Restaurants Should Refuse to Serve Large Parties

[Ahovv]

If they have kids, then they can go a restaurant designed for kids like Chuck E Cheese, and if people want to have a birthday party, then have it at home or rent a hall somewhere and hire a caterer

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Exactly. Many people like to go out to eat alone. Its nice to have peace and quiet to read my newspaper while I eat

I mean, I think you're looking at this the wrong way. Why should every restaurant cater to you rather than you be more selective with your restaurant? When I want to dine in and have a relaxing solo meal, I don't go to Texas Roadhouse. And it would be foolish to demand they quiet things down. There's a nice, quiet Chinese buffet I go to, and sit in a corner. Because that's just how things are.

[Deleted]

So I can't go to a restaurant with my family? Sure nice thinking bud.

[Hotmail]

Oh they should refuse to serve large parties alright. I was a heckler (the dude who tries to pick customers up on the street) and waiter for an Italian restaurant last summer, and let me tell ya it's not all roses and sunshine.

First off, someone always runs late --this never fails to happen-- which slows down the ordering process for everyone involved. Moreover, they're loud - one 12-top table is louder than 3 or 4-tops. They just are. I even ran a decibel detector one time just to make sure - large tables are disruptive to other guests and there's no avoiding that.

Then there is also the fact that the fuckers don't tip at all - almost as if each of them is hoping that someone else will foot the extra. It's an odd phenomenon that when otherwise normal tippers find themselves in a group situation, they become stingy. (Fun fact: This is what prompted the invention of the auto-grat.)

Another thing to consider is that last minute cancellations are disastrous for the staff managers. When some customers fail to show up, or when a party of ten all of the sudden becomes a twelve, it causes seating and service problems. Then it mysteriously throttles down to six, causing a managerial gastritis. When the party didn't show up at all, someone was very likely to not even get paid for their shift.

And don't even get me started on the separate checks and how the cooks have to rush everything. Processing multiple deuce's worth of charges takes time, and the quality of the food suffers - someone at that large table will be getting a substandard meal (undercooked, overcooked, rushed, forgotten) but most often it ends up lukewarm and/or skinned over, from sitting too long in an undersized warming window. Ask any cook or expeditor, a party of 12 bogs down the kitchen almost as badly as losing a cook mid-shift.

Finally, should anything short of a 5-star quality service happen during their stay, you'll be hearing about it on Social Media. Enter Murphy' law: the guy at the 12-top with the forgotten entree will inevitably be the first to bash the restaurant on their 5,000+ followers Facebook or Yelp page...and will accomplish that task while waiting for his dinner.



I could go on, and probably should since this thread is an Orlong blog anyway, but that's enough for now I think.

[Torgent]

Sounds like someone only has 3 friends.

That's generous. He said he likes to go alone and read his newspaper. Maybe you need to go to a small diner, Orlong. They tend to not have much seating and you can sit in silence. Don't go to a sports bar and bitch about the loud noises.

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Oh they should refuse to serve large parties alright. I was a heckler (the dude who tries to pick customers up on the street) and waiter for an Italian restaurant last summer, and let me tell ya it's not all roses and sunshine.

First off, someone always runs late --this never fails to happen-- which slows down the ordering process for everyone involved. Moreover, they're loud - one 12-top table is louder than 3 or 4-tops. They just are. I even ran a decibel detector one time just to make sure - large tables are disruptive to other guests and there's no avoiding that.

Then there is also the fact that the fuckers don't tip at all - almost as if each of them is hoping that someone else will foot the extra. It's an odd phenomenon that when otherwise normal tippers find themselves in a group situation, they become stingy. (Fun fact: This is what prompted the invention of the auto-grat.)

Another thing to consider is that last minute cancellations are disastrous for the staff managers. When some customers fail to show up, or when a party of ten all of the sudden becomes a twelve, it causes seating and service problems. Then it mysteriously throttles down to six, causing a managerial gastritis. When the party didn't show up at all, someone was very likely to not even get paid for their shift.

And don't even get me started on the separate checks and how the cooks have to rush everything. Processing multiple deuce's worth of charges takes time, and the quality of the food suffers - someone at that large table will be getting a substandard meal (undercooked, overcooked, rushed, forgotten) but most often it ends up lukewarm and/or skinned over, from sitting too long in an undersized warming window. Ask any cook or expeditor, a party of 12 bogs down the kitchen almost as badly as losing a cook mid-shift.

So what you're saying is that you weren't cut out for the serving industry and blame it on the customer. K. I have been a waiter at a busy sports bar, we frequently had large groups come in. I loved having them. I'm pretty sure the bolded part can be attributed to your ability. Everyone I've ever known to work at one loved big groups because they tipped really well for the hard work.

[Ealyssa]

Orlong hating something, what a new and refreshing MMO-C thread...

[Elestia]

As the topic states, I think restaurants should not accept parties of more than 4 people. Nothing pisses me off more than when a group of 12 come into a restaurant. This means they often have to rearrange tables to accommodate them, and it causes everyone else to have to wait even more because they take up the tables space that 3 other small groups couldve had causing everyone else to have to wait longer.

