How late is too late to arrive at your restaurant booking? (Asking for a friend)
You're deep in traffic, sweating in the back seat. The GPS app says 'five minutes away', but the driver's eyes – and peak-hour congestion – say otherwise. You know they will still seat you at the restaurant, but you also know a lot of your experience will be lost to the memory of this panic. Is 16 minutes too long to keep the staff waiting without calling? What about 20 minutes? Half an hour? This bus blocking the road doesn't seem to be moving...
A 10- to 15-minute grace period is common for most restaurants, but there has never been a universal answer to the question, 'How late is too late?'
For its 2024 Dining Etiquette Report, crowd-sourced review website Yelp asked 2000 users the question, and 76 per cent considered being more than 10 minutes late to be unacceptable. Google's AI Overviews pegs the limit at 15 minutes, while other global food publications are even more lenient – but that doesn't mean your restaurant will be.
Of course, the theatre of dining will play on, even if you're not there. Buses break down, trains go on strike, and some people still can't read 24-hour time. But if you're late, it can inconvenience the restaurant staff, kitchen and other customers. Sob story or not, it can also cost you.
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2 days ago
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How late is too late to arrive at your restaurant booking? (Asking for a friend)
You're deep in traffic, sweating in the back seat. The GPS app says 'five minutes away', but the driver's eyes – and peak-hour congestion – say otherwise. You know they will still seat you at the restaurant, but you also know a lot of your experience will be lost to the memory of this panic. Is 16 minutes too long to keep the staff waiting without calling? What about 20 minutes? Half an hour? This bus blocking the road doesn't seem to be moving... A 10- to 15-minute grace period is common for most restaurants, but there has never been a universal answer to the question, 'How late is too late?' For its 2024 Dining Etiquette Report, crowd-sourced review website Yelp asked 2000 users the question, and 76 per cent considered being more than 10 minutes late to be unacceptable. Google's AI Overviews pegs the limit at 15 minutes, while other global food publications are even more lenient – but that doesn't mean your restaurant will be. Of course, the theatre of dining will play on, even if you're not there. Buses break down, trains go on strike, and some people still can't read 24-hour time. But if you're late, it can inconvenience the restaurant staff, kitchen and other customers. Sob story or not, it can also cost you.
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
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How late is too late to arrive at your restaurant booking? (Asking for a friend)
You're deep in traffic, sweating in the back seat. The GPS app says 'five minutes away', but the driver's eyes – and peak-hour congestion – say otherwise. You know they will still seat you at the restaurant, but you also know a lot of your experience will be lost to the memory of this panic. Is 16 minutes too long to keep the staff waiting without calling? What about 20 minutes? Half an hour? This bus blocking the road doesn't seem to be moving... A 10- to 15-minute grace period is common for most restaurants, but there has never been a universal answer to the question, 'How late is too late?' For its 2024 Dining Etiquette Report, crowd-sourced review website Yelp asked 2000 users the question, and 76 per cent considered being more than 10 minutes late to be unacceptable. Google's AI Overviews pegs the limit at 15 minutes, while other global food publications are even more lenient – but that doesn't mean your restaurant will be. Of course, the theatre of dining will play on, even if you're not there. Buses break down, trains go on strike, and some people still can't read 24-hour time. But if you're late, it can inconvenience the restaurant staff, kitchen and other customers. Sob story or not, it can also cost you.
