Is it OK for a restaurant employee to tell you to hurry up and finish?

[begin_within]

Once recently, me and three friends were eating at a tiny neighborhood pizza joint, and the guy working there told us, "OK guys, we're closed. Time to go." He was the only person working there other than the cook in the back. My friends didn't seem bothered by it but I thought it was pretty rude and I discussed it a little with them, but we did nothing about it except leave.

One other time I was eating alone in a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in those huge bowls of soup. I was in a booth that can seat 4 people. I was almost finished when suddenly they sat down two strangers in the booth, facing me. They were Vietnamese and apparently didn't speak a word of English. I assume they did this because they could tell I was almost done, and they wanted to fill the booth quickly. I was embarrassed and I finished quickly and got the hell out of there.

I was just wondering, in the restaurant trade are there any unwritten rules about this? Whether or not you ask a customer to hurry up or ask them to leave? I know there is sometimes some grumbling among restaurant owners about people who "marinate," in other words sit there and talk for a long time after finishing their food.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Ouch! That sounds awful to me.....

I have never been in a restaurant that did that to me....

And, I suspect, I'd never go back to one that did!

I'll bet that the more expensive places don't do that sort of thing to their customers! :shrug:

[RevCheesehead]

2. Personally, I agree with you.

I think it's terribly rude for someone to hurry you or push you out. And they should know better:
* It will seriously affect whether or not I choose to leave a tip. (and if I'm there for a while, I leave a little extra, above 20%)
* It will seriously affect whether or not I return to that restaurant.

[GOPisEvil]

3. Depends...there's a German deli I frequent from time to time.

They waitresses are elderly and German. One of them told my group to, "Drink your water, and pay your bill!" Granted it was the lunch rush, but it endeared me more to the place.

[begin_within]

8. Reminds me a little bit of the soup nazi on Seinfeld

[liontamer]

4. it depends

If they're closing, I don't want to make people stay late at work just because I'm eating. I actually prefer to know.

And plenty of restaurants (at least asian ones) will seat people at a table if there's space. It's not a hurry up thing, it's just efficiency. You probably weren't being rushed at all.

[flamingyouth]

5. I've never worked in a restaurant

But I've worked in retail for over 20 years. I think in the first instance, the guy should have told you when he seated you that, "Hey, we're closing in xxx minutes, just so you know" so you weren't surprised while you were halfway through your meal. However, I sympathize a little with him because he was probably exhausted and was desperate to go home. Still, seems kinda rude.

The second instance - that's happened to me a couple of times here in Little Saigon, and I don't think they meant it to be rude. They probably just figured I was ready to leave (as you probably were). I don't know. Some places are eccentric.

[MissB]

6. Not really, unless you've been sipping cold coffee for 4 hours.

I probably wouldn't go back to a place that shooed me out the door the moment they closed. There are tactful ways of dealing with customers.

[JVS]

7. If they are closing, yes. At other times, you may tip 0% if a water/ess..

hustles you out like that.

Oh yeah, and in the first case, they should give you a heads up before you get comfy like post #5 said

[beyurslf]

9. Having worked in restaurant and had customers stay well past close

I can sympathize. Sometimes, you just have to tell them it is time to go. And if he worked alone, he was probably the owner and ready to get home.

[billyskank]

10. Depends how late it is I guess

:shrug:

[Neoma]

11. Those didn't seem too extensive.

If you disliked it you could have "forgotten" your tip or stayed their longer anyways and give them a nasty look.

[Jade Fox]

12. It can be a pain.....

if you're trying to close up and people won't leave. There are things you do when closing a restaurant/bar that can't be done until everyone leaves.

Having said that, I think the guy at the Pizza place could have been a little more polite. And at the Vietnamese restaurant you may have been dealing with differences between cultures as to what is acceptable behavior.

[skygazer]

13. Depends on the context, I guess

I went to a little mexican place with friends one time outside of NYC (not sure where it was, somewhere in Jersey). Anyway, it was a cool place, very crowded and noisy, terrific food, the family who ran it lived out back - they had goats in their yard. Mariachi band, sloppy margaritas but they did hurry you out of there - there was always a line of people waiting for a table and regulars knew that you ate and got the heck out. The owner would come hover over your table, smiling and pushing the bill at you. It was strange but worth it.

[henslee]

14. Not okay. Not at all. Scratch those places off your list.

[pitohui]

15. no it's not OK

but on the bright side you are now excused from leaving a tip

in the restaurants i worked in, there was SOOO much clean-up we were there for at least an hour after the doors were closed anyway so there was never any need to say anything

if they are cleaning up faster than that, they are not clean and you don't want to go back anyway

you should be able to figure out it's time to go because the chairs are on the other tables and they're already mopping/vaccuuming other parts of the restaurant

[NewJeffCT]

16. As a former restaurant employee...

we'd probably get fired over something like that. I remember for several weeks way back when where a group of 15 or so older women would get out of some church event on Tuesday nights around 10:30 and come to our restaurant - when we'd close at 11:00. They would stay there until after midnight singing church songs & the like and we'd have to grin & bear it. I think one Tuesday night when I wasn't there, finally somebody slipped them the hint that we closed at 11:00 and they took their business elsewhere.

[BikeWriter]

17. The rule is the customer is always right, unless he's terribly wrong!

[China_cat]

18. It's only in America

that 1 person would occupy a space capable of holding 4 and be surprised by others sitting with you.

It's common in other countries that empty spaces in a booth or at a table are filled by people who also wish to eat.