Which would you consider to be rude?
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:13 am
#16
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 7,532
From: Google Town
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
Oh God, one of my pet hates is people 'bagging' tables.
Also a bit much to make it into a nationalist issue for you
One time my son and I sat down in La Salsa and started eating, a man who was still waiting for his food came up and told us to move because he had put his receipt on the table - according to him, this is the universal sign for 'this table is taken'
We obediently moved though, because I'm not a gobby cow
Also a bit much to make it into a nationalist issue for you
One time my son and I sat down in La Salsa and started eating, a man who was still waiting for his food came up and told us to move because he had put his receipt on the table - according to him, this is the universal sign for 'this table is taken'
We obediently moved though, because I'm not a gobby cow
I didn't know a receipt on the table was a universal sign either. However, I would have probably conceded the table, as if his receipt was already there, that would mean he had been there and ordered before me.
I have discovered within the past few weeks that you are expected to put your receipt on the table at server-yourself buffet restaurants, so yes it may be a commonly accepted sign that a table is taken.
Agreed, I would not have taken a chair without asking someone at the table where the chair was.
Agreed, I would not have taken a chair without asking someone at the table where the chair was.
Can't stand it. The quickest thing for everyone is for only those that have food to sit down. I always think it's particularly bad at theme parks where everyone saves tables.
If there's food on the table, fair enough. No food & they're squat out of luck as far as I'm concerned.
I'd have taken the chair and told the man to go shove it.
Out of curiosity, did they need the extra chair?
If there's food on the table, fair enough. No food & they're squat out of luck as far as I'm concerned.
I'd have taken the chair and told the man to go shove it.
Out of curiosity, did they need the extra chair?
At those salad places, it's standard practice to leave your receipt on the table so the server can bring your drinks/requested extras while you are off getting your buffet. That's how they know where to bring what things. In better buffet places, the wait staff keeps track of which customers are assigned what tables.
If there's a handbag or other bag on a chair, or a napkin (in cloth-napkin places), then etiquette provides that the person sitting there had got up and was coming back. It is considered rude to question whether the bag/napkin actually belongs to another person, and it is considered rude to lie by placing your own bag/napkin on a chair that isn't your own to keep others from using it.
If there are not enough seats, then you need to ask a staff member to assist you, not require another patron to give up something for you. What you did was understandable, but rather like borrowing the salt and pepper from a table where someone was already seated. You can allow the waiter to do it, but you can't just go do it yourself.
And it was terribly rude to crack a comment about "In this country, we..." and I apologize on that idiot's behalf.
If there's a handbag or other bag on a chair, or a napkin (in cloth-napkin places), then etiquette provides that the person sitting there had got up and was coming back. It is considered rude to question whether the bag/napkin actually belongs to another person, and it is considered rude to lie by placing your own bag/napkin on a chair that isn't your own to keep others from using it.
If there are not enough seats, then you need to ask a staff member to assist you, not require another patron to give up something for you. What you did was understandable, but rather like borrowing the salt and pepper from a table where someone was already seated. You can allow the waiter to do it, but you can't just go do it yourself.
And it was terribly rude to crack a comment about "In this country, we..." and I apologize on that idiot's behalf.
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:21 am
#17
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,280
From: Houston, Tx
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
Right?! They both take a look at the menu, then one orders and one goes and sits down. Still a little annoying at times when somewhere is really busy but somehow a bit easier to swallow when you can't find somewhere to eat.
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:25 am
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,517
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
La Salsa is not exactly The Ritz, it's pretty funny that he wanted his special table there
Some people find the bagging a big part of the experience I think. We were in a cafe in Westwood recently and two old biddies spent a lot of time and effort 'beating the queuing system' and then moving tables anyway with great ceremony. They must have derived a huge sense of achievement from it.
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:31 am
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,554
From: Monterey, CA
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
A yank calling somebody rude? That's ironic!!!!
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:39 am
#20
Septic Sprout
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 8,002
From: Shanghai
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
I'd have told them to shove it up their arse.
Nov 14th 2013 | 3:57 am
#21
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 7,532
From: Google Town
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
I don't think so, you pay and get the receipt before you pick up the food. I didn't even notice the stupid little scrap of paper.
La Salsa is not exactly The Ritz, it's pretty funny that he wanted his special table there
Some people find the bagging a big part of the experience I think. We were in a cafe in Westwood recently and two old biddies spent a lot of time and effort 'beating the queuing system' and then moving tables anyway with great ceremony. They must have derived a huge sense of achievement from it.
La Salsa is not exactly The Ritz, it's pretty funny that he wanted his special table there
Some people find the bagging a big part of the experience I think. We were in a cafe in Westwood recently and two old biddies spent a lot of time and effort 'beating the queuing system' and then moving tables anyway with great ceremony. They must have derived a huge sense of achievement from it.
Thinking about it, hubby told someone to control their kids when we were at La Salsa (the one at The Commons) as they kept picking the turtles up and running around with them. I'm beginning to notice a pattern.
Even I'm not that gobby
Nov 14th 2013 | 4:28 am
#23
Mouthy Yank
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,229
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
A yank calling somebody rude? That's ironic!!!!
Nov 14th 2013 | 4:30 am
#24
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 89,088
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
On the whole I find Americans to be very courteous.
Nov 14th 2013 | 4:45 am
#25
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,683
From: Bay Area, CA
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
...
It wasn't a buffet place, and there are no servers. You go in, you order, you walk out with your own drink and food. If there had been any signs that the person has been sitting there, drink on the table, plate... I wouldn't have taken the chair. However, it was clear they had just dumped their bags and gone inside to order. If I had done that on my way in, I wouldn't have had the problem of getting a table. There are no waiters to ask, this place has people running the food station, the cash register and that's it.
It wasn't a buffet place, and there are no servers. You go in, you order, you walk out with your own drink and food. If there had been any signs that the person has been sitting there, drink on the table, plate... I wouldn't have taken the chair. However, it was clear they had just dumped their bags and gone inside to order. If I had done that on my way in, I wouldn't have had the problem of getting a table. There are no waiters to ask, this place has people running the food station, the cash register and that's it.
Fundamentally, this is a potential problem with any self-serve sit-down place. In a 'service' restaurant, if the place is full, you don't get seated and thus, can't place an order. but in self-serve, they continue to serve regardless of seating capacity issues, allowing the shortage of tables to occur. And in fairness to the operators, they probably do a bunch of 'take out' orders so can't easily manage this. I hate being in this situation and try to avoid them when busy.
Nov 14th 2013 | 4:50 am
#27
Bloody Yank
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,186
From: USA! USA!
Re: Which would you consider to be rude?