Additionally, when large parties come in, it takes additional staff to serve them creating shittier service for other people (longer waits for drink refills if they ever do come to give you one, longer time to wait for dessert order, longer wait for the bill, and longer wait for receipt).

Large groups of people are also loud causing audible disturbances to everyone around them because they feel the need to shout from one end of the table to the other to talk to each other, and lastly they almost always want serparate checks (takes too much of the server's time) for everyone and rarely leave a good tip (which is why some restaurants demand a gratuity for parties of 8 or more (which should also be illegal because tips are voluntary and you arent allowed to charge different people different prices for the same thing. They are paying more for the same food as the people next to them just because they want to sit together)

LOL.

How about let restaurants do whatever the fuck they want without your divine fascist Trump mandates.

[Dr Assbandit]

I'd rather ban bachelorette parties from gay bars/clubs. My god all that incessant shrieking and utter lack of decorum.

I've rarely seen an overly raucous group at restaurants though. Might also depend on which restaurants people are frequenting and which area of the US I guess.

[Shadowferal]

Everyone I've ever known to work at one loved big groups because they tipped really well for the hard work.

Yup.
In my example posted earlier, the waiter and waitress serving us each got a c-note for the couple of hours we were there. They earned it.

[Hotmail]

So what you're saying is that you weren't cut out for the serving industry and blame it on the customer. K. I have been a waiter at a busy sports bar, we frequently had large groups come in. I loved having them. I'm pretty sure the bolded part can be attributed to your ability. Everyone I've ever known to work at one loved big groups because they tipped really well for the hard work.

It's funny because it's wrong.


Here's an easy read to get you started; come back once your ability to present an argument surpasses the minimum intellectual requirement needed to serve a plate of chicken wings or refill a glass of water.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

[alturic]

So parties of 12 black people would have to be served but parties of 12 white people could be refused? Do you not know how discrimination works? It's the party size, not the race of the part that's at issue here. Black people can be refused service, they just can't be refused service for being black.

You missed the point. Sorry.

[Lady Dragonheart]

When I worked in food service, large parties where generally where the biggest spenders per customer if they appreciated the atmosphere, especially if it's a party with children. While other guests may have a lesser experience, properly mitigating a full house is party of the staff's duty and it is possible to end the night with a high sales' count (as well as high tips).

[Putin-Chan]

Just how old are you, Orlong?

Your rant comes of as if it was written by a bitter 70 years old man whose kids no longer visit him in his retirement home.

The character's about 5 years old, and the person behind it is 13 or 83.

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Sounds like someone only has 3 friends.

and 2 of them are his welding mask mannequins!

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Tennisace, but this thread has too little poutine, maple syrup and immigrants to summon him.

You forgot about fat people, and man hating. And Canada goose jackets.

[Slicer299]

If they have kids, then they can go a restaurant designed for kids like Chuck E Cheese, and if people want to have a birthday party, then have it at home or rent a hall somewhere and hire a caterer

So every family and fast casual restaurant should just ditch the very market the exist to serve? You really think that a restaurant like Applebee's would ever consider banning families larger than 4 people or people celebrating things like birthdays or general family get togethers? I'm honestly at a loss for words because the words such thinking deserves can't be said here.

Why would a restaurant make more money off a table of 12 people than they would over 3 tables of 4

Large groups are more likely to spend more money, plus there is the mandatory gratuity I already mentioned. A group of people, especially a group out celebrating something, are much more likely to buy things like appetizers, desserts and alcohol, the 3 biggest money makers for any restaurant. Every waiter and waitress pushes those 3 things for that very reason. It's why restaurants are more than happy to cater to big groups, because those groups spend more money per person on average than say a random couple getting a normal dinner. PLEASE go take an economics class.

You missed the point. Sorry.

I did not, you made a false statement.

[Torgent]

It's funny because it's wrong.


Here's an easy read to get you started; come back once your ability to present an argument surpasses the minimum intellectual requirement needed to serve a plate of chicken wings or refill a glass of water.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

It's funny because you think you know what that means, but you don't. That would be relevant to splitting the bill and ordering the expensive things (Which is a good thing for the restaurant btw).

[Hotmail]

It's funny because you think you know what that means, but you don't. That would be relevant to splitting the bill and ordering the expensive things (Which is a good thing for the restaurant btw).

Let me connect the dots for you.

First off, anyone who has ever worked as a waiter knows that big parties are a wild card when it comes to tipping - research has shown that the percentage of bill size tip is an inverse power function of the number of people at the table.

Now, the tipping problem in large groups is an example of an economic phenomenon called Tragedy of the commons. Everyone assumes their individual contribution is inconsequential, and that everybody else will pay the tip and the waiter will get compensated. As everyone makes what appears to be a self-interested, semi-rational assumption... the waiter ends up with nothing.

It's akin to littering: "This one plastic wrapper is just the tiniest scrap and hardly makes a difference," a person might think. Everyone makes the same assumption and suddenly the neighborhood is dirty - unless (and until) the city imposes a fine for littering.


