Ask for the Table You Really Need at the Restaurant, Damn It
If you’ve ever sat at an unwelcome table in a restaurant – like a table next to the bathroom, or between two others with barely enough space – it’s time to ask for the table you really need.
As restaurant editor Hillary Dixlar Canavan recently wrote for Eater , part of a restaurant’s responsibility is to make you happy if you respond politely to your request.
You came to this restaurant to spend money and have a great time. If you feel it will be easier to achieve this elsewhere, there is nothing wrong with asking politely. In my opinion, asking for the table you want means taking on some responsibility for your own happiness – the final step.
Of course, they can also say no.
Maybe the restaurant is reserving a table for a big party, or they are throwing parties close to each other so the waiters can serve you better, as u / binger5 explained on the Reddit thread .
“During off-peak hours, only a few tables arrive,” they wrote. “Usually one server can handle all tables. Multiple tables are easier to work with when they are located together. You can take ketchup on one table, leave food on another and order drinks on a third table without going to the restaurant. “
So don’t expect to get the table you want every time you ask. And if you do plan to ask a question, make sure you have a specific alternate table before asking the question to make it easier for staff to query – and just ask, “Can I take this table?”
It’s simple! And if you want to avoid interaction altogether, place a query for a specific table (for example, at the strip or at the top) when you make a reservation using sites or applications such as Opentable and Resy. As with the increase in the class of service in the hotel or flight, you do not know until you ask, so do it now.