So, how long would you wait for a seat?

[KrissiK]

I wanted to make this a poll, but couldn't figure it out. Anyhow, so last night DH and I were going to Olive Garden (a chain of Italian restaurants, good food, not terribly high priced) because we had a gift card. There's always a long line, so we decided to get there at 5:00 (on a Friday) so we wouldn't have to wait too long. It was still an hour wait to be seated. We decided to go to our favorite locally owned Mexican restaurant, no wait at all, delicious food.

 

So, the question is.... how long are you willing to wait to be seated? For us, no food is that good that we're willing to wait an hour or more to be seated. There are plenty of other good places to eat. We are willing to wait 15-20 minutes tops and then we're going elsewhere.

[J-rap]

Fifteen-twenty minutes sounds like a good limit to me -- unless, of course, there are no other restaurants around...

[Ellie]

I would probably not wait an hour for the Olive Garden if other options were available.

[Mommyof4ks]

We never wait more than 15 minutes. Some places have call ahead seating, so basically your wait time is the time in the car to get there, so we take advantage of that if we go out Friday-Sunday.

[Pawz4me]

Half an hour is about our limit.  If a wait is longer than that we'll usually go somewhere else.  But we generally frequent smaller, local places that don't require any waiting.  The kind of places where the waitresses might not know your name, but they remember your family and what each person typically orders. ;)  (Yes. we eat out a lot. :laugh: )

[Ali in OR]

Usually 20 minutes tops, and rarely is there any wait at all in most restaurants we go to. Olive Garden seems to be the exception--almost always a wait. We don't have one in our town, but there is one that is conveniently located for the drive home when we have soccer games out of town. It worked very well to get there at about 8:00 after a late game. It also worked well to call in and get on the waiting list as we started our drive. In general we won't even try to stop there between 5:30 and 7:00. I'm a little surprised that 5:00 wasn't early enough, but maybe with the holidays (and perhaps lots of gift cards) there is more demand than usual???

[alisoncooks]

10 min. if the kids are with us.

Otherwise 15-20 min. tops... and that's only if it's a peak time and I know I'll have to wait anywhere else I'd go.

 

[Lara in Colo]

It depends on the situation.  Here in town, for any ol' dinner?  30 minutes.

 

But when we travel to Santa Fe?  We will wait a long time for some good Mexican food (while having a couple of margaritas of course).

 

 

[hjffkj]

at Olive Garden or other chain restaurants like that 15 minutes.  more local places I'll wait an hour if the kids aren't with me. More time with dh is always welcome.

[Wheres Toto]

Around here if you go out to a Olive Garden type restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night, or to a Cracker Barrel/IHOP type place for Saturday or Sunday breakfast - you can pretty much expect to wait for quite a while, longer than 30 minutes wouldn't be unusual.   Most of them don't take reservations unless you are a large party.

 

I'm surprised the wait was that long at 5pm on a Friday.   That's early enough that I would expect no wait at most of the places around here.

[Wilma]

With kids (4 of them, 8 and under) 20 minutes would be my max. Without... Well, that never happens. But if it did, probably 45 minutes. We don't typically eat at places with a wait, though our favorite pizza place is an exception.

[luvnlattes]

We'll usually wait up to about 45 minutes. Some places, you just know that there will be a long wait and you go expecting that. Cheesecake Factory is one that comes to mind. We've never had less than a 45 minute wait there for dinner. When we went the week before Christmas it was 1.5 hours!

[Mandylubug]

For a place like Olive Garden? No more than 30. If it were a really popular restaurant that is known for its wait times we come prepared with snacks. We've been known to drive an 1.5 hours and then wait 2 to be seated. The wait was worth the food and we were expecting the wait.

 

Another restaurant we loved in AZ, we drove 45mins and waited an hour regularly. You couldn't find anything like it, the food was the best and the atmosphere was just as great.

[5of5]

30 minutes max, and only if the place was our number one choice.

