Last winter my husband and I decided to meet at a favorite restaurant for a weekday dinner. I arrived first and asked for a table for two. <\/p>\n
The hostess smiled. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, we can\u2019t seat you until the other person has arrived,\u201d she said, even after I pointed out that the place was half empty. I didn\u2019t argue with her. I sat down and waited for Mr. Man to arrive.<\/p>\n
During dinner, though, I kept thinking about that policy. It\u2019s among a handful of practices that I understand, mostly because I write about the hospitality business for a living. <\/p>\n
Still, I resent them. My husband and I are adults. We hold up our ends of deals. We also value our time as well as transparency in organizations with which we do business. I dislike policies that presume we are children who need rules in order to behave appropriately. Read on, and you\u2019ll see what I mean.<\/p>\n
Seating only complete parties.<\/strong> Yes, an intact party will turn a table faster than a singleton waiting for her date. Still, why can\u2019t I enjoy a glass of wine and peruse the menu while waiting? It\u2019s productive time; I\u2019ll start running up a tab and decide what I want to eat. <\/p>\n Charging to split an entr\u00e9e.<\/strong> That\u2019s particularly annoying if I\u2019ve ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer. I know restaurants are trying to safeguard against cheapskates, but that\u2019s not me. I know my appetite. I\u2019m splitting an entr\u00e9e to save room for the other good things on your menu. <\/p>\n Refusing to take reservations.<\/strong> No-shows can bite into an evening\u2019s revenue, and taking reservations is just one more task for staff. But honestly, I\u2019m going to show up for my reservation. If I can\u2019t make it, I\u2019ll call and cancel.<\/p>\n Charging an automatic gratuity.<\/strong> That presumes I\u2019m going to cheap out rather than tip generously for expert service. More alarmingly, few servers mention this policy, usually stated in superfine type on the bottom of the menu\u2019s last page. This policy strikes me as overprotective at best and deceptive at worst.<\/p>\n Refusing to split a check or limiting the ways it can be split. <\/strong>I\u2019m the customer. I should dictate how I want to pay my bill. I can see how processing five credit cards to pay one check would vex even the most gracious server. Yet I can\u2019t imagine it happens that often; when it does, the house should just graciously accept the payment. <\/p>\n Dear restaurateurs, I propose a deal. I\u2019ll treat you your business like a grownup. I\u2019ll trust that you\u2019ll prepare my food safely and well, that your staff will treat me kindly, and I\u2019ll leave happy and healthy.<\/p>\n In return, I\u2019ll be a grownup. My date will arrive. I will honor my reservation. I\u2019ll tip generously for good service, and I won\u2019t fill up on bread and then save money by splitting an entr\u00e9e.<\/p>\n And you know what? I\u2019ll even use my indoor voice.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “I dislike policies that presume we are children who need rules in order to behave appropriately.”<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n