I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

The night was smooth.

Mostly.

Considering it was one of the top 10 busiest nights this season, I’ll take it.

We open the doors at 4:45 today.

A little earlier than usual, but people had been waiting since 4:30 to get in.

Also, we were seating a ridiculously large amount of people in the first 45 minutes. Maybe the most we’d seated at 5:00 all summer.

The earlier we start the smoother it goes.

By the time 5:00 rolled around we had already seated 3/4 of people. We slow down as we seat so that servers who have multiple 5:00 reservations, don’t get crushed.

This happened tonight. A server got a 4-top, and a 2-top and had another 2-top scheduled in her section. It’s 5:01. She needs to breath. She’s also in a section with booths and those seats are highly coveted.

Each booth seats 4 people and we often don’t seat couples there because we need the tables of 4. However, tonight there are deuces abounding. So there is one last 2-top to seat in the 5:00 seating at a booth.

It’s now 5:02. The man, who is supposed to go to the booth is getting antsy. Grumbling. Loud enough for us to hear, but not loud enough for me to say anything.

It’s now 5:06. And a 10 top walks in. They are taken straight in.

It’s their server’s first table and he has an 8-top not long behind them.

As soon as the 10-top goes in the man waiting marches up to the desk demanding to know why we sat them first. He says he doesn’t understand why he came early if he has to wait. It’s 5:07 at this point.

I am at the host stand and I say, because they are a 10 top and you are a 2-top and they are in a different section.

He grumbles about making sure he never comes back with just he and his wife. He’ll bring 8 friends next time.

There are currently about 8 or so people waiting to be seated in the lobby.

He continues to grumble.

Fun fact.

I don’t reward bad behavior.

This man was slated to go to a booth. Instead, I gave him a 2-top in a long row of 2-tops.

I sat the couple that was supposed to go the 2-top first in the booth and then sat him last at the 2-top.

He was seated at 5:10. Barely 10 minutes late.

The hosts said he was quite lovely when he left, suggesting that he was just hangry.