This is one of the main reasons why mandatory tipping has become a thing in many first world countries - because the profits earned from those large tables were being taken directly from the serving staff's pockets, since the restaurant would make bank on things like desserts and drinks, but miss out on tips.

[anyaka21]

Well, the basics are that many restaurants, high volume style like Red Robin, Olive Garden, etc... don't take many reservations for large groups. And most of those will absolutely not take a reservation on a high volume time, meaning main dinner hours. If a table does want to call ahead, and show up, they are more than welcome too, but they then have to wait like everyone else.

The challenge with big tables is that it does take longer to set up, mainly due to the fact that putting 4+ tables together to form one large table is completely dependent, in high volume times, when other tables get up and leave. And what ends up happening is that tables sit open for 45+ minutes to try and set them up. Further, if the party isn't all there at the appointed time, it completely slows down the process. Thus a restaurant could have served those 4 tables 3+ times in the amount of time it takes for one big table to arrive, order, eat, sit and chat, etc... It can cause a loss of revenue for a restaurant as well as servers.

That said, banning large parties will never happen. They just have to be controlled, contained, and channelled properly.

In terms of tipping on large tables, a lot of restaurants do do mandatory tipping because it helps to take care of their employees and doesn't cost the restaurant anything. It's done to lessen the impact of a no-tip large table that's there for an entire dinner shift. Bad tables like that are what makes servers never want to deal with another large party ever again, ask to be put in spots where it doesn't happen, refuse to serve large tables, etc... Thus the practice happens. Thus for those that don't like it, get over it.

In terms of loudness, sure they might be a tad louder, but realistically, not really. Any table can get loud and out of control, it's really just that simple. Tables with out of control kids, even it's just 2pple tend to be louder than anything, thus a restaurant is better off banning kids than larger tables.

And as someone that has worked in restaurants and seen my share of all kinds of large tables, there is good and bad, but that's no different than any other type of table either.

In terms of the Tragedy of the Commons, as Comfort Zone likes to call it. It doesn't matter. That can happen on a 2 top as well. It's really just an individual thing, and that one person or persons being douchey.

And yes, individual checks do take cashing out tables longer, but that's one of the challenges of the job. The problem is when big tables get impatient and want to be insta cashed out when their party of 20 all need separate checks, all have cash, and all need change. Then it's the nightmare you do actually have nightmares about.


Edit: I will add that that the worst of the large parties are those that just expect a separate room for their party of 12ish when a particular room can seat 20-30ppl. They put their presents on other tables to try and force a restaurant to not seat the table. And I do remember when things like that happened, I had a couple of very good managers that either required them to pay for the room if they wanted the privacy or accept other people into the room, or leave. No one ever left, a couple did accept the charge to have a private room. But when faced with the choice and understanding that the restaurant isn't catering to their own little private party in their private banquet room that they didn't pay for, customers caved.

[Unhinged]

Oh they should refuse to serve large parties alright. I was a heckler (the dude who tries to pick customers up on the street) and waiter for an Italian restaurant last summer, and let me tell ya it's not all roses and sunshine.

First off, someone always runs late --this never fails to happen-- which slows down the ordering process for everyone involved. Moreover, they're loud - one 12-top table is louder than 3 or 4-tops. They just are. I even ran a decibel detector one time just to make sure - large tables are disruptive to other guests and there's no avoiding that.

Then there is also the fact that the fuckers don't tip at all - almost as if each of them is hoping that someone else will foot the extra. It's an odd phenomenon that when otherwise normal tippers find themselves in a group situation, they become stingy. (Fun fact: This is what prompted the invention of the auto-grat.)

Another thing to consider is that last minute cancellations are disastrous for the staff managers. When some customers fail to show up, or when a party of ten all of the sudden becomes a twelve, it causes seating and service problems. Then it mysteriously throttles down to six, causing a managerial gastritis. When the party didn't show up at all, someone was very likely to not even get paid for their shift.

And don't even get me started on the separate checks and how the cooks have to rush everything. Processing multiple deuce's worth of charges takes time, and the quality of the food suffers - someone at that large table will be getting a substandard meal (undercooked, overcooked, rushed, forgotten) but most often it ends up lukewarm and/or skinned over, from sitting too long in an undersized warming window. Ask any cook or expeditor, a party of 12 bogs down the kitchen almost as badly as losing a cook mid-shift.

Finally, should anything short of a 5-star quality service happen during their stay, you'll be hearing about it on Social Media. Enter Murphy' law: the guy at the 12-top with the forgotten entree will inevitably be the first to bash the restaurant on their 5,000+ followers Facebook or Yelp page...and will accomplish that task while waiting for his dinner.



I could go on, and probably should since this thread is an Orlong blog anyway, but that's enough for now I think.

So you admit to giving sub standard service because it's "too hard" then wonder why they don't tip......

[Rennadrel]

No, reservations should be required for more than 8 people. Not serving parties or large groups is financial suicide, they are the most likely to spend more money on alcohol.

[melodramocracy]

Lead by example and open your own restaurant then.

[minteK917]

Lead by example and open your own restaurant then.

Pretty much this.