Call ahead you fools!!

[customersruinmylife]

OK, so if you are in a large party of people, and you want to go for a meal, what do you usually do?

You call ahead and see if the place you want to eat and drink can accomodate you.

To the large group of FIFTY-SIX people who turned up at my bar unannounced, during the lunch rush, please take note of this.

No, we do not have a table for FIFTY-SIX.

Our kitchen is tiny. We cannot cook FIFTY-SIX meals at the exact same time, and get them all to you at the exact same time.

It will take longer than ten minutes to cook FIFTY-SIX meals.

It will take more than one person to take out FIFTY-SIX meals.

I do not have FIFTY-SIX arms. Do not whine that I have not brought everything out in the one trip.

Oh, and it would have been nice if, between the FIFTY-SIX of you, that you managed to scrounge up a tip that is more than 21p.

[JustADude]

Sounds like you could use a drink (or FIFTY-SIX) yourself, CRML.

[friendofjimmyk]

Wow. The audacity of some people!

[Victoria J]

You have got to make the management add compulsory service charges for large parties. It's not unusual - or unreasonable.

I work near a tapas restaurant that mysteriously opens for lunch even though most often there's no customers (seriously - I once ate there with a couple of family members and we sat there for 1 1/2 hours without seeing another customer through the middle of the lunch period), and our office occasionally go there for meals (leaving parties, birthdays, it's a bit expensive for everyday at £10/person). We always tell them in advance, and always get charged a 10% service charge that isn't there if you go with a smaller party.

Of course it's also reasonable to refuse service to parties that large that turn without warning. What the hell are management thinking ? While you served that party how many other people got turned away ? Small parties who might have been (or become) regular customers.

More work, tables to rearrange, meals to co-ordinate, etc. Plus if 1 table of 4 out of 10 different tables leaves no tip then you're not out too much - but with one party making up such a large percentage of your customers if they don't pay up you lose out badly ! (I think they're also more likely not to pay - everyone thinks everyone else has paid, and people miss count).

Victoria J

[tamezin]

I can't believe your business doesn't have a policy regarding large parties. Most places automatically charge 15%-30% gratuity on parties larger than 8-10 people. You got hosed.

[blas]

What the flipping frocking Dina Lohan on a power trip is WRONG with people?!

Gratuity aside.....a party with anymore than 10-15 people should ALWAYS call ahead to make sure accomadations can be made. That many people is just RIDICULOUS!

[Samaliel]

People is what's wrong with people, obviously.

Remember : IQ of a crowd equals the lowest IQ in the crowd divided by the number of people in said crowd. With an average IQ of about 100 and a party of 56, you can't expect much...

[marasbaras]

Definitely automatically add 10%+ ... large parties NEVER leave tips. Screw them.

[jam704]

My wife and I had our wedding reception at Johnny Carino's an Italian restaurant. They added the 10% gratuity and we also left an extra 20% due to the large party we had. The day of the reception we brought our decorations in to decorate the room, and to our surprise the managers and some of the waitresses had already went out and purchased decorations to decorate the room for us.

[JoitheArtist]

You have got to make the management add compulsory service charges for large parties. It's not unusual - or unreasonable.

Seriously! My friends and I frequent this great pub, and they have some pretty strict rules. They won't seat your party until everyone is present, and if you have more than 8 (it's a small building), you get charged a gratuity.

And you know? Nobody minds! We'd eat there no matter what because the atmosphere is fun and the food is fantastic. Even when they charge us the gratuity, most of us leave a tip anyway.

Excessive sympathies to you for having to deal with that!!

[Mamadrae]

People is what's wrong with people, obviously.

Remember : IQ of a crowd equals the lowest IQ in the crowd divided by the number of people in said crowd. With an average IQ of about 100 and a party of 56, you can't expect much...

"The person is smart. People are stupid and dangerous animals and you know this."
Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black.

Best line EVER!

That being said, these people are insane! I hope the management puts up a notice or something in case someone tries to pull that crap again on you.

[Andara Bledin]

Just a note, but not all large parties stiff the wait staff.

I've been a member of quite a number of large parties hitting restaurants after faires. We usually had about 20-25 from our guild alone, and there were usually 3-8 other parties from other guilds also hitting whatever local eatery we could find.

We never left less than 15%, and we usually left closer to 20. And aside from split checks, we were usually really easy to deal with, too. Not extremely picky, and if you give us pitchers, you make fewer drink runs.

^-.-^

[unclejampuff]

INORITE

I once had someone call in to make a reservation for 55 people. Our limit is 43 people. I tried to explain that there is no way we could have that many people in the restaurant at once. But no. Did y'all know that if you yell at a server long enough, she can magically expand the restaurant and/or abolish fire safety codes? Trufax!

[Chevy Nachos]

People is what's wrong with people, obviously.

Remember : IQ of a crowd equals the lowest IQ in the crowd divided by the number of people in said crowd. With an average IQ of about 100 and a party of 56, you can't expect much...

Love that math! Can I steal that?

[Samaliel]

Of course you can. I thought it was common knowledge among those who actually deal with people all day long.

Or maybe here, we just assume the worse about others, because we know we'd do the same, if given the opportunity of getting away with it.