Move your seats?

Husband and I wanted dinner at a very popular spot tonight. Reservations are 2-3 weeks out for tables but the bar is first come first seated. So, at 4:50 we were second in line for the 5:00 open. Kitchen opens at 5:30.
We snag our favorites, on the corner,back side of the room. Bar is full by 5:15, 8-10 people standing waiting for seats to open.
We have a cocktail, peruse the menu and about 5:30 order a couple of small plates.
And folks are seated for their tables so several seats at the bar open up. The couple next to us speak to one of the bartenders who nods and starts to set up 4 seats on the long side of the bar. They turn to us and ask us to move into their seats so they can have 5 seats together.

Our food had just come out, wine poured and we said no. Thats not where we wanted to sit, we had planned so we were able to sit where we wanted and at this point in our evening we did not want to move.

A couple on the far side of the bar had just been seated and they moved next to us, so the 5 did get to sit together. The couple were quite happy, cause they liked the new spot better.

Would you of moved?

If my food had just come out - no.

Otherwise given your scenario I would have had to think about it.

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Move . Never . With food and wine in front of me . I would just end up knocking over the wine during the move.

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Happy to move if the new seat is no worse than the one I was sitting in…even if I have food in front of me (its a bar after all).

But it sounds like you had the spot on the corner so you can more easily talk to your husband, and maybe a view out to the room rather than facing the bar/wall - that sounds like prime real estate and I would have hung on to it.

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I think it’s obnoxious that they even asked since you had food and drinks in front of you. Different story if you just had a glass of wine and they wanted you to move one seat over

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I would have moved. A couple of wine glasses and a few small plates do not require much effort.
Golden rule. Eating at the bar doesn’t constitute an evening out for me - it’s just a quick meal without the comfort of lingering conversation. I would not be comfortable spending extra time there when it’s obvious that people are standing around waiting to swoop when a stool becomes vacant.

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I most likely would have moved.

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Not just no, hell no.

You got there early to sit where you wanted to sit…so asking you to move after food and wine was on the tablex so that someone could have the table they wanted was self-importance showing.

I agree that moving down a seat had you been at the bar would have been okay.

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I think they moved from the bar to the bar.

Yes, I would have moved, no problem.

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“They” being the customers asked themselves? (just curious)

I’m having a hard time figuring out the logistics of this, if the 4 seats together were next to me, meaning I / we had to shift 1 seat over to give them 5 in a row, I would probably have moved over. If I had to move to the other side of the bar, after food was served, I probably would have declined.

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Me too. I cannot quite picture the details, but I figure the bottomline is just about moving.

True, but as I said, I would certainly move one seat to accommodate a larger party. I wouldn’t move to the other side of the bar/room.

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There are a lot of factors that would influence how I’d feel about it. But again if we had food and were eating …

It would feel to me the same as if I was at a table eating and they asked if we’d move to another table so that they could push tables together to accomodate a larger party … they wouldn’t do that … and yes I know this is the bar so other factors come into play …

A good point. If it is just sliding over, then I am more than happy to do so. If it is moving across, then usually the waiter or waitress will offer to do the move, so that is ok for me.

If my food has been served, then honestly I don’t want an interruption / move. If I can slide myself down, no problem, if my food is served and I’m eating then wait the 10-15mins for me to complete my meal and I’ll move once I’m finished.

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It depends also on how they asked. If they acknowledged the trouble and asked you for a favor, the answer is more likely to be a yay. If they just expect you to move, the answer may be a no.

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If they buy me a drink they can have my seat and take my wife…seriously take my wife, please!!

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…on the corner,back side of the room.

My interpretation was they got there early so they could snag the back corner, facing into the room/restaurant probably across the bar. To me that’s prime real estate as a couple can semi face each other to talk, and have a good view of all the action…better than facing a wall or the back of the bar.

Just moving one along to accomodate the 5, would have lost the corner, and possibly the view…which sort of erodes the effort they made to get the spot in the first place.

I know it’s an old post but, I take my wife everywhere and she always finds her way home.

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Never too old for someone who “gets” you! Lol

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