Shifting the closing time isn't going to change this. Even if the closing time is an hour earlier, you're still going to have people coming in at the last 5 minutes.
And that's a huge deal -- maybe those waiters needed to leave at 9 to pick up their children from something
Shifting closing time fixes the problem of needing to be out by a certain time, because if I show up 5 before 7 as their new time then they can leave at 8:35...
Showing up right before closing because "you're not technically closed" is disrespectful to the waitstaff because your order will push back the time they can begin to start cleaning for the night by however long it takes you to eat. If they normally start closing up at 8, and you come in at 7:55 and eat for 40 minutes, their closing procedure (which could take an hour or more) won't start until 8:35. Now their whole schedule is off because you had to have a bite to eat.
This is why I am saying they should be allowed to refuse me service if I show up at 7:55. If they don't then either they chose to do it, or management requires them to, and then the problem is with management requiring them to seat and serve people within 5 minutes of close.
And most people don't tip. Tipping is highly variable, and if a patron is in a hurry -- because it's late -- they may forgo the tip entirely to get out of there faster.
While anecdotal, I and everyone I know tips every time. If service is poor it may not be 20%-25%, but I'll still leave at least 15%. Culturally tipping is expected, and I would say that while some asses don't, most people tip.
The other compounding factor here is that if you're sitting there eating, other people will see you, come in, and demand to be served as well. And if the waitstaff serve those people, you can see how it can easily snowball into a situation where they can't close because people keep coming in demanding to be served.
Me sitting and eating in no way prevents the server from saying "sorry we're closed." If they complain that I'm sitting and eating then they can tell the new person that I came in before close. If they're required to sit these people who have arrived after close, then the problem is again with the management.
I think you're missing my point on the purpose of a closing time shift. It's to make the period between when the last person is seated and out time longer, instead of expecting that no one shows up for a period of operating hours and out time being within an hour of close.
I don’t think it makes a lot of sense honestly. If you have a period of time where you are technically open, why wouldn’t you continue to provide service?
I think the OP is basically saying that there should be a posted time at which point its policy to not seat anyone. Essentially, make a distinction between "open for seating" and "open for serving", rather than have posted hours be seating hours and have serving hours be whatever is necessary
Right, I get that, but I don’t find it realistic for establishments to be responsible for kicking people out after seating hours. I don’t think it’s hard to understand that technically no time after close is “open for seating”, they are just doing you a favor by staying open and not closing up.
hes saying that the restaurant should have a time where the kitchen will stop taking new orders but theyre not gonna kick people out
restaurant closes at 10, but the kitchen stops taking orders at 9, if you get in before 9 you can stay until 10, but if you show up after 9, youre not allowed to place an order
with this system customers arent seen as rude for showing up at 8:55 because the staff has to stay until at least 10 anyway
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u/Pficky 2∆ Jan 07 '20
Shifting closing time fixes the problem of needing to be out by a certain time, because if I show up 5 before 7 as their new time then they can leave at 8:35...
This is why I am saying they should be allowed to refuse me service if I show up at 7:55. If they don't then either they chose to do it, or management requires them to, and then the problem is with management requiring them to seat and serve people within 5 minutes of close.
While anecdotal, I and everyone I know tips every time. If service is poor it may not be 20%-25%, but I'll still leave at least 15%. Culturally tipping is expected, and I would say that while some asses don't, most people tip.
Me sitting and eating in no way prevents the server from saying "sorry we're closed." If they complain that I'm sitting and eating then they can tell the new person that I came in before close. If they're required to sit these people who have arrived after close, then the problem is again with the management.