[Word Nerd]

I wouldn't wait an hour. I think the longest I ever waited was 40 minutes or so at Casa Bonita, where you are paying for the atmosphere and not the food.

[shukriyya]

There would be practical details to take into account. If I weren't super hungry, loved the company I was waiting with, loved the restaurant and the food, the sound level was relatively low and the food was beyond superb in an SF/NYC kind of way then I can see in some distant galaxy perhaps waiting an hour. Maybe. There would need to be some wine offered though.

 

 

[Baseball mom]

Sometimes we stay, sometimes we go when told that long of a wait.  Several times we have been told an hour wait and but will get a table within 20 minutes.  So it just depends on our mood and hunger level 

[LibraryLover]

45 minutes. That was the other day, but the lox is awesome.

[Cosmos]

I don't like to wait a long time. It's not so much for the wait itself -- I'm usually with my favorite people and we can entertain each other. But I don't like to feel rushed over a meal. And when there's a long wait, no matter how polite the servers are, I feel that we need to eat quickly and get out rather than linger over coffee. I'd much rather go when there are tables to spare so we can take our time. Note: we tip very well!

[Mom2TheTeam]

I think this is going to depend on your area. 

 

Where I grew up and lived most of my adult life an hour on a Friday or Saturday night was typical...even at a non-chain.  I would wait an hour depending on the situation.  With kids, never.  Without and if I wasn't really hungry or on a time schedule, sure.  My husband and I (or whoever I was with) would just sit and chit chat.  No big deal.  There wasn't much point in trying anywhere else because they were all like that.

 

Where I am now, a wait at all, even at a chain isn't super common, even on a Friday or Saturday night.  I think I've only waited once or twice since moving here 3 years ago. Therefore, I would not wait more than 20 minutes or so because I could go to the next place over and probably find no wait.

[Jean in Newcastle]

For two people, 20 min.  For a group, esp. if everyone is meeting there (making it a pain to coordinate a move to another place plus another guaranteed wait), 45 min.  

[poppy]

I've been a waitress hostess, they don't know how long the wait will be & do tend to exaggerate.

 

I don't wait more than 15 minutes except for the local breakfast place, where the line is always out the door but kind of a fun, festive atmosphere.

Oh, if there is a bar to wait in, and it's just me & the husband, I am happy to sit and have cocktails for as long as it takes!

[Woodhaven]

I've found that to be true, poppy.  Often our wait is not nearly as long as they suggest.  However, I am not willing to wait more than 20 minutes.  In our area there are a  plethora of choices, so we just move on.

[elegantlion]

We've done 45 minutes before at Olive Garden, because dh really wanted Olive Garden. We've often offered to eat in the bar if the wait would be quicker - depends on the restaurant though, some have a nice bar area with tables so you don't have to eat at the counter. 

 

Generally 30 minutes is my max. It also depends on who I'm with and the availability of other places nearby. 

 

A few years ago we started to get take out and skip the sit down part. Saves on tip and drinks and I don't have to cook. 

[Cera]

Around here a long waits standard for restaurants like that. Most are in shopping areas so we go early and out our name on the list then wander around.

[KRG]

For a chain restaurant I probably wouldn't wait because there are imo better options in food quality and cost.  

[Mrs Mungo]

It really depends. There are times my dh and I will wait longer than I would under other circumstances because we aren't in a hurry and are just enjoying one another's company.

[catz]

If it's just DH and I and we can sit and have a glass of wine in the bar, we'll wait an hour no problem. I will not wait long crammed into a lobby without an adult beverage. And especially with the kids. 20 minutes sounds about right, and about half the time we'll just change our minds and go somewhere else.

 

We rarely go to chain restaurants, so when we do, we will not wait for those.

[mommymilkies]

20 minutes.  Any longer and food takes forever to get there after ordered, too.  Dh is diabetic, so I'm not up for waiting two hours for food.

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Olive Garden, 15;  The French Laundry, prob a bit more.

[Melissa in Australia]

I have never waited... but I never eat out either........................................................... sigh!

[gardenmom5]

depends upon the place.

