Sometimes I eat at a restaurant near me and it's a fact, from 2PM onwards there is a lot less crowd, but as it is a small restaurant some dishes are already sold out, so that's a bad thing. Also, as I am in my lunchtime I need to eat before that or I don't eat at all.
I find myself in this situation all too often especially when I eat out with family or friends over the weekend. My favorite restaurants are always teeming with people every Saturday and Sunday and it can be a tad bit disappointing when you're already overcome with hunger pangs and the waiters can only assure you that some of the customers will be done with their meals soon. Might I suggest expanding their space?
I don't mind waiting, at all. I mean, of course I don't want to sit there for two hours waiting to get a seat, but to an extent, yes, I'll wait. Last time I went out to dinner, the place was packed so me and my boyfriend sat down and waited for about 15 minutes to be seated, which was perfectly fine, I didn't mind at all. The staff alone was definitely worth the wait, they're some of the nicest people I've ever met in my entire life.
If I have never ate at the place before, yes I will muster my patience and tolerance, and repress my hunger to wait longer. However, if the wait becomes excessively long, as in a hour wait or more, I'm automatically moving onto the next restaurant I desire to eat at; I can always try the place another time, because there's only so many waking seconds in a day and night, I'm not willing to waste it on over waiting. Also, simply because the place is always busy, doesn't mean it always serve good food: McDonald's are usually busy, but the food they offer is crap.
I would rather wait for a table than go to somewhere else if I have got some time. Because when I eat out, it's almost always planned. So that means that I go out to possibly have the same experience I have had in the past. I rarely go out for impromptu experience. But if I am on a hurry, I don't bother eating somewhere else. Usually during school days, when I couldn't eat with my favorite diners, I go straightaway to my next preference. And if I still can't make it, I go to anywhere close to where I initially wanted to dine, only to get my hunger shut up.
A full restaurant also means a long wait to receive food after a table is given. In my opinion, the wait isn't worth it unless it's for a special occasion, such as a birthday. I'd rather not wait two hours for a table only to wait another hour for my food to arrive. By then I'd be sick with hunger and probably couldn't bring myself to eat due to it.
Yes, I hate long waits as well dizzy, but if I have to choose between a full restaurant or an empty one, I think I'll go for the full one, people aren't stupid and if the restaurant is full is because the price/quality relation is usually good.
No. I don't care enough about restaurants to wait for a table. If I'm hungry, and there's a wait, I go to the next place or order a pizza.
I guess it depends on how good the restaurant is. In my country of the Philippines, there are very popular underground food strips where people of all social classes go to. There are really expensive food and also some really affordable choices. The ranges are wide, such as Mexican food, Japanese food, German food, etc. We always go to these popular food strips and go 'food tripping' at the popular restaurants in the area. Most of the time, people are willing to wait 30 minutes to 1 hour for a seat at a popular restaurant. We've gotten used to waiting, so I'm usually willing to wait especially if I've tried the restaurant already and if my cravings are strong that night.
Nope, the fact of the matter is that I have waited before to receive a table. The service wasn't good and the food was just okay for what I had to go through to just get seated. The fact is that most of these restaurants aren't all that good and you can find better food elsewhere.
I really dislike waiting for tables, however sometimes it is necessary. Just last weekend me and some friends went to a Japanese restaurant and we waited one hour for a table! That is a lot, especially because it was already 11 PM at the restaurant would close soon. Thankfully we had time to have our dinner, however one hour is a very long time waiting and had I known when we got there that the wait would be that much, I would have suggested going to another restaurant.
If I know the restaurant is good and there is the chance of a line, I will reserve ahead of time. I am happy to wait up to 20 minutes for a table, that's enough time for a drink at the bar but not for much longer.
It is the general consensus that if the restaurant is packed it is good. However, there are some restaurants that are always busy because they are trendy, not because the food is good. I personally try to make reservation for busy restaurants. If the wait is more than 20 minutes, I move on because most of the time the wait ends up being longer.
The longest I am willing to wait would probably be 30 mins, and only if there were other places nearby to kill time, doing window shopping etc. I think it's much easier to make a reservation in advance if you know that the restaurant will be packed.
If I really want to eat at that restaurant and that I've got plenty of time to wait, then I'd surely wait for a table to make the most of dining at that really good restaurant. Since I'm just going to spend money, I want it to be really worth it, really worth it, something that I would be satisfied.
