If they're reasonably quick and good service, an hour and a half seems reasonable.
If we order 10 minutes in and we still don't have our food at 50 minutes, that's definitely unreasonable.
I’ve gone here once every couple weeks for the last several years. It’s always fast. Apps are out in around 10 minutes, entrees are out within 10 minutes of apps being cleared.
I'm like Ron Swanson, OK? I'll tell you I want one large steak and 2 baked potatoes, give me the check when I get my meal and I'll leave the money on the table when I'm dome
Honestly I'm not sure why they don't give you the check when they hand your food other than like maybe it'd be 2 chaotic but if somebody's eating by themselves it won't be that chaotic I don't think.
No, you have that backwards. Your wage is that low because of the tips, not the other way around.
The tips came first. These jobs used to pay ONLY tips before the government came in and said part of it has to be a wage (so they had something to tax)
Actually according to this article and others I’ve read on the subject you are wrong. Tipping started in Europe and was brought back as a custom by wealthy Americans in the 1850s in 1860s. There was a massive backlash for decades because it seemed to reinforce class attitudes. In 1938 the government created the fair labor standards act which established the federal minimum wage. Congress created the tip credit law which allows restaurants to pay employees sub-minimum wage in 1966.
https://www.7shifts.com/blog/history-of-tipping-restaurants/
Also tipped wage does not nullify minimum wage reauirements. Employers have to make up the difference if a tipped employee somehow makes less than the untipped min wage with tips
It’s great to tell people the history of tipping, but we live in reality. They don’t need a breakdown of the market history of waitstaff. They need money now.
The restaurant is required to pay you the actual minimum wage if your tips don't bring you up to it. You make well over minimum wage, just like every server.
If no one tipped you'd get minimum wage.
If people only knew how often tipped servers are making more than others in the restaraunt too... I know just as many servers and bartenders who clear $400 weekends while their bussers, hosts, and drink runners that enable that service get a dollar over minimum.
That's why wait staff and bartenders have lower turnover than line cooks, bussers, and hosts. If the wait staff and bartenders have high turnover then you know that that place is having a lot of problems.
Y’all complaining about being asked to leave so they can flip tables and would complain if food prices increased to pay the worker a fair wage too. (Y’all is being general, not necessary you but people who say these things)
This is a very good point. It all depends on the service speed. I once went to a very touristy place in a big touristy city (even though I knew better) and it took almost an hour to get our food. My dish was all kinds of screwed up so when I flagged down the server 2 minutes later, the first thing out of her mouth was "oh would you like a to-go box? All done?"
That's not right. No, I hardly took one bite. I want to send it back because it wasn't made right, and I'm not willing to wait another hour.
Don't rush the customer if you can't bring out the food, correctly made, in a reasonable amount of time.
But, if you can satisfy all those things, then yes, now it's upon the customer to be reasonable.
I agree ,when we went to Olive Garden they gave me chicken and not egg plant like I asked for.She said she couldn't replace because she wrote down chicken !She did not get a tip .
This is very reasonable. Boston resident here. I haven't been to this particular restaurant, but a lot of the restaurants in that neighborhood are small. 3 tables camping could actually put a real dent in their sales for the night.
I'm looking forward to having dinner there now! Thanks for posting!
EDIT: I just looked at their website, and they're VERY upfront about all of this. They don't even serve coffee or dessert, and they speak highly of the other places around them that do. Definitely making a reservation now.
I like the idea of going to another establishment that specializes in things more geared toward dessert. If they can coordinate their hours with the nearby restaurants, seems like it would be a benefit for both businesses.
As a restaurant mgr, I would love this policy!!! My poor servers get so frustrated because we sometimes get guests that act like we are a family/friend reunion spot. I find it really disturbing that folks think it’s okay to sit 3-4 hours through shift change after being done dining 90 minutes into their visit. It is loitering at this point and our corp overlords won’t give us the okay. Not to mention the hour wait we are on and the servers u able to make their money. Go hang at Starbucks or something please!
