kutulu

I wouldn't take it personally if I were you. Did you come in at a time near a possible shift change (early AM table, 4-6PM, etc?) You were probably just the first people in that section that day. As people arrived, they filled the section.

Maybe you'll see that at privately owned places but my wife has worked for several chain restaraunts and their seating was never based on that. If the place isn't full seating has always been based on a server rotation. Furthermore, to maximize the capacity you want to match the table to the size of the party (you don't put a 4-top at a round table made for 8 people). Once a place is full they put them at the first available table (with the exception of grossly mismatched tables: no big table for a small party).

Hosts are way too busy to seat people at locations based on appearance and they definitely don't want to offend people by getting caught doing that. The Cheesecake Factory actually has their seating arrangements computerized with little progress indicators. Privately owned establishments are the only place you'd see this.

mmurphy99_shs

OK to set the record straight I waited tables. You are not steated in a "shitty" section because of how you are dressed or any other reason. If everyone wanted the "good" section you would find one waiter with three times the tables any other waiter has. It is called rotation, you try to give each waitor an equal number of tables. And as a former waiter it pissed me off when someone did not want to sit in my section because that was money lost. As far as tipping goes waiters at Olive Garden and places like that make $2.13 an hour so they depend on tips just to make any money.

__________________
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william

It doesn't always help to ask where you want to sit. I went to the Rainforest Cage w/my SO once, in Sawgrass Mills Mall. Asked for a table to watch the shopping crowd. No crowd, middle of the week. We were seated behind a tree at the back of the restaraunt. Placed our drink orders, and that was it. Didn't see our server again. After 5 minutes, we walked away.

Rodney

Okay, at least some of this can happen because you're a small party. Say there are one or two of you, and there are a lot of four-tops (four person tables available). Even though there are plenty of tables available, the server/hostess may think, "It's maybe 1/2 hour to the rush, and if I have these 1 or 2 people sitting at a table for four, I'm missing out on better tips from a larger party." So they seat you at two-person tables, which are often shoved into corners where a big table won't fit, or put up against the back wall. Two person tables are rarely in the best locations. I can see their point of view, but from my point of view it's bogus.

The flip side of this happens takes place when it _is_ busy, and you're a party of two on a waiting list. Even when you're next on the list, many restaurants instruct their hostesses to skip past you if the open table is a four-top and give it to the next large party. _You_will only be seated when a two-person table is available. Several larger parties behind you may be seated before you are. It's the restaurant's right to do this, but it's also my right not to eat at places that do this, and I don't.

This doesn't cover all the situations in which you may feel discriminated against, but I guarantee you that it covers some of them.

My favorite restaurant has a very large round table that, when there are lots of 1- and 2-person parties, it converts to a "community table" for any ones or twos that want a fast seat and don't mind sitting next to a stranger. This is a great way to handle this, because singles and couples who walk in and don't mind sharing can get a decent seat in a reasonable time.

OPgary

[B]Carn has the good idea. Usually I don't complain as long as I am not sitting near a family with small children. If I am unhappy with the seating I probably wouldnt go there again or at least not for a long time.

hawker rider

I have been in the restaurant business, and as far as these issues go, customer is king!

Offcourse, the hostess works with a rotation, i.e. she will try and give each waiter a fair share of the business that walks in. But if you'd rather have another table and it's available do not hesitate to ask for it. Nobody would mind, since there is only a very minority of people that would actually ASk to be reseated, so the "passed by" waiter will know he will get his/her fair share.

I am the kind of person that feels that tipping is only for exceptional service, I do my own job to the best of my ability and don't get tipped, why should I tip somebody that just does their job? That being said, Society has changed where restaurants are concerned, and tips are considered part of their pay now. I always try to tip in the U.S.A about 15 % and round to the top. If I get really good service I tip extra.... BUT I have also had occasions where service was lousy and I wrote on the creditcard slip "no service>> no tip"

I know that that will get to the managers eyes and the person in question will have to explain him/herself about it.

So never hesitate to ask for a better or other table when they don't offer it. It's your money that you are spending, and the restaurant wants it, so they will try to keep you happy.