Have you ever been asked to leave a restaurant?

[Lilacs4Me]

Nope, never been asked.
From their perspective.. you arrived without your full party, sat ordered and then all ate ( as did ur son.. when he arrived)
1.5 hours for breakfast.. seems more than adequate to me.
Your choice Not to return and give them ur money if it upset you.
I don’t think they were out of line though.

1 hour and 15 min total from the time we were seated....and 50 min from the time the food arrived, until we were asked to leave.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Around here a lot of the restaurants have signs posted that during weekend brunch they ask that after eating you settle up and release the table. I personally don’t mind and like that they remind people as soon as they finish since it keeps the line moving for everyone. It would be annoying if it happened when there were plenty of tables and we were being rushed.

Most places around here also refuse to seat you until the whole table is present if it’s a busy night/brunch.

There were two parties of at least 10 with tables pushed together that were seated around the same time as us, and were still there when we left. There were a couple empty tables when we were asked to leave, but they were 4-tops. They wanted OUR table specifically because they had another party of 5 or 6 to seat.

 

[RedAngie]

Once I suppose I was asked to leave.

I was with a friend, it was getting near to the restaurant's posted closing time. We paid the bill and continued to sit for a bit. The waitress came back again and asked if she could get us anything else. I guess that meant "scram, we have to clean up the place before we can go home and you're delaying us."

 

[RedAngie]

A bar/restaurant/disco and I swear it wasn't my fault.

Same. Someone in my party was getting a bit rowdy and our whole group was "advised" to leave. But <<MY>> behavior was beyond reproach. Well, close enough anyway.

 

[Planogirl]

I've seen people complain that other people lingered at their tables too long, in fact I've seen it mentioned here. The restaurant can't win because people waiting in line are probably complaining so they are likely to make someone mad either way.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Maybe I'm wrong....is it now the responsibility of the patrons to monitor the wait-times of the venue and what...eat faster? Not talk to the people at your table so they can get you in and out quicker?

Nobody asked you to eat faster. You were done when you were asked to leave.

 

[TraceyDisney2008]

I work as a server at a very busy location and I would never ask anyone to leave so that the people waiting could have your table. I think this is very rude. I would be calling the manager to see if this is their policy or if this was the servers way of getting you to leave so she could make another tip. I have had people sit at my tables for up to 5 hours and I will check on them throughout this time offering free refills and/or more food.

 

[Sabeking]

I haven’t been asked to leave but having worked in a restaurant I try to be aware of others waiting. I hate being on the waiting side so I’m kind of over the top about getting out if there is a long line.

Now we did have one experience that was pretty funny. Many years ago we went out to eat with some friends. One guy in our party was big....6’4” and muscular. It was an” all you can eat shrimp” night. Our friend had 3 plates of shrimp. The waiter came by and asked if we needed anything. Said friend ordered plate number 4 of peel and eat shrimp. Shortly the manager came over and told him he was done. Our friend said, “ but it’s all you can eat!” The manager said, “ yes, and that’s all YOU can eat.” We left shortly after.

 

[ronandannette]

1 hour and 15 min total from the time we were seated....and 50 min from the time the food arrived, until we were asked to leave.

I think the more relevant period of time is the 10 minutes after you received your bill and told the waiter you didn't want anything else. It seems they even double-checked that more coffee or whatever wasn't desired. I agree with a pp that thought you'd likely have been very welcome to more coffee or dessert or something else. You were done though, right? If I may ask, how much longer did you want to stay?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

1 hour and 15 min total from the time we were seated....and 50 min from the time the food arrived, until we were asked to leave.

50 minutes after the food arrived, and you’re still occupying a table in a packed restaurant while others waited for a seat? Yeah, you were there too long. Not that that makes it okay for the server to point it out.

 

[ronandannette]

I haven’t been asked to leave but having worked in a restaurant I try to be aware of others waiting. I hate being on the waiting side so I’m kind of over the top about getting out if there is a long line.

Now we did have one experience that was pretty funny. Many years ago we went out to eat with some friends. One guy in our party was big....6’4” and muscular. It was an” all you can eat shrimp” night. Our friend had 3 plates of shrimp. The waiter came by and asked if we needed anything. Said friend ordered plate number 4 of peel and eat shrimp. Shortly the manager came over and told him he was done. Our friend said, “ but it’s all you can eat!” The manager said, “ yes, and that’s all YOU can eat.” We left shortly after.

Totally agree with the bolded. On the other story, you lost me at "peel-and-eat". Those usually aren't deveined. 3 plates of shrimp poop? That's disgusting.

 

[Sabeking]

Totally agree with the bolded. On the other story, you lost me at "peel-and-eat" Those usually aren't deveined. 3 plates of shrimp poop? That's disgusting.

Yeah, it was the 80’s and we were young; it was all about the price point back then! Lol!

