The Dean

Can anyone answer this as it has puzzled me for so long that it's now driving me mad.............??

A party of four people go out to a restaurant. The only table available is a table set for six. They invite you to sit there.

Why does a waiter then come along and clear away the other two place settings???

[Happened to me and three work colleagues today at the Marhaba, scene of the legendary Riyadh Night Out]

Well? Why do they???

MacScot

A dining table is for diners...so you don't have a place setting for the dearly departed..

..besides it gives you more room to spread out the dishes and glasses

The Dean

Ah - you mean because it encourages you to order more food.........??

MacScot

...well, yes that too....it's also bad luck to leave a set placing

lynnxa

hadn't heard that

we always used to do it so that the cutlery didn't get dirty

The Dean

Ahhh............ that simple eh?

Makes sense............

I confess it once annoyed me so much that I said to the waiter - quite loudly and aggressively:

"Look - just leave it, OK????"

He wasn't happy............

MacScot

I think your's is No. 7 ?


Dream Interpretation Table

1. The table stands for your responsibilities and obligations at work.

2. Looking at an empty table is a signal that you need to take care of your family and house.

3. Looking at a served table denotes prosperity and domestic harmony.

4. Dining at a table with no cloth on indicates that you are not envious of the good fortune of others.

5. Setting the table means that you will have a happy marriage and prosperous life.

6. Seeing a broken table is a sign of bad luck which presages sorrow.

7. Setting a place setting by an empty chair is a sign of doubting your own sexuality.

8. If a table cloth is covered in spots, your conscience is not clean.

Alen1

[QUOTE=The Dean;6882682]Why does a waiter then come along and clear away the other two place settings???

Perhaps he mistook you for an intelligent, sophisticated diner?

penguinbar

I work in the restaurant business and reaally don't understand why you would get upset if an extra place setting is cleared. Most restaurants send their linen out to be washed and you are charged per napkin and it can get quite expensive. Also why should they have to wash extra cutlery!You had no reason to be nasty to your waiter for clearing the table. He was only doing his job. Waiting tables and bartending is a hard job. Luckily in the states you can make quite a bit of money at it. I would never be in this business abroad. FYI NEVER be nasty to anyone serving you food and drink! Think about it!

The Dean

Congratulations - best explanation yet (restaurants send stuff out for cleaning, so they minimise the cost by moving clean things out of the way - got it).

Wasn't really getting upset - just seemed a bit pointless (as soon as we got up to leave yesterday, another waiter came along and started resetting the 'missing' places).

And I had no idea that if I dream about a table with an unused place setting I am doubting my sexuality - I do that anyway, even if I NEVER go in a restaurant..........

OK you can stop replying now..........

MacScot

TeeHeeHee...

I just made No. 7 up to get you going, the rest (published) are from:

http://www.experiencefestival.com/bad_luck

Alen1

Yeah! Restaurants are a bitch, all those staff upsetting people by doing what they’re trained to do.
If it wasn’t for the grace, elegance and refinement I’ve learnt over the years, I would have stuck to chippies and crap dives.

UKCityGent

Dean

its a pet peeve of mine as well - I usually say that i might be expecting a couple of friends to arrive later as well so they leave the cutlery etc

Blue Cat

it annoys me, I turn up for lunch first, am waiting for another 3 to come, they start taking everything away! drives me nuts

Alen1

Then you should change your moniker.