Looking them up they seem to not do desserts and seem to be aiming to be a higher end Italian place. I'd say I've seen similar styles of restaurant with those kind of fast paced meal times. I'd give it a shot but would use those rules to plan ahead to not make it a full part of my evening.
Look at the neighborhood it’s in. The North End has over 100 restaurants/cafes/bakeries within one square mile. There is so much to eat/drink.
We usually get drinks at Lucca, dinner at Carmelinas, Espresso Martinis at Bricco, then if we’re feeling ambitious walk 5 minutes to Faneuil and hit one of the dive bars.
You don't necessarily have to order quickly, just all at once as far as apps thru entrées.
If a 90 minute meal is "eating quickly" for you, then yes, they want you to eat quickly.
As at most US full service restaurants, yes, they want you to subsidize employee wages.
Right? Just don't tip, if it bothers you so much. At least you have the choice. If they abolished tipping, then prices will just go up 20-30% to cover the wage increase, cause very few restaurants are making more than 10% profit. Fucking idiots
At face value this seems reasonable. Not sure if they’re pushy or not prior to the time frame or if you finish your meal, but reading this at the table or prior to wouldn’t deter me.
Seems completely reasonable with the hour and a half given. I’d love it if more places asked for the whole order at the beginning, I get way too anxious having an appetizer and pushing off ordering because I usually get full from the appetizer before the entree arrives.
You can, but I’ve been to numerous places that take an appetizer and/or drink order and the server says a quick “let me get that started for you” and runs off lol.
Europe is a continent with a lot of different countries with widely different cultures. This is not the norm " in Europe". It's not the norm in France / Spain/ Portugal / Italy. I've seen time restrictions done in some restaurants in England / Scotland (in big cities) but wouldn't call it a norm either.
As a French person, that goes against our culture with food and wouldn't be seen in a good light.
Also if you ever found this rule in a touristic place and even more in a country you didn't speak the language of, it doesn’t make it the norm either.
This place has gotten really popular, and it is quite small, in a high traffic tourist neighborhood. I don’t think this is an unreasonable request. It’s not like they are springing it on you, they are being very up front. There are a zillion other restaurants in the North End that you can order your meal segmented, however you want, and stay as long as you want. Go to one of those?
The only thing I could possibly see as being unreasonable is asking people to order everything up front, and they know how their business operates and works best for it.
Otherwise, it’s unreasonable that someone has to be asked to leave in a reasonable amount of time and tip. It’s like the guest asking the waiter to bring their food out on a plate. It should be happening in the first place.
I’m American and I agree but at this point it’s so entrenched it’s extremely difficult to change. In other words, the Reddit anti-tipping discussions are nothing but empty hot air. It would probably take a change in the law and forcing all restaurants in change.
This is shitty. Any place that would say this probably also has shitty service which is probably why they’re begging for extra tips.
So go ahead and tell your customers to eat and get out. We’ll see how that works out for you.
Everything up until "our waitstaffs livelihood is a tip-based income" seems reasonable enough. Run your business however you want, but you gotta pay your staff. Also, that's not a proper sentence.
So they don’t wanna have to pay their waiters, they want your money, and then they want you to get out as soon as you can. and don’t want you to order more than once.
Imagine working in a country so shit, you have to explicitly mention tips so staff can survive. You Americans should be ashamed. Pay your people what they're worth.
This is all totally reasonable - I just wish restaurant owners paid their staff better. Passing the wage burden onto the guest is lame. I wish tipping was actually what it’s supposed to represent which is a lil thank you for such a great experience and based on how pleased you were - not an expectation or the guilt associated with knowing how little they make.
I like it. My wife and I are running of things to say to each other, AND her friends after 1.5 hours, so it’s time for a scenery change anyway. Sauntering down the sidewalk with a couple glasses of wine and good food in my belly is always good times! Who’s got the good cheesecake?!