I wouldn't wait at olive garden.  (I only go there on rare occasion with a group at lunch time.  they do take reservations.)

 

My favorite Italian place doesn't take reservations, so we go early, or late if we don't want to wait.  I've waited 45 minutes there.  (and along with others who've been there assured newbs standing in line that it was worth the wait.)

[OrganicAnn]

We always get carry out from Olive Garden.   The wait time is usually over 30 minutes even at 5:00.   Last time we tried to go there they gave us a 'call ahead' card.  Basically you can call and get your name on the waiting list even without being there.    It isn't a reservation and if you aren't there when they get to your name, then you are out of luck.  

[T'smom]

Normally 15 -20 minutes, but I do remember one time last winter that I waited more than an hour at an Olive Garden. We were having a girls night out, it was really cold so we didn't want to go back outside to the next place (which may also have had a wait), but mostly.....we just weren't in a hurry to get home!

[Mergath]

I don't mind waiting at restaurants.  I'd probably wait an hour if I was really craving a certain type of food.  I always keep books for me and dd in my purse, so as long as they had somewhere to sit down while I waited, I'd see it as a nice opportunity to kick back and get caught up on my reading. ;)  Dh isn't much of a reader though, so if he was there he'd be bored silly after fifteen minutes.

[Just Kate]

We've waited an hour (or more!) at Olive Garden many times. Sadly, we live in an area with few restaurants. Most of them are chains and Olive Garden is one of the nicer ones. If we want to eat out, we had to wait!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I think an hour at 5pm is outrageous.

 

Otherwise, I would go based on how hungry we are (and we may include a boatload of kids!).  

And I'd decide based on whether twice the amount of time quoted is reasonable for us.  

I would NOT wait 90 minutes when I was quoted 20 (and once we got to 40 minutes, they'd hear about it).

[AlmiraGulch]

Totally depends on what I'm doing.

 

Need a quick dinner to get on to something else?  Not more than 15 or 20.

 

Can I sit at a bar for a drink and talk with my husband or friends while I wait?  I have no real limit.  It's part of the evening.

 

It also depends on whether or not there's really any other place to go.  Last night DH and I went to Outback.  They said it was a 45 minute wait and that was fine.  I knew that if we left and went anywhere else it would have been just as long, but more importantly I knew that we likely really wouldn't have to wait that long, because they have a large bar area that also has first come, first served tables.  I just hung out in that area for about 10 minutes until someone left and then snagged their seats.

 

[4kiddies]

I wouldn't wait--not for a chain restaurant.  They are a dime a dozen so I would just move on.

[Laurie4b]

15-20 minutes. I'm not good at waiting! For someplace really nice that didn't take reservations, I might wait longer, but I've only ever encountered that while on vacation.

[Farrar]

For a chain restaurant, I wouldn't wait at all.  But I'm not big on sit down chains.  I can't remember the last time I went to one.

 

For a nice restaurant, I've waited as long as an hour.  But usually we'll call ahead.  When dh and I go out, it's almost always before a theater show so we usually can't wait.  If the place we want to go is full, we have to walk someone else.

[Mom in High Heels]

Generally no more than 20 minutes, 30 at the absolute maximum, especially at a chain restaurant.  If it's a bigger group, I'll wait 30 or so minutes.  The longest I've ever waited was roughly an hour, at Outback with a party of 7.  I was more than willing to go somewhere else, as except for the Blooming Onion, I hate, but all the others with us love.  

 

You know, we lived in Europe for a total of 11 years, and I can never once remember waiting for a table.  It didn't matter what city we were in, we were always seated right away.  I wonder why?  More restaurants?  Varying eating times?  I don't think it's less eating out.

[xixstar]

Well around here, I would wait 30-55 minutes to eat somewhere I wanted to eat. Since there is only 2 places that fit the bill, that means that sometimes we have to wait. Our favorite place has call ahead seating which I love because it's 20 minutes to get there, as long as I remember to call first. The other place is tiny and no indoor waiting area either, so it depends on the time of year -- nice weather I'll happily wait outside, at least until some one starts smoking and then I curse them and me for liking the tiny place with long waits everytime.

