Restaurants Don’t Want Your Party of Six The noise, longer s
Mar 4, 2024 18:43:37 GMT -5
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Post by fuzzems on Mar 4, 2024 18:43:37 GMT -5
Restaurants Don’t Want Your Party of Six
The noise, longer seatings and smaller per-person bills are negatives, so reservations for big groups are hard to come by
Busy restaurants have a message for customers: Come dine with us. Leave your extra friends at home.
The eateries want your business, of course. But with ongoing staffing shortages, you and your gang of eight or even six are just too much work. Large parties, from couples out for date night to Grandma’s 80th birthday, suck up staff time and reduce a restaurant’s ability to turn over tables and make a profit during a period of increasing food costs. You’re kinda noisy too, which annoys other customers.
The pushback is leaving consumers both surprised and frustrated. How do you dine family-style with only half the family? Or celebrate the deal with only a few of the office crew?
Some determined diners are now calling reluctant restaurants to personally plead their case, or trying creative (and sneaky) workarounds, such as booking two tables that they then plan to push together. They say they have to get creative, since going through online reservations systems rarely seems to turn up large tables. Those who do manage to book larger parties say they sometimes must leave additional deposits or preorder—and prepay.
www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/restaurants-large-groups-dining-ecae9ffe?mod=hp_featst_pos5
The noise, longer seatings and smaller per-person bills are negatives, so reservations for big groups are hard to come by
Busy restaurants have a message for customers: Come dine with us. Leave your extra friends at home.
The eateries want your business, of course. But with ongoing staffing shortages, you and your gang of eight or even six are just too much work. Large parties, from couples out for date night to Grandma’s 80th birthday, suck up staff time and reduce a restaurant’s ability to turn over tables and make a profit during a period of increasing food costs. You’re kinda noisy too, which annoys other customers.
The pushback is leaving consumers both surprised and frustrated. How do you dine family-style with only half the family? Or celebrate the deal with only a few of the office crew?
Some determined diners are now calling reluctant restaurants to personally plead their case, or trying creative (and sneaky) workarounds, such as booking two tables that they then plan to push together. They say they have to get creative, since going through online reservations systems rarely seems to turn up large tables. Those who do manage to book larger parties say they sometimes must leave additional deposits or preorder—and prepay.
www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/restaurants-large-groups-dining-ecae9ffe?mod=hp_featst_pos5
