Do people really eat dinner at 4pm?

[Lewisc]

There isn't enough restaurant capacity for everyone to get a 6 or 7p dinner reservation. My guess is famlies with kids, who get to the park at rope drop, will take the earlier dinner slots and couples (and famlies with older kids) are more likely to take the 8p and later slots. Most of us will adjust out lunc to compensate for an early or late dinner.

Some guests, who want to eat at 6 or 7p will just select a restaurant that has availability for their desired time.

 

[yankeepenny]

we have no kids, and we were both raised on the 5/530 dinner time.
that said, i really prefer dinner around 700. all our adr's are
for 7-730. i get to unwind at the pool in the pm, shower and change and relax.
i really like dinner at that time all year.
must just be me i guess.

 

[taximomfor4]

at home, no. On vacation, in August, we even do our bigger meal as a late lunch sometimes...like 3pm or something. It is great to sit inside. We tend to only do one actual meal per day.

As for dinner, if we want a seating for dinner, we try to eat right after 5pm. Even around town, we arrive in restaurants at about 4:30. By the time me, dh, and kids all look over menus and make food choices, and the food arrives, it is usually 5pm or just after. Not too far off our normal dinner time. It works for us, because with a family of 6, the wait for a table can be very, very , VERY long once the restaurant is busy.

As for where AMericans place their largest meal, I lived in France with a French family. They ate their larger meal at about 2pm -- even the meal served at school was very large. Their supper (late in the evening) was more like a large snack session.

Beth

 

[snowman]

I'm amazed at the number of late eaters - but am grateful to all of them because that leaves the 4:00-5:30 time slots for us. All of our evening ADRs are for the 5:00-5:30 range, depending on the restaurant opening time.

We eat between 5:30 & 6:30 M-F because of work schedules. On the weekends we tend to eat a bit earlier (4:30-5:30) because of Scouts and other goings on. Sometimes we even have our big weekend dinner as a "linner" in the 2:30-3:30 range, depending on what is being served.

 

[Andy B]

We would struggle to have an evening meal at 5-5.30pm as work continues until 5pm at the earliest normally 5.30 and not infrequently 6pm, then have to get home and prepare dinner. Our children have allways been late birds and then sleep through, I would prefer that to some I hear whe go to bet at 7pm but wake at 5am

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

We eat early so the children can enjoy their meal then nap before the fireworks. Theres nothing worse than a tired child at dinner time, they cry, barely eat then fall asleep. All our ADRs are between 4 to 6 pm.