No, you can just go down. When you order you can also select to dine in or take carry out. They have grab-n-go items and cooked items that you have to wait for. We had breakfast at Sanaa every morning during our November trip and really enjoyed it. We were able to have breakfast each morning while looking out on to the savanna, it was never crowded, usually about 4 seated tables and a few groups waiting to carry out.