Do you think it is rude to take up a table at a restaurant after your group is done with their meals?

Question

and to stay an extra hour sitting around the table not ordering? Do you think it is still acceptable to leave a 15 to 20% tip after doing so?

You look like all great customers. Pass your advice along to your friends. I'm sure the food workers would appreciate it.

Thanks

Answer 1

Being in the restaurant industry, I can safely say that it IS a little obscene to stay and "camp out" during a peak or closing time for a restaurant. Staying late after lunch before the restaurant is turned for dinner, holding a table for more than 10 minutes after the check has been taken and change returned are both frowned upon, yet tolerated. For every bad experience in a restaurant, the average consumer will tell 10 people who in turn tell another 6, and continue the chain exponentially..... For a good experience, the original consumer tells maybe 3-5 people... follow the same pattern of word of mouth. We want every guest to feel welcome and comfortable, but we also need to fill that table another 2 or 3 times. A great night to dine out is Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. For some reason the amount of traffic in restaurants declines sharply on these nights and the pressure to keep people flowing in and out is much, much less. These evenings are much better if you want a little extra time at your table... also try later in the evening after the rush, but try not to close the place down with the staff :-) Some exceptions to this are resorts, MAJOR cities where people come and go at all hours and bars that offer a full menu until the drinkers come out.

Tipping*** most people tip appropriately. The level of service and professionalism you receive from your server and the price of the meal and other amenities with the meal (wine service, knowledge of the region/tourism, soup, salad, entree, dessert, coffee service) all factor into your tip. A quality server should be efficient, knowledgeable, part of your meal and remain almost invisible while doing so... it IS a VERY HARD job... take care of them!!

Answer 2

Yeah, I think it's rude to both the staff and the other customers. Because like you said, they're taking up space and causing the server to lose tips. And as a customer, sometimes I've been eating at a place that is extremely busy and they may be having a hard time being able to seat everyone that walks in promptly. Yet I will notice that there are people just camping out at their table who are clearly not eating anymore. When they could have left and let the staff clear off their table and seat a party who has been waiting for a table for awhile.

Answer 3

Well, I would imagine that if it's a large group meeting at the restaurant then it goes without saying (if meals were ordered) that the restaurant most likely benefited by making a profit. My thought on this is that a 15%-20% tip of the total order would indeed be sufficient and acceptable. If restaurants chose not to permit customers to remain and socialize, I'm afraid that these customers would no longer be customers. However, I can indeed sympathize with restaurant owners as well as waiter/waitresses, as I do understand that time is money in the world of business.

Answer 4

Very uncool, When I was waiting tables, I would say, oh, they are becoming Nevada residents, or they are camping out at that table. LOL I personally do not have time to hang around like that, i have a life, but if I did take that much time, I most certainly would leave a VERY generous tip, at least $20, even if we just had coffee.

Answer 5

If the restaurant is insanely lined up and there are hungry customers waiting, then yes, it is rude - very rude! However if there are several open tables, you are not being obnoxiously loud and you leave a generous tip, I don't see a huge problem!

Answer 6

If I can see people are waiting for a table, I won't do that. If the place isn't full, I don't mind hanging around.

If I obviously took away possible tips from a server, I try to make it up to them.

Answer 7

depends on the cost of the meal if very expensive you are entitltled to stay and visit over after dinner coffee and no extra tip is required

Answer 8

When I was waiting tables the only people I was angry at were the ones who camped out & didn't tip.

Answer 9

If it's not busy, no; but if you're preventing customers from sitting at that station (and thus denying your server their additional tip), you should leave or double your tip.

Answer 10

It depends on the cirucmstances. If they're busy, yes it's rude, If they're slow then no it's not, if it's a special occasion and they're busy then no it's not rude. And on the tip, I believe it's appropriate if they earned it. But that's just my opinion.