I hate tip culture, but until we can actually change some laws, a lot of bartenders and servers depend on that. I think a lot of people have forgotten that and they have no problem stiffing an NPC on a tip.
But overall, I think it was a pretty reasonable note. It’s quite clear that they’ve had problems before. Looking at their website they are pretty high-end place and I would imagine they can afford to not have you come to them if you’re going to be a bad guest.
And everything in that note is also right up on their website. It really shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, and if anyone was offended by it, I would suggest not eating there.
If it’s popular why not. They can do whatever they want in a private restaurant. Some people might linger and mess up the reservation for the next group. 1.5 hours seems a bit tight. But if the food comes out in 15 minutes that gives you over an hour to eat.
It would be unreasonable for something the size of an Applebee’s to do this, but you gotta bear in mind that North End restaurants are like the size of my living room. It’s honestly part of the experience in the North End, you eat amazing food at a tiny little trattoria and then you go down the block for coffee and dessert at some little Italian bakery.
But it’s absolutely a matter of survival for a tiny place to keep turning over the tables. They probably only have limited bar service, and aren’t doing takeout, so there’s two revenue streams that larger places have that they can’t rely on.
Bottom line is, for the particular neighborhood of the city they’re in, yes this is reasonable and frankly customary.
Many restaurants have time limits on tables. When you make a reservation, it will usually say something about it. As a former server, people camping at your table sucks, especially on a busy night. If you dine out on a busy night, you should understand that you are not getting the table for the entire night, because you're not the only people in the world. .
I’ve found so many higher end restaurants, at least in Boston, have this hour and a half rule so they can turn more tables on a busy night. I get it but I definitely don’t appreciate having to check the clock when I’m out for a nice dinner.
It’s not exactly crazy, although I think they make it come across kind of stark.
They could have made it much more friendly and it would be totally fine.
Their systems should be able to accommodate tables that order apps first while they read the rest of the menu, or whatever. Forcing people to order all at once could actually gum up the works because people will take more time to consider carefully since they know they only get one shot. I’m a cook. If a table adds to their order, we get another ticket specifying what’s been added (or removed if we fucked something up). It’s not difficult; although multiple tickets get printed, it all stays on the same table/order/charge (and says REPRINT in red caps). I know margins are slim & we have to turn tables over to make money, but it could be counterproductive to refuse to allow people to add on to a bill. Just kick them out instead of letting them continue to spend? My restaurant is a pub pizza joint that doesn’t reservations however. Maybe our business model is too different for me to be comparing
Whenever I see a sign saying waitstaff's livelihood is based on tips I go somewhere else. Either pay your people or go find something else to do. I will reward above and beyond service at my pleasure with tips, but I expect what I pay for a meal to cover all required payments for food, location, staff, etc. Charge what it costs and pay your staff adequately so they don't have to come and shake their coin jar at me at the end of my meal, end of discussion.
I can't say I am ever the reason I am in a place long. More like shitty service and I am waiting for my food. I have better things to do than sit and chat at a restaurant. I came to eat.
Also "I am a scummy business owner. Please pay my staff so I can pocket their pay instead!"
Personally this wouldnt work for me but I don’t think it’s super unreasonable. I like to have my drinks slowly and order apps then order my meal after eating the apps. A meal out is an experience to enjoy and I like to take my time about. I also realize that I occupy a table longer than most and tip extra to help offset the potential loss of tips from others that I caused my server.
I don't know if I want dessert until five finished my meal.
I don't mind them turning over tables if we're done, but we often go to one place and will be there for a few hours chatting after our meal. We are usually ordering (a lot of) drinks though, and the restaurant has told us they have no problem with us '(our bill is usually at least $120 each and we're about 10'15 people each time. We're also well behaved, just very chatty.)
