How Close to Closing Will You Go to a Restaurant?

[Chattyaholic]

I'm a waitress and during the evenings our restaurant closes at 8:00, and 4:00 on Sundays. So often someone will come in at 2 minutes before closing and ask if they're "too late" to have dinner! Of course we grit our teeth, smile and say "of course not!" But, come on! It's ridiculous!! Especially when they take an hour, or more, to eat. And even worse, if they are the only ones in the restaurant and if they hadn't come in we could have closed, cleaned up and been gone by the time the late-comers finally get around to leaving. I think it's just rude to come into a sit-down restaurant so close to closing. Not only are they keeping the waitresses from cleaning up and going home, they are also keeping the dishwasher and 2-3 cooks (the people usually get the buffet, so the cooks have to stay until the people are done eating before they can take it down). I never go to a restaurant if I don't have a full hour to eat before they close. If it's close to closing time we'll drive somewhere else.

So, I was just wondering how close to closing time the rest of you will go into a sit-down restaurant.

 

[caitycaity]

i always thought most restaurants set their closing time as the last seating time, to prevent this problem. the ones that we seem to go to operate this way.

 

[MosMom]

Originally posted by caitycaity
i always thought most restaurants set their closing time as the last seating time, to prevent this problem. the ones that we seem to go to operate this way.

I assumed the same. If your restaurant doesn't want people coming in that late, they should post a last seating time.

 

[faithinkarma]

i always thought most restaurants set their closing time as the last seating time, to prevent this problem. the ones that we seem to go to operate this way.

So did I. I think you would run into some disgruntled customers if you turned them away before the official closing time.

If the intention of your establishment is to have all staff out of there by a certain hour, they should have a "last seating time".

On the other hand, I personally would not go to a restaurant in the last 30 minutes of operating hours. But I am probably in the monority.

 

[Lanshark]

If closing time is 8:00 and the doors are open I assume that if you are seated before 8:00, you will be served.

If the employees are to leave at 8:00 I would assume closing time would be closer to 7:00.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I wish the owner would do that, but she won't. None of the restaurants around here are that way. It's just a small town.

We do try to do as much "clean up" as we can while the late people are still there and do it as discreetly as possible, but there are the occasional rude ones that just sit and sit, long after they're done eating. The restaurant is divided into 2 rooms, and whichever room the people are not in we are allowed to clean (put up chairs, sweep and mop). But, the people in the other room can still see what we're doing so you'd think they would "get the hint" but some don't and I just feel that is so rude.

I remember one woman in particular, the couple had gotten the buffet and the husband actually paid the bill and went out to the car and the woman still sat at the table. She asked for more coffee and the waitress told her it had been dumped and the machine had been cleaned (it was well past 9:00 - we closed at 8:00). The woman just looked at the waitress and said "I'll wait for you to make a new pot!" Then she proceeded to sit there another HALF HOUR sipping her coffee, while her husband sat in the car and waited for her!! The whole restaurant staff was in complete disbelief of this woman!! Just plain rude!!

 

[100%Disney]

1 hour.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I guess I don't understand why a restaurant shouldn't be just the same as a store one would shop in. Malls, department stores, gas stations, grocery stores....they all have a closing time and they want to lock their doors ASAP after that time and get the customers out so they can clean up and go home.

If I go to a department store 5 minutes before "closing time" I have just that....5 minutes to shop....before they want me at the cash register to check out and leave. I can't go in just before they lock the doors, and expect to shop as long as I want and keep the employees standing around waiting to go home.

I feel it should be the same way for a restaurant. If I can't eat and be gone by the time they lock their doors, I won't go in.

 

[MICKEY88]

Originally posted by Chattyaholic
I wish the owner would do that, but she won't. None of the restaurants around here are that way. It's just a small town.

I live in a small town..population 1500..... there is a restaurant right down the street from my house, in all of their advertising, and I believe the sign on their door,,they very plainly state...arrive to be seated by, 8:00 and enjoy a good meal... it makes it easy for them to tell late arrivers that they are sorry but they are no longer seating people because it's close to closing time..

 

[chesirechik]

An hour. DH is a chef and knows that the cooks start shutting stuff down and cleaning up. He HATES it when people come in 20 or 30 min before closing and order big dinners. I hear this gripe a lot from him when he works nights

 

[MsDisney23]

Maybe your in the wrong line of work, Try Wal-Mart then you know you will get out on time. Or ask not to work the closing shift. All jobs have there good/bad parts to them.

 

[Lorix2]

I am a server too in a full service restaurant. You cannot request that you NOT be in a closing section, everyone has to rotate through it, unless you agree with someone to switch out of it.

