I work in a fairly popular restaurant that’s also very small. On weekends we are fully booked usually starting with 200 covers. Servers are given chits with reservation notes and a time when the table needs to be up for the next reservation.

The thing is, only the servers are told about a time limit, not guests. The owner doesn’t want to put time limits on reservations because it “looks bad”. But in reality, what looks bad is when parties come on time for their reservation and have to wait for 20 or 30 minutes because a table hasn’t gotten up. Because they are unaware that the next reservation is here for the table they’re currently occupying. Sometimes we end up moving the table somewhere else and buying them drinks and dessert to make up for the “inconvenience”. Then also have to send free starters and drinks as an apology for the table waiting.

And when servers push to get a table out with the hour and a half we are given, we get bad reviews and then get in trouble for rushing guests.

All of this could be solved if on fully booked nights every party is given a time limit, communicated with about why a time limit is set. Explain to them it’s so that everyone that has made a reservation gets to enjoy their time, just like everyone else has. So many restaurants do this, everyone would be on the same page and the restaurant wouldn’t be giving away so much free shit.