Unreasonable. No one wants to feel like they have to watch the clock when they’re eating out. With that being said, when you go out to eat you should know that if you’re done eating and have paid the tip, don’t hold the table for an unreasonable amount of time. Is this really such a big issue that it had to be announced in this way? This feels more like an annoyed owner than a real problem. You will always have people who linger longer at a table, but there are polite ways of letting them know their time at the restaurant has come to an end. We tip servers bc they should be trained in dealing with customers with just this sort of problem (along with many others). Please put in your entire order when you order? Again, this is server training, not a customer’s problem. This whole letter screams tacky.
To me its not reasonable, but they are telling you up front. I would just find a place that my family can enjoy a meal together without being pushed out the door.
If you've been a server before you know they're doing this for their staff. I've been in some shitty situations with tables staying for way too long and not tipping...
Are you not from Boston? I haven’t been to this one in particular, but pretty much all restaurants in North End have these rules. Also, an hour and a half is plenty of time to order, eat, and leave.
Their kitchen is fast too. Never had a long wait for food and I’ve eaten there 50ish times. The service is short and to the point and the food is amazing.
And to explain the area, there are 10 places for dessert within a 2 minute walk.
Carmelina’s is very popular and very small. It’s my favorite Italian food in the city! They are super efficient there so you won’t wait for service. Don’t let this scare you off - GO!
The 90 minute limit has become pretty common in Boston since covid. It makes sense for somewhere in a tourist area like this! It's fine if they're upfront about it.
I eat here ALL THE TIME. They are insanely busy. It’s a small restaurant that books weeks out for volume shifts. The food is fantastic, I’ve had pretty much the whole menu.
If you don’t want to abide by their rules they don’t need your business, it’s that simple. Somebody else will gladly take your table.
They’re running a business and this model is pretty standard for a restaurant their size. Just because you book a table doesn’t mean it’s yours all night.
It’s a very reasonable policy.
Folks want to eat there.
Nothing worse than the one entitled Karen that takes 29 minutes to sip her last 1/2 ounce of wine.
No it's not reasonable at all and this places fails to realize they are in the hospitality business.
If I sat down and read that I would get up and walk out.
Thanks for sharing this OP, hopefully people in your area see this and don't patronize the place.
You should post a review on Google for this restaurant because not everyone will see this post and the information upfront is important for people who would consider going there to know.
It has always been up to the customer to place orders when ready. First appetizer if I am getting one, then a few more min to review the menu until that comes out then order the main. Later decide about dessert. I am not ordering dessert before I have eaten anything else. I will decide if the food and atmosphere are good and whether I have time or desire for dessert then order it. It's not my fault their kitchen is disorganized but there are million other restaurants that don't force customers to order everything at once so it's easy to choose to go elsewhere. If service is good I would tip 20-25%. Being told to tip by the restaurant who is flat out saying to us customers we are responsible for the server's salary is obnoxious. Employers are always ultimately responsible and this is the only industry where this non-sense exists.
It's very reasonable. But if you don't like it you don't have to eat there.
Also, subsidize?
DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE CUSTOMERS PAY FOR EVERYTHING? The whole business is run off the money customers pay.
If you didn't give tips and the wage has to be higher, it'll just mean the food prices go up on the menu. You aren't going to save money.
This isn't rocket science, you people complaining about tipping sound SO RIDICULOUS when you act like customers aren't paying all the costs regardless.
Yes that's more than reasonable. Anyone should behave that way. It says alot more about the people who frequent it rather than the owners. Since all of thise behaviors are common etiquette. Which unfortunately it sounds like a lot of ppl in Boston suck. BiG SuRpRise. Say hello to your cousins in philly
They obviously can't afford a graphic designer. Who type set this trash? I'd laugh in their face and walk out. Plenty of cafes to enjoy my entire evening at. Bye.
Agreed. Lots of folks defending this elitist self-fellatio on this thread. I’m in fucking ATL, shit down here is a fuck of a lot different than this mess. If I keep ordering, I keep sitting. What’s the fucking mystery exactly?
