True. Usually we have to ask for the check.
1 Like
It can be quite the challenge to flag a German waiter down for the check. Some even consider it a sport 
2 Likes
I feel you. My family was laughably fast when we ate out, especially at Chinese restaurants where there are multiple dishes and courses. Most of our meals clocked in at under an hour! But that is certainly unique to that type of restaurant. My dad - having worked for years at Chinese restaurants - would absolutely get antsy if we were sitting for more than that. Some of this was out of respect at Chinese restaurants where they want to turn over tables quickly, but I also think it eventually was habit for him. He rarely cared to linger unless we actually had visitors and guests who could distract him.
I try to be respectful and keep most meals 90 or under, but when catching up with old friends, Iāve greatly appreciated not getting the bum rush and have sat for 2-3 hours on occasion. We always pay attention for signs that they need the table, so we try not to be obnoxious about it.
5 Likes
Iāve noticed more and more restaurants actually giving you a timeline of how long you can be at the table. I understand itās a hard business and they need turnover to make money. We ādineā with grandkids frequently so letās just say the meal turns over quickly. When we go out with friends now I appreciate a somewhat more leisurely pace but probably 2 hours is our limit. I canāt sit that long without moving around these days!
2 Likes
the presence of alcohol, wine in particular, as part of the meal makes a big difference in how we perceived a meal and the pacing of the courses. For us it signals relaxation and letting go of clock watching. a reason I love lunches in Italy, the French countryside or Vienna. Restos here in NYC seem to calculate their timings very closely, even if they are very professional itās hard to feel the same ease
1 Like
@JenKalb āvacationā meals definitely deserve a leisurely pace. Time seems to pass at different speeds when one is away from home and the rigors of everyday life.
I will never understand how restaurants in the rest of the world (at least the places Iāve visited) donāt seem to need to turn over tables like they do here.
And yet, they survive ā despite people lingering over that last glass of wine, digestif, coffeeā¦
Itās a real mystery.
Yes. I know of more than one place here in the UK that makes a point of saying the table āis yours for the eveningā. And I know of more where, whilst they donāt say that, it is clearly the practice.
Different business model, I guess.
I used to take part in European ski trip packages which included a 4 or 5 course dinner at the hotel each night, as well as 6 days of skiing, 7 nights at the hotel, and daily breakfast. We usually arrived at the resort around dinner time on a Saturday and left the resort for the airport early the following Saturday, with a packed breakfast.
I found many of these meals too long 7 nights in a row, with the same dining companions who were usually ski friends and acquaintance.
At the last small resort where I stayed, the dining room wanted all 24 of us to be at the table at the same time, place our orders. It would work better with a family or friends who know each other well. Canadians, from age 19-80, who might be skiing with a spouse or friend, who might not know half the group or care to meet them, might not be used to being on time for dinner, so everyone else could eat.
It was really frustrating for me as trip leader, because I understand timeliness, and what is considered rude behaviour in Europe.
About half our group of Canadians are used to being so casual on vacation, that they couldnāt understand why being half an hour late for a dinner set at 7 pm would be upsetting for an Austrian server trying to place orders for 24 4 course meals in their small family- run hotelās kitchen.
Some people in our group came across as really entitled. And I was exhausted after a week of being stuck in the middle and apologizing for their behaviour.
This wasnāt even fine dining. It was a nicely run small hotel in a town located around 45 minutes from 3 ski resorts.
The Austrian and German groups at the other tables knew the programme and behaved accordingly.
If I was still skiing in Europe, I would be renting apartments with a kitchen, and going out for dinner most nights.
These days, I probably do 2 or 3 3 hour meals out a year, mostly for birthday dinners.
A lot of upscale casual restos in Toronto like to have 2 or 3 seatings, so they have been capping the time at the table for dinner to 2 hours at many restaurants. Some brunches have the time limited to 90 minutes
Iāve seen notations on menus , , , paraphrasing . . . .
āIn the interest of all our guests, our reservations are planned around xx minuutes per seating. Please let us know if you wish to extend your meal.ā
not sure Iāve ever seen āthe staffā come around to throw people out . . .
In Toronto, lately, at most upscale casual restaurants (pretty fancy, at least $100 per person for a 3 course meal ), if itās getting to the time for the time slot to end, the server will stop by with the credit card terminal and tell the table to pay up.
