I usually don't go out at night often these days, but this happened this Saturday night, as it was both Valentines and Carnival, so there was no way I could escape. I was 4 hours (yes, 4) at a restaurant, from 8:30pm to 00:30am, insane! Worse were those who had to wait outside for 2 or 3 hours... Has something like this happened to you?
Crowds are one of the reasons I never go out when there's a holiday of sorts. I hate crowds, jostling through them, having your wallet stolen and coming back home feeling exhausted. No. And even if circumstances demanded that I be [out] somewhere since I'm not patient enough to wait outside a restaurant for hours, I don't think I'd stick around.
No, it's never happened to me and I too don't have the patience to wait that long. I'd just leave. I think the longest I'd wait is maybe 30 minutes,tops. It's always prudent to reserve a table during special holidays, because you just know it's going to be mayhem wherever you go.
I am not a patient person, but when you go to these places you know there will be a wait as it is a one off event so you should be prepared. You shouldn't have been surprised, but the more people the merrier? I hope you had a good time, because the waiting is also part of the experience.
Luckily, I have never been through that situation in which I have to wait for hours. I could never stand that. I really consider time as very precious, and I don't want to waste it just like that. I'd rather just cook some food at my home, and eat it in front of the television. It's much more comfortable and cheaper that way. Anyway, I'm not really into fine dining.
Making a reservation ahead of the event is one of the things that you can do to avoid the long wait. Last Valentines Day, we went out to a restaurant to have our lunch. As it was Valentines, there were a lot of people and the lines were very long. We just went ahead with the lines and told the receptionist that we have a reservation. We were seated and served immediately to the envy of all those people who were waiting for their turn.
Yes, that was our luck too, we had reservations so we just entered and sat down. Even so the food took a lot to come and we stayed there for all that time. Better than those standing waiting though.
I would never wait 2 or 3 hours for a table. My fiance and I went out to eat at a restaurant last weekend and there was a 45 minute wait. The cool thing was that they had a texting system so we could walk around the community and shop for a while until our table was ready. They just texted us when it was time. I see people who will just sit and the restaurant and wait and I have no patience for that. Besides when they get that busy, it is normally to loud to hear yourself talk.
That's what I think too Rosy, I was totally stunned by the fact that they were there all that time, but we need to consider that it was a small location and there wasn't any other restaurant available. Plus, it was valentines and carnival in the same day.
For me, going out to eat outside during the holidays is a no-no, since your time and energy will just be wasted waiting because of the long lines. I think that it would be better to order from home to celebrate the occasion, since there would be no hassle except for the extra delivery charge.
I can totally related with that sidney, but life circumstances joined me with a person (my wife haha) that loves to go out during the holidays, so I'm in that boat whether I like it or not. I hate a lot of people together to be honest though.
