I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I’ve written about this before, but it happened twice tonight and I feel like it should be discussed again.

Please explain to me, why you make a reservation at the bar, show up 60 minutes prior to the reservation, to get a drink at the bar before your reservation, and then get surprised when you can’t sit down because we take reservations at the bar.  

Man walks into tonight, says he’s early for his reservation, but wants to have a cocktail at the bar before his reservation.  
It takes a minute to find his reservation, because his reservation is for 6:30. It’s currently 5:30.  

I say, ah…your reservation is in an hour.

He replies, yes, I came early to get a drink at the bar, before my reservation.

I say, but your reservation is for the bar.

Yes, I want to get a drink before my reservation.

But your reservation is for the bar.

Yes, I want to have a drink before my reservation…

I suddenly find myself in a Who’s one first situation.

I explain that he’ll have to wait a bit, since we take reservations at the bar.  

I get him seated around 5:45.  

His friend joins him at 6:30.

And here in lies the problem. We don’t allow this, because you’ve taken up two bar seats for 3 hours because you arrived early for your reservations. Making it impossible to seat other guests at those two chairs for the whole night.  

At 7:00 the whole scenario is played out again. Hi, we have a reservation for 7:30, we’d like to grab a drink at the bar while we wait.  

But your reservation is for the bar.

Yes, we’d like to grab a drink at the bar before our reservation.  
But your reservation is for the bar.  

Yes, we’d like to have a drink while we wait.  

He finally gets frustrated, and says let’s go.

He comes back at 7:30 and we seat him.  

And I will forever wonder, where they think they are going to sit, if they have reservations for a later time at the bar. Hi, stools 13 and 14 are available. Come back and see me at 7:30 and I’ll move you to your real stools.