I've had people come in right at 11:25 PM (closing at 11:30 PM) after working a double shift all day and I have to seat them and alert the kitchen an order will be coming shortly. They asked me when we close and I politely told them "in 5 minutes". This particular party ordered at 11:30 PM, were served by 11:45 and finished eating by 12:10 AM. I put the check down at 12:15 and they stayed talking until 12:55 by now, all bar staff, kitchen and line staff had all gone. We turned the lights up, turned the tv's off to make them aware, but they ignored it. It was just me and the MOD and these people left in the restaurant and I could not go home until they paid, until they left and until I cleared, cleaned and reset the table for the morning shift. I had to ask them to settle up their check so I could do my paperwork and turn in my money for the night as the mgr only has to stay until 1PM themselves to do what they have to do.

Closing time means they will serve until that time, but people should be considerate of the employees waiting to go home after that time.

 

[Jynohn]

I feel very uncomfortable going into a restaurant if it's less than an hour before closing time. As a former server myself, I know that these people worked hard all day and don't want to sit around for an extra half hour or hour just to wait for me to finish my meal.

As a former server, I could never understand how people did that. I never let it known that I was annoyed when people sat around long past closing time, but they'd have to be blind not to notice that the restaurant was empty and that people were trying to clean up and go home for the night.

As a customer, I'm even aware now that some servers may be ending their shifts even if it's in the middle of the day. If I'm with a friend and we're sitting and chatting at a table long after we've finished a meal, I'll always ask the server if they're ending their shift so we can settle the bill.

 

[epcotfan]

It doesn't just happen in restaurants. I was working in a store, years ago when I had to tell two people they had five minutes left to shop and the store was going to close and the computers would be shut down. This was in a theatre. The production had finished its year long run and we were trying to get the entire 5000 seat theatre shut down. Reports, money, etc... had to be turned in by a certain time. Inventory was going to take place the next day and I needed to get the computers ready for it (I was the supervisor) All the other patrons had left long ago, but this lady and her kid didn't get it. Even when the cash office was waiting for me to close up. Security was hanging around too. Still this woman and her kid didn't get it.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

i have always assumed that if a restaurant closes at a certain hour, that if I arrive by that time I will be served. It comes as a surprise to me that restaurant employees figure that closing time is quitting time. I would have thought that the end of the shift would be at least an hour after the posted closing time.

This thread reminds me of a story.

I was traveling in Arizona with my cousin, a fellow New Yorker. After a long day of driving and touring, we stopped for the night in Flagstaff on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We went to a nice little restaurant in Flagstaff and talked for a long time while lingering over coffee. At one point, the waitress came over, purse slung over her shoulder, and said she was leaving for the night, but had put on a fresh pot of coffee and "would we mind locking the door on our way out for the evening?" I still laugh about this. I guess coming from New York we were used to places staying open late, and if they wanted to close we would hear a not so subtle "Ay! Get a container, we're locking up"

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Chatty, as an ex waitress, I will ONLY go to a restaurant as late as an hour before closing. I won't go in after that. I know the waiters/waitresses/cooks/etc want to get home. No need to get in there and make them angry in my opinion!

 

[DCLuvinit]

I won't go within 45 minutes of closing. I used to work in a restaurant and although it's true that the last customer of the night deserves the same service and experience as the first, upon closing the cooks, servers and managers are looking forward to cleaning up and getting out. We never expected to actually get out right at closing time, but who doesn't look forward to getting off work after a long day?:yawn:

 

[Aimeedyan]

I assumed that the time on the door is the time they stop seating... If they want to LEAVE by 8pm, then they need to stop seating at 7pm. I had no idea waitresses really thought they would be getting off at closing time... when my brother waited tables, and lived with us, if they closed at 10pm, he never expected to leave before 11 or later... and that's when I always picked him up. *shrug*

If we come in close to closing, we always are mindful of the tables around us, and when people start leaving, we hurry to leave as well... I dont lolly-gaggle around that late, and try to order quickly.

Learn something new everyday! =)

 

[arminnie]

I assume that closing time is "closing" time - the restaurant will be CLOSED at that time - ie I should be out of there.

If it's say 45-50 minutes before closing time I would ask if we have time to be served and out of there before they close.

I think it's creepy to be in a restaurant with no one else there.

 

[powellrj]

Originally posted by Chattyaholic
I guess I don't understand why a restaurant shouldn't be just the same as a store one would shop in. Malls, department stores, gas stations, grocery stores....they all have a closing time and they want to lock their doors ASAP after that time and get the customers out so they can clean up and go home.

If I go to a department store 5 minutes before "closing time" I have just that....5 minutes to shop....before they want me at the cash register to check out and leave. I can't go in just before they lock the doors, and expect to shop as long as I want and keep the employees standing around waiting to go home.

I feel it should be the same way for a restaurant. If I can't eat and be gone by the time they lock their doors, I won't go in.

You said that very well!!