 

[gotomu212]

1 hour and 15 min total from the time we were seated....and 50 min from the time the food arrived, until we were asked to leave.

Just my opinion but 50 minutes of actual eating time is a lot. We probably have our food all eaten in about 20 minutes so more than double sounds long (and we don’t silently shovel food in). HOWEVER it sounds like they were fine with the longer eating time, but once done asked if they could have the table.

Just my perspective though- although I have also stopped going to restaurants because a little thing annoyed me but was important to me.

 

[a1tinkfans]

1 hour and 15 min total from the time we were seated....and 50 min from the time the food arrived, until we were asked to leave.

I’m not sure why the “time” is so important.
Food was ordered, served and eaten, offered more and declined.
I think in your case feeling as you do, don’t go back.. that’s your choice.
I just think that sitting there taking up space, meal finished, in a packed busy restaurant would ve made me ...not linger.
You were insulted.. i get it.
Hope ur meal was good at least, lol.

 

[ronandannette]

Just my opinion but 50 minutes of actual eating time is a lot. We probably have our food all eaten in about 20 minutes so more than double sounds long (and we don’t silently shovel food in). HOWEVER it sounds like they were fine with the longer eating time, but once done asked if they could have the table.

Just my perspective though- although I have also stopped going to restaurants because a little thing annoyed me but was important to me.

This response is ALWAYS appropriate when you don't feel like you're getting your money's worth or aren't valued as a customer. Nobody would try and argue the OP back into that restaurant, I don't think. But quite a few of us here on the thread wouldn't have been phased by it.

 

[diznygirl]

Yes. We were at Flying Fish with friends. Like another poster, we totally lost track of time. Our friends knew the server and we were all having a great time. The manager offered to buy us drinks at the bar upstairs to free up the table. We apologized profusely, told him it wasn't necessary and scrammed. It was busy and they needed the table.

I don't know about the OP's case tho - 50 minutes isn't unheard of for dinner but seems long for breakfast. Our rule of thumb is if the bill is paid it's time to get up and leave.

 

[ronandannette]

Yes. We were at Flying Fish with friends. Like another poster, we totally lost track of time. Our friends knew the server and we were all having a great time. The manager offered to buy us drinks at the bar upstairs to free up the table. We apologized profusely, told him it wasn't necessary and scrammed. It was busy and they needed the table.

I don't know about the OP's case tho - 50 minutes isn't unheard of for dinner but seems long for breakfast. Our rule of thumb is if the bill is paid it's time to get up and leave.

That's a nice touch - I've heard of it being done before and I'd totally respect that approach.

 

[gotomu212]

This response is ALWAYS appropriate when you don't feel like you're getting your money's worth or aren't valued as a customer. Nobody would try and argue the OP back into that restaurant, I don't think. But quite a few of us here on the thread wouldn't have been phased by it.

Im right there with you this doesn’t hit my radar at all...but I did want her to know that all of us do have weird things that bother us and I get it if this is one of those things for her.

(I seriously stopped going somewhere because they wouldn’t close a sun shade and the sun was right in my eyes..such a nonissue for most people including the rest of my family, but I was like nope any place that won’t close a shade so I can see and I’m out!! I may or may not have longing statred at the restaurant sign every time I drove by it for a year after that while sticking with my sunshade boycott, but that’s probably just my weird issue).

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

When I was a server for a chain restaurant (not a fancy one), the managers kept track of each server's table turn around time averages. The goal was to have the bill paid within 40 mins of the order being input into the computer. If a server's averages for the week were significantly higher, a manager would talk to that particular server about time management and monitor their tables more. For us, it seemed mostly to be an issue with servers not actually taking care of their tables in a timely manner so the managers were trying to keep an eye on that to improve business by keeping customers happy.

That being said, I had several tables stay longer than the target time. I never rushed them, even when I once got a party of 60 (no reservation) 15 mins before closing. Due to the sheer size of the party and beib the only server with 1 cook, 2 busser, and 1 manager, it took about an hour to just get their food out. They lingered for another 2 hours, then I had an hour after that of clean up. I never rushed them though because I wouldn't want to be rushed at a restaurant.

Frankly, like tips, the time time customers spend in a restaurant can vary and unless there is a written policy advertised to the customers, I don't think anyone should be pressured to leave before they are ready. On the other hand, I do think all customers should be respectful and cognizant of whether there are lots of people waiting to be seating or not lingering if the restaurant has closed.

 

[amberpi]

The behavior in the OP's post is not unusual for the popular brunch spots at all...its nuts. I'm glad my current new fave isn't on the hot spot radar yet so we can linger if we're inclined.

I've never been asked to leave a restaurant, but bars and Blizzard Beach (that's a story) is another thing. ETA: my party has been asked to leave (I'm in the bathroom, having a chat on the patio, whatever), I'm never actually there for the good stuff...except BB. I just do damage control afterward. It's been a long while since such foolishness though