No one wants to be the asshole that shows up to the restaurant at the last second forcing the entire staff to work a longer shift than they normally would. But, what the hell is the actual cutoff point for customers?
The whole damn thing is confusing. The restaurant says that they are open until 10 p.m. – which should, at least in theory, mean that anyone who enters before 9:59:59 should be treated just the same as someone who showed up 4 hours earlier. But, everyone who is not a psychopath knows that this is not the case.
You showing up at the last second pisses everyone at the restaurant off – as they have lives and friends and family they wish to get to instead of bringing you a plate of nachos and a Coors Light. The problem is, no one has ever come out with an official rule book on when it is too late to grab a table at a restaurant (note: not sure who this someone would be, maybe Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay or whoever ended up winning Food Network Star).
So, I ask all of you who are working or have worked in the restaurant industry as a server, cook, host, manager, etc.: how late is too late for a customer to come in? 15 minutes before closing? 30 minutes before closing? 45 minutes before closing?
Leave a comment below and let’s figure this out…