[LMV]

We always make reservations!

*If we're going out to eat with the kids we need to make reservations, because we'll always be at least a party of seven and often more like a party ten.  We also tip well.  

*If DH and I are going out then we've had to plan in advance so we will definitely make reservations.  

 

 

 

[Tree Frog]

 

You know, we lived in Europe for a total of 11 years, and I can never once remember waiting for a table.  It didn't matter what city we were in, we were always seated right away.  I wonder why?  More restaurants?  Varying eating times?  I don't think it's less eating out.

 

My father made a comment last month as we were waiting for our table that often restaurants want people to wait because it makes them seem popular. I don't know where he got his info, but around here if you're looking for dinner at a chain between 6 and 8 pm, there is a guaranteed wait, especially Friday and Saturday nights.

[Slartibartfast]

I have never waited an hour for a table for two, that is way too much!

 

While in KC we visited an Italian buffet that is a million times yummier than Olive Garden WHILE it was "kids eat free" night (so it was insane) and we had eleven people, it was an hour for that but that was with eleven people! 

 

Maybe if we were low on money and had a giftcard and were desperate to get out of the house. Otherwise I might save the GC for another night.

[LibraryLover]

My father made a comment last month as we were waiting for our table that often restaurants want people to wait because it makes them seem popular. I don't know where he got his info, but around here if you're looking for dinner at a chain between 6 and 8 pm, there is a guaranteed wait, especially Friday and Saturday nights.

 

I chuckled at this.  I can see with my own eyes the people waiting, and the folks at the tables. I can see the waiters and bus boys running for their lives.  I can nearly feel the migraine of the host.

 

 I live in an area of many indie restaurants. Several always have good waits. Some have lesser waits. Some take reservations, others do not.  Ime, your wait depends on the time of day, rep of the restaurant, day of the week, new menu,  atmosphere.  About a month ago we waited for about 60 minutes for a table in packed restaurant. The line was out the door, the hostess station jam-packed. The music was wonderful, and it felt like your best friend's party, although it was a Tuesday night. We had such a nice time at the bar. The food was really good, not spectacular. It was just a really uplifting atmosphere. Sometimes there is just food, and sometimes there is good food and ambiance that makes waiting part of the experience.

[Tree Frog]

I chuckled at this. It doesn't make a b it of sense to me. I can see with my own eyes the people waiting, and the folks at the tables. I can see the waiters and buss boys running for their lives.  I can nearly feel the migraine of the host. 

 

 

 

I know what you mean. My dad usually knows what he's talking about, but when there aren't any seats available, how are the hostesses supposed to seat people? I remember that particular comment from his visit because it seemed odd to me for the same reason it does to you.

 

I wonder, though, if there are people on this board who could speak to this issue; from the outside looking in, it doesn't seem like it's possible to seat people faster. However, are there things people in the industry do to make it seem like it's not possible to seat people faster? 

[LibraryLover]

I know what you mean. My dad usually knows what he's talking about, but when there aren't any seats available, how are the hostesses supposed to seat people? I remember that particular comment from his visit because it seemed odd to me for the same reason it does to you.

 

I wonder, though, if there are people on this board who could speak to this issue; from the outside looking in, it doesn't seem like it's possible to seat people faster. However, are there things people in the industry do to make it seem like it's not possible to seat people faster? 

 

Because people are eating and chatting?

 

I think moving folks in and out at lightning speed is annoying.  It isn't about shoveling in food-- or it shouldn't be. I don't like to be rushed. Of course, I don't think sitting for hours when there are many folks waiting is nice.

 

 

 

[QueenCat]

Somewhere that I'm with just dh or dh & kids, 20-30 mins, if it's likely to be that way anywhere in the immediate area. If I'm with others, and the place doesn't take reservations, we'll wait longer but then we have people to talk to while we wait. Usually, you can get drinks while you're waiting, so that helps.