Interesting thread this, and reminds me of something!

A few times I've called to book a restaurant and given them a preferred time (and my favourite table) and they've almost always said we can manage that but we have another booking for the same table at ______ so would that be ok? And I've always said yeah that's fine. Now thanks to this thread, come to think of it the gap has always been about 2 hours!

Think I've been played and didn't even know it

I can't say I have ever been told that either but I can see why they would want to.

Overheads are high these days, staff wages, food prices increasing etc, I would book a later slot if you don't want to feel under pressure or look for somewhere where you wont feel rushed.

I used to work in a busy restaurant. We didn't have a 2 hour policy as such but sometimes we had tables booked at certain times so some tables had a time gap where no one had booked. If someone rang up wanting a table for a certain time and number of people, we informed them that we could fit them, in but the table is booked for such a time by someone else so they will have to be done by a certain time.

It wasn't done to get rid of people in a certain time, just so as many people who wanted a table could have one if that makes sense.

As a busy restaurant, if you turn people away on a regular basis you lose loyal custom. Doing it that way gives the customer the option to dine there or not and just not refusing them a table. It also makes good business sense, you maximise the number of tables taken.

I do understand why some places do it, particularly if we wanted to eat very early it would be ridiculous to think that a table would be sat empty all night if someone had booked it at say 6 pm and finished by 7.30 - of course they want and need to fill it again later. But when you are booking for a larger group it seems silly to put us off on the off chance that another group of people will turn up much later than us. I can understand in places like the West End, some people want to eat before a show, some people want to eat after but round here most places empty out the later it gets.

The Mexican is particularly annoying, they know us as we eat there a fair bit. It is just within staggering distance home for Dave and I so we spend rather a lot on food and cocktails when we go there

It's a shame because our friends have tried to make it so that we are not the ones doing so much travelling this time, I'm starting to wonder if we should just go back to our usual place where we always spend well over two hours and they are happy to let us stay as long as we want

It is difficult also because, while I don't mind eating a bit later, some of the group want quite early. It is also difficult because Dave and I are a bit picky about where we eat. Trying to find a restaurant with a reasonable vegetarian selection isn't easy. No matter how nice a place's one option is, it doesn't mean you want the same thing every time!!

You see Azz, that's very clever. You were probably left thinking 'that was lucky to get a table, how nice of them to fit me in!'

We recently booked at a very good steak house down the town, not only had it been highly recommended when we moved here, but if you Google it, there are 5 pages at least of trip advisor's 5 star reviews, so it was a must to go there.

I rang them for a Friday night, and he said there was nothing available, and this was say, one week ahead, and then he said "hang on a minute, if you can get here early, say 6pm I can fit you in", so I said that was fine.

We got there at 6, but they had only just starting setting up so sent us to the pub around the corner. We returned 6.30, had our meal, had a long chat with the owner (like an hour!!!!) and yet looking around me when we were eating there were empty tables, plus 3 hours later when we left (because of that owner chatting with us) there were lots of empty tables, so I just couldn't understand WHY he had given me that 6 o'clock deadline I never said anything to him about it though, wish I had now!

That is so random Helena. Maybe he fancied an early night that night so wanted to make sure people got there early Doesn't explain why he spent so long chatting with you though

I really hate being rushed. You know the sort of thing, they want your order quickly before you've barely finished reading the menu, serve it up really quickly and when you're stuffed and want to wait a bit, they bring over the dessert menu. . It's nice to make an evening of it and take some time to chat. I guess if there is a bar area you can always go there afterwards.

If you generally eat around 8/9ish, then you probably wont have come across the second sitting policy, as you will be the last sitting, but if like me you like to eat early, then you will come across it more often.

Its impracticably for a restaurant to have tables free from 8ish onwards, so to book two sitting is understandable.

It does not bother me at all, as 2hrs is generally enough for us to sit and eat.

If you are talking a large party , then you will probably book a little later, so the two sittings wont be an issue.

Just a quick update as I have been away... We have booked an Indian restaurant in a village that one of the group lives in, they say it is very nice and we can have the table as long as we like - yay!

Thanks for your input all, we're going out on Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it