At most places, the kitchen is timed well, so this would be happening after coffee or dessert. I have been to a few restaurants where the servers were slow taking orders, and the kitchen was slow making food, and then Iām being asked to settle up before I have been offered coffee. 
These types of businesses donāt tend to last very long.
I donāt mind that the restaurants have become more abrupt in Canada. It was really unfair 10 years ago, when we would be waiting 45 minutes or longer for an 8 pm reservation at a place like CafĆ© Boulud, because the earlier table was being pokey.
I was asked to hurry up so Rod Stewart could have my table in Beverly Hills about 15 years ago. LOL The manager moved us to the bar. It sounded like we were going to be comped in some way when we were asked to move, but we werenāt offered drinks and we werenāt comped in any way.
The experience was upsetting to my 90 yo relative who grew up in the restaurant business. She mentioned it again in her Xmas card 4 months later. Itās the underside of a schmoozy restaurant. Ultimately, itās hard to please everyone. That had been her favourite restaurant, probably because of the schmoozy service, and she lived nearby, so she ate there several times a year. (I found a long hair in my salad that night, (not my own hair), so I wasnāt so impressed LOL)
Rod Stewart didnāt show up until we were leaving, about 40 minutes later.
1 Like
Seen it happen at one place that has a two hour cap on tables. Server came round to remind a nearby table they were nearing their time and they needed the table for another customer. Not exactly throwing them out but they got the message and left. I wonder if they ever went back (we didnt but it was not for that reason).
Iāve never been thrown out, but I have been politely asked to leave (just last night, in fact) or invited to continue our evening in the bar.
My understanding (and when I worked in restaurants long long ago) was that most of their profit comes from their very large markups for wine and other liquor. When we were going to Europe a lot, I was blown away by how cheap the wine was with dinner. A glass was 3 or 4 euros compared to 15-20 dollars in the US. Maybe they get more help from the government in Europe?
I think part of it is newer places have higher rent and overhead and itās survival mode, so have to turn those tables. Older established place not as much pressure. Also if the restaurant owns the building, huge advantage. Just a guess.
Places that let you linger also might have a larger seating capacity. I had dim sum the other day with family and long lost relatives. As the lunch crowd thinned out they let us stay, about 3 hours, until they started setting up for wedding. Since they had the room, why kick out a paying and potentially returning customer?
So if the restaurant is a modest size, newer, with higher overheadā¦the table flipping seems part of the deal. Older established place, lots of room, table flipping not as much as a concern.
methinks there many factors that may//can//do go into 'throw them out after . . "
perhaps most weighty?.. the āpressureā on āseatingsā -
in our little berglet, it is rare for a resto to be fully packed with āa drooling crowd outsideā waiting. hence thereās little need to push people out to make room for the hungry ones.
a popular resto in a big city with (overbooked?) reservations, clearly they have two needs to turn tables:
(1) the hungry mob
(2) profit
really popular places with a large ratio of āhungries to seatsā clearly have a problem with being warm, loving, friendly to an āall done tableā when they have maddening hordes clamoring at the gate.
Iām with Zoe on that situation - spending more than a few minutes cooling your jets or āat the barā past the reservation time, , , not my favorite pastime . . .
Iāve been dining in Europe and the US since 1997 (my first visit to this country), and the turn the tables as fast as possible was thing then, and it still is.
Maybe the (German) restaurant industry is being propped up by some government program, but Iām certainly not familiar with it.
I have not once been given a time limit at any restaurant in Germany. Maybe Iāve been lucky.
now . . . . I went to (southern) Germany in 1964, learned to be a Schwab.
went back in 1985, learned to be Bayern.
there is no government program to prop up a resto.
in modern history, most were family operated in a family own building/site, and most of the employees were immediate family members.
when you come to the resto door, and above is the date 1435, yeah, itās a family thing.
things are different today - especially in larger cities. auf dem Land, itās the same.
Im guessing itās largely because of tips. (Rent, taxes, etc affext it too, but to a lesser extent)
In Europe make a competitive wage with healthcare and time off. In the US they make qell below minimum ans half to peform so that tips make up the balance, beg for overtime, then not get paid for vacations and face insane costs for healrh insurance.
The only way to increase pay is to tuen more tables.
Actually, the German government just implemented this year a government program to help the restaurant industry by lowering the taxes on food in restaurants from 19% to 7%
