re: Showing up at a restaurant,minutes after posted closing time.

It seems that most people here are in agreement that it is NOT acceptable for people to come in after closing time. It seems though that most of the general public does not agree. The biggest problem with people coming after/around closing when they KNOW the hours is that their tip does not reflect how appreciative they say they are that the restaurant stayed open for them.

It puts restaurants in a weird place. If they say, sorry we around about to close, blah blah blah they are losing business not only from that night but people will bitch to their friends about it.

But everytime my boyfriend and I go out to eat we always ask AS SOON AS we walk in if it's after 8 PM what time they close. If we walk in at any time close to closing we leave. We aren't going to do that to the WHOLE staff. Plus, I like to enjoy a good, well cooked meal not a rush job.

If for some unforseen reason, say, after a movie or something, I get to restaurant within 20 minutes of closing, I'll talk to as many people as I can (host/hostess, server, manager) and make sure it's truly cool. If no one else is in the place I won't even do that and I'll go somewhere else (unless I know the place and its people).

quote:

---

Since I've worked in the industry, I don't feel comfortable entering a restaurant after a half hour before they close. I'm not saying that it's wrong, it's just a personal preference. Usually after that time the kitchen is in the process of cleaning up and shutting down, so it's somewhat out of respect for the BOH

---

I also find this extremely aggravating as well...

it is much cheaper to run off customers in the last hour that you are open .. absolutely !

quote:

---

i just think the industry-wide perception by staff that the customer that walks in at 9:25PM when closing time is 10PM is satan sucks ... there is a difference between walking in at 9:59PM and 9:25PM .. yet both are pretty much viewed in the same light ..

---

That may be a little bit of a stretch. Problably depends upon the place.

quote:

---

people are staying up later at night .. 10PM just really isn't late anymore .. events run until 9ish or later .. etc. .. yes, there is a huge market out there running the streets at that time of night ...

---

In large metropolitan areas this is true and most restaurants in those areas have taken that into consideration when POSTING their hours.

In the rest of America dinner service is a two seating affair not a three.

quote:

---

chill the frick out .. business is business and it is expensive to run ANY fricking business, not just the restaurant biz .. stop acting like it is some special industry sitting alone on this horrible under appreciated island ...

---

It is expensive to run any business, but their aren't many businesses where your inventory is slowly rotting and clearance items can kill people.

quote:

---

and basically the last hour they are open, for the most part, they have willfully diluted their businesses ... it is a mentality that will never change and most customers understand it ..

---

No they haven't. Americas have been conditioned to eat at around 6 or 8 o'clock. There aren't many people in a restaurant after 9pm. There is no reason to stay open. If the demand was there the restaurant would cater to a third seating. Many restaurants in downtown areas do this on the weekends. In Europe almost every restaurant does this because Europeans eat much later than their American counterparts. This is also why restaurants are often closed Sunday evening and Monday. People don't eat out on those days so it's a good time to give your staff a couple of days off.


Bully for you for not showing up late and ordering a 6 course meal. That's great. No kitchen staff wants to stay late. They've been standing in 140 degree heat for the past 6 hours at least. They've been rushing the whole night, and they've just now started to wind down. They can taste that first beer already. Can you blame them for being a little ticked off when a party of 6 shows up 10 minutes to close? They have to start all over and getting out in 30 minutes just turned into getting out in two hours and redoing a lot of work they've already done. They'll still cook your food though. That's their job. Don't come in after close though and expect to get served unless you're famous.

I think restaurants that offer a full menu until 10 and then a scaled back menu until 11:30 do it right. They allow the kitchen to start cleaning and can still serve to the late night stragglers.

quote:

---

i love how these threads always turn into the industry vs. the customer and the customer is always assumed to be an idiot and everyone working in the industry is just biding their time until their ivy league school application gets approved ..

---

Here's the deal. I think someone who is a pro and working their arse off at anywhere from Houstons's (at the low end) to Lilette or Stella! deserves respect and courtesy. Most of the people I know in the industry bust their arse and go out of their way to learn the craft, the food and the wine and they do a good job. I don't know much about Appleby's or Taco Bell.

same here .. i agree with you .. but more often than not, anytime there is a industry vs. customer topic, you always seem to get some entitled, condescending twit representing the industry ..

quote:

---

you always seem to get some entitled, condescending twit representing the industry ..

---

Just to be fair, you will always get some entitled, condescending twit representing the customer base as well.