How long would you wait for a table at a restaurant?

[Rhythm]

The place where i work was up to a 2h15m wait at one point last night...
The weather was lousy, and there were people crammed into the lobby area like sardines.
This seemed insane to me...

How long would you wait for a table, even at your favorite place?

[mike_c]

1. depends entirely on how much I like the restaurant and how hungry...

...I am. I might wait 2 hrs if there is a bar and I've got good company, and we're not too hungry to enjoy the wait. Otherwise, it's unlikely.

[Little Wing]

2. Good lord, over two hours is just being stubborn

Like those people who will wait seemingly forever to make a left turn onto a busy road, instead of making a right then a quick left in a driveway or side-road.

Some people just have no situational thinking. They came to Restaurant X, and dad-gubmit, they're gonna eat at Restaurant X

[Rhythm]

17. and those same people complain when their entree isn't there in 10 minutes.

grr... there's a reason why we're so danged busy, people...

our dining room is small, or kitchen is not big enough, and the whole damed town came here for dinner tonight!!!

[auntAgonist]

3. 20 minutes ..

Even that's a long time for me.

We went out last night and the restaurant was packed, people in the lobby and outside. They said it would be 1.5 hours wait. We went someplace else. It was COLD outside, and we'd never been to this particular place before so we were not willing to wait it out. I don't think we'd have waited even on a summer's night unless they had a patio where you could sit and have a drink before being taken in to dine.

aA

[acmavm]

5. I agree. 20 minutes to (at the absolute most) a half hour is enough.

[XemaSab]

22. And if they're expecting me to wait a half hour

They better have a bar that I can get SOMETHING at, even if it's just a coke. :P

[eyesroll]

4. I'll wait about as long as it would take to drive to and get seated at another restaurant.

If it's a Saturday night and everywhere is going to have a wait, I'll wait. If, however, that wait's longer than 45 minutes or so, I will just give up.

Under no circumstances will I wait in line (other than just the regular queue to pay, get ID'd, etc. -- I mean the lines to get beyond the bouncer who's making sure you're wearing the right outfit or to wait for others in a filled-to-capacity building to leave) to get into a club.

I'm pretty impatient.

[Dastard Stepchild]

6. If someone tells me something over a half hour...

I generally ask if they think it will really be that long. If the host says s/he thinks not, we'll wait. But if the host nods and says something to the effect of, "Oh yeah - we're crazy tonight," I usually thank them and find someplace else.

I can generally avoid this by going out to a late lunch as opposed to a dinner, though. Once we took up the habit of arriving at the restaurant about 5 pm, we've never really had to wait for a table. Then we go out for coffee to extend our outings into a more proper evening out. :)

[Left Is Write]

9. We've done that too - there's a popular restaurant here that's always

packed at dinnertime. We've gone there at 4:30 and been seated nearly immediately.

[Sanity Claws]

35. You'll be ready to take advantage of the Early Bird

dinner specials in Florida when you turn 65! ;)

[Midlodemocrat]

7. I won't wait.

No restaurant is worth waiting for, IMHO. If I think it is going to be busy on a particular night, I will make a reservation.

[auntAgonist]

10. we tried that last night ..

They (Texas Roadhouse in MI) don't take reservations. You can call ahead and get a number for seating, what the difference is I really don't know. WE didn't call ahead because we didn't know what time we would be arriving. A lot of places these days don't take reservations, unless you have a party of 8 or more.

aA

[Kat45]

27. I hate that when they won't take reservations unless it's a big party

The Texas Roadhouse here (MA) does the same thing that yours does and the place is always packed. Usually only go there in an off-time during the week. My favorite Greek restaurant near me won't take reservations for less than a party of four, and I'm always part of a party of two (or occasionally three), so if I decide to go there, I know I'll have to wait 30-45 minutes. It sucks. I don't see why they can't take reservations for two or three.

[Left Is Write]

8. It depends on a few factors, but I would NOT wait 2 hours anywhere.

If the kids are with us, 15 minutes max. If we're sans children and the restaurant has a bar we could wait in, I'd wait up to an hour.

[GenDem]

11. 45 minutes....tops

and I prefer to have access to the bar. One glass of Pinot Grigio, a dry riesling, or a chardonnay makes the wait very enjoyable.:9

[hijinx87]

12. always wait in the bar

it's much more bearable. ;)

[Wcross]

13. If its packed, I use the drive through!

I have no class. I know it and am comfortable saying so.

[hijinx87]

14. good point.

the best food in the world comes out of a drive through window. ;)

[philosophie_en_rose]

15. 20 minutes. Maybe 1/2 an hour.

If the restaurant has reservations, I shouldn't have to wait longer than 5 - 10 minutes (if there is a wait at all).

If the restuarant doesn't have reservations, I can probably find comparable food elsewhere in less time.

[Rhythm]

16. the restaurant in question is the bane of the DUniverse...

and yeah, we were THAT busy last night...

Funniest part is that there are 6 different full-service restaurants on that strip, all within sight of each other, and none of them looked that swamped.

gah...

[Bunny]

20. 2.5 hour wait for The Olive Garden???

I'm not one of the DU Olive Garden Haters, but there is NO WAY I'd wait that long for TOG!!!

[Rhythm]

36. yeah... 2.5 hrs at the OG...

what the hell were these people thinking?!??!

[Silver Swan]

18. No time

I try not to eat at places that make you wait.

The exception would be a special occasion when other people have chosen the restaurant.

[rug]

19. one minute.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

21. Question 2: How long before you slip the greeter a 20?

[amitten]

23. As an ex-greeter, I have to say that method does work.

Yeah, I'll find a way to seat you for twenty bucks!

[anti-everything]

24. 15 minutes, tops

I'm hungry now, damnit.

[kedrys]

25. By myself, 20-30 minutes

With the s.o. in tow, 5 minutes if that.

[bigwillq]

26. 20-30 minutes

tops

[Nicole]

28. 30 minutes if I'm alone

An hour if I have good company to talk to while I'm waiting.

Any longer than that I would place an order to go, if I really wanted that food.

[SPKrazy]

31. I'd Wait An Hour

with you!

no more though!

:rofl:

[Nicole]

33. I'd let you

wait with me.

:evilgrin:

[SPKrazy]

34. Ahhhh

:evilgrin:

[ellisonz]

29. 20-30 minutes.

45 minutes if I really want to eat there...God invented cellphones for a reason...to call family!

[femmocrat]

30. I would go to another restaurant.

[u4ic]

32. 15 minutes at the very most

if I wasn't starving and dead set on the place. If I were that dead set on it, actually, I would make a reservation.


The majority of the time, I'd just go elsewhere. There are plenty of restaurants.

[MonkeyFunk]

37. oh

maybe an hour if there's a pleasant bar with some seats available. OR... if it's in a downtown area and there are bookstores or something nearby where I can go wander. A lot of restaurants now will take your cell phone # and give you a call when your table's ready, so as long as you're within a minute or two walk away, it's fine.