outside and find a place to sit. That simple.

I would never give up my table. However, since it is just DH and I if we have enough room to fit 2 more people at our table, we would gladly ask them to come on over to our table and sit with us so they dont have to wait for a table, sit outside or on the floor.

They occupied that table for the entire time we ate -- their party arrived much later.

I don't know. I just wouldn't have felt right sitting there taking up a table for 45 minutes NOT EATING while someone else sat on the ground with a 3 year old, trying to eat their food. If they had let us sit there we could have eaten and left before their peeps showed up.

It's called CLASS. Some people have it, some people don't and those who don't probably never will.

 

[mefordis]

Yea but you cant figure how long they are gonna sit there waiting for their food to come, and neither can they. How are they supposed to know if their food is gonna show up in the next 5 minutes or 20 minutes? You cant just know these things at all. To expect someone to just give up their table is wrong. They need a place to sit and eat as well. And if you need to sit down bad enough, go outside and find a place to sit. That simple.

I would never give up my table. However, since it is just DH and I if we have enough room to fit 2 more people at our table, we would gladly ask them to come on over to our table and sit with us so they dont have to wait for a table, sit outside or on the floor.

We were outside. It was a food stand with outdoor seating, not indoor. It was a very crowded day at Hershey Park that day.

I'm glad to hear you would share your table with someone. That is a very nice thing to do.

 

[PilotWife]

I guess that I am on the rude list also, but I will say that we try our best to time it very close to when DH will be bringing our food, and we try to eat at the larger places. However, I also feel that it is rude to just sit at a table after finishing, just to carry on conversations that can be carried on outside. Especially during the busy dining times.

Jennifer

 

[LilyWDW]

I am all for people sending members of the family off to find a table while one person does the ordering as I stated before. I would also like to point out that I am usually only with one other person which makes this nearly impossible to do for ourselves. Then again, I would only eat at off times and never when it's super busy. If it's prime meal time I would rather get a small snack (Mickey Ice Cream) and wait until it calms down to actually eat my meal then deal with the crowds.

 

[mom2my3kids]

My oldest goes and gets a table with the two younger kids, my husband helps me carry the food to the table. Its so much better then having three hungry, grouchy kids in a big line standing around waiting to order. I guess I am a rude one to, I don't care what people think to be honest. I don't believe its rude at all..

 

[NicMelMom]

We were in Disney over Easter. We did the table saving - when we could. On March 21 we were in the Magic Kingdom and went to Cosmic Rays for lunch. It was very busy. My husband went to get in line while I took our toddler to find a table. We were not allowed to. There were CM's standing by all the seating areas and if you did not have your food you were not allowed to sit down. I saw many other people turned away as well. As soon as you got your food you were allowed to get a table.

I would still save a table when I can. I just don't feel all of us need to stand in line. However, if it were that full that people were walking around with their food and couldn't find a table - I think I would offer to share - I hope I would. I know that the one day we were there, in the Animal Kingdom, a family came in to Restaurantasaurus while we were eating and it was packed. My husband and I were done, but our toddler was taking her good old time like usual. We cleaned up and I told the lady she could have our table - we were finishing up. She and her family didn't have their food yet, either. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

 

[mefordis]

Sorry, I just can't imagine telling a stranger (even over the internet) that they are rude, selfish or unmannerly.

But you cannot profess to have manners then continue to act impolite, then defend that behavior.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We were in Disney over Easter. We did the table saving - when we could. On March 21 we were in the Magic Kingdom and went to Cosmic Rays for lunch. It was very busy. My husband went to get in line while I took our toddler to find a table. We were not allowed to. There were CM's standing by all the seating areas and if you did not have your food you were not allowed to sit down. I saw many other people turned away as well. As soon as you got your food you were allowed to get a table.

I think during the major holidays the Cast Members enforce no table saving, however the rest of the year they don't seem to care because they don't enforce it during the non holiday months at WDW. Still I think there is one flaw in that rule. What is to stop guests from sitting at their tables when they are done eating for 5 or 10 minutes when others are walking around with their food trying to sit down. Are they going to tell the Cast Member standing there so they can tell those guests to leave, so the rule can be enforced?