Reserving Tables

[Salu]

What’s the general feeling about reserving tables in cafes? Does it bug you, like me that you get your food to the eating area only to find no tables but plenty of people sitting waiting for their “mate” or “wife” etc to bring their food to the table that they have “reserved” by parking their bum there. There are often signs around that ask you not to do this.
There are exceptions to the rule I believe. For example, if you are on your own with 3 young children and a pram you can’t take a pram, 3 kids and a tray through the queue. Or if you are disabled etc. But on the whole I am talking about….well….selfishness.

[Angua]

The only time I need to "reserve" seating is if I have my children with me, and then only once they have made their choices.

[etccarmageddon]

if there's a sign saying dont do it then you should complain, if there isn't then you should either accept it, or take your business elsewhere or suggest the management have a policy of tables only to be occupied when you have your food. generally I think it's rude and selfish and very much the british way of life!

[driver_problems]

Originally Posted by Salu

What’s the general feeling about reserving tables in cafes? Does it bug you, like me that you get your food to the eating area only to find no tables but plenty of people sitting waiting for their “mateâà¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ÂÂ� or “wifeâà¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ÂÂ� etc to bring their food to the table that they have “reservedà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ÂÂ� by parking their bum there. There are often signs around that ask you not to do this.
There are exceptions to the rule I believe. For example, if you are on your own with 3 young children and a pram you can’t take a pram, 3 kids and a tray through the queue. Or if you are disabled etc. But on the whole I am talking about….wellâ €¦.selfishness.

[It reminds me in a way of those german tourists who always put their towels on the sunlounger in Spain etc.]

tircky one really. It's all down to ascertaining wether the essence/spirit of the thing is being stretched too far. You don't want to tell the clientelle to b*gger off but on the other hand you don't want them hogging the seats/covers. I used to work in a cafe and we had a policy of minimum spend between 12noon and 2pm as you used to get a couple of women or similar sitting there for hours on end with a cup of tea or two when people who wanted the full lunch were denied seating. Tricky one also was the push chairs as you would get women coming in there cloggin up all the ailses and stuff as they couldn't be ars*d to fold them and so on. The best of all was you'd get, from time to time, someone coming in with their own cup & teabag and would say "you don't mind if I borrow some hot water and milk for my cup and just sit down for quarter of an hour?"

[greencreeper]

Are you really just bitter, Salu, because you have no one to actually reserve a table for you?

I do it and I don't have an issue with it. Lovely couple of old lesbians in Borders actually left early so I and a friend could sit down. Was nice of them. I think the reserving a table thing is similar to needing a tree to pee against.

[Salu]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

Are you really just bitter, Salu, because you have no one to actually reserve a table for you?

I just think it's very inconsiderate to knowingly sit there while someone else has to try to eat their lunch standing up. Especially as if they had queued for 5 mins then there probably would be another spare table anyway....

It's also interesting how social rules come into play at that point. For example, if I had seen someone reserve a table and I was trying to sit down somewhere, it would be socially unacceptable to join them at that table as I would have to assume that by default, they had reserved the "whole" table.

We do feel indignant when someone sits at "our" table don't we? It's OK to sit at the table that is only 6 inches to the left of us but not actually at "OUR" table ....How dare they?

[Halcyon]

if you've got kids and you need to reserve a table so you are all together then I think it is ok.
But just reserving a table when you can see others want to sit down and you are currently not needing the seats is plain wrong.

[Chris W]

At work I have groups of teenagers who decide they'll descend on us and just sit around (sometimes eating/ drinking things purchased elsewhere) without buying anything.

They normally have about 1minute before i ask if they are intending on buying anything... if they are then i ask them to go upto the counter to do so, if i get smart comments then they leave straight away.

The cleverer kids think they can get away with buying 1 drink and that makes it ok for 15 kids to sit make mess for me to clear up.... They are moved on too

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Chris W

At work I have groups of teenagers<snip>

Barely out of his teen years. Oh how quickly they forget

[Chris W]

Originally Posted by greencreeper

Barely out of his teen years. Oh how quickly they forget

I never wore a hoody though ... and i have a proper grasp of the English Language.... innit!

[Graham M]

I can't honestly remember what being a teenager was like... was I ever one mentally!? (21 May 14th )

[greencreeper]

Originally Posted by Chris W

I never wore a hoody though ... and i have a proper grasp of the English Language.... innit!

There's a lad at work who's only 18 and I keep wondering if I was that daft at this age. Can't really remember

You've not answered my question Salu And it's not the table - it's about personal space. If someone sits at my table, they're invading my personal space, not my table.