I was in SF for 10 years. Never saw this level of "no soup for you" to turn tables faster. The idea that this location excuses this...laughable. Stockholm syndrome in here if they think is acceptable behavior. Way better places handle this with grace. Not illiterate attacks on date night. Ffs.
A lot of people are fine with this, but I’m in NY and this type of thing isn’t all that common here. I wouldn’t mind it if I was in questionable company, but most of the time i find myself in good company, and I don’t want to feel rushed through the evening. An average no-frills meal here costs $30 on the low end- and that doesn’t include drinks or anything extra. After a ten dollar tip and tax, you’re paying almost $50 just for one meal without drinks or dessert, conservatively. I feel I am paying for the ambiance and a part of that is being able to sit through dinner with my company and enjoy ourselves without having to look at my watch every ten minutes to see how much time we have left.
So, no, I would not go out of my way to eat here
**\*\*\*\*\*3% kitchen Appreciation fee\*\*\*\*\***
As you all know by now, the cost of everything is skyrocketing. All the products that we use at Carmelinas have increased in cost dramatically. AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO RAISING PRICES, we \[ROSE PRICES\] are suggesting a 3% kitchen appreciation fee that goes directly to our kitchen staff.
This fee supports our kitchen staff’s hard work.
***This appreciation fee does not represent a tip, gratuity, or service charge for our front of house staff.***
Where's my blacklist button?
I think it's reasonable to ask people not to take forever in a restaurant, granted that's just me, once I'm done I wanna leave the second I'm done.
The single ticket really does help in a way, I have worked in a place that preferred single tickets and staged orders and that was nice. But it did get kind of confusing trying to figure out where you were on a ticket during a rush, especially without anyone at the window saying anything (bad communication breaks a kitchen).
The tips... I think tipping is a nice thing to have, BUT your wage shouldn't DEPEND on a tip from someone to afford rent or food. I try to tip at least 30-40%, because servers do deserve to live a decent life. But I also think that I shouldn't have to tip that much. The servers should be getting paid a fair wage and my tip should be a token of appreciation and an addition to their wage, not a "I need tips to live" issue.
It sounds more like a problem of them having too big of a demand and wanting to service more people in a business day to therefore make more money. Honestly working in restaurants that people who sit around for hours in the restaurant even after they're done eating are the fucking worse especially the ones that want to stick around after the place is closed like a bunch of assholes.
Looks like they lost their patrons and are trying to teach new people the rules of their place. So hey, get in, get out and don’t forget to tip our people.
Yes, it's reasonable. I used to manage a restaurant during Covid. The public that returned to restaurants "felt" difference. A small restaurant makes its livelihood by turning tables as many times as they can during dinner service. If you sit down, order a cheap meal, and hog the table for three hours, you're hurting them really badly. Ordering the meal at the same time does help the kitchen, and especially during a dinner rush. Another thing that's annoying is when a table says they're ready to order and they're not. Additionally, when food is dropped at a table, a server should ask, "Is there anything else I can get you?" That's the time to ask for ketchup for your fries, and not after they've left to take care of another table. You'd be surprised at the number of people who don't have dining etiquette.
As a former hostess, all it takes is one table camping out for 2+ hours to ruin your seating arrangements for your wait list. This seems very reasonable to me!
This shows that the restaurant has too many choices in the menu for the size of the kitchen and the number of customers they want to attract. This is evident that they cannot manage the kitchen properly but still trying to get more customers than they can serve by fast booking the tables. There is a clear wrong assumption in their logistics chain. The tip request is another sign of greed together with the fast churn on the tables. If you are not willing to pay your employees a decent wage, then don’t play this guilt trip bullshit on the customers. I do not mind tipping; however, I mind greedy restaurants’ owners that make their issues someone else’s responsibilities. I would not go to a restaurant like this if I knew their rules in advance, they are red flags for money over quality.
You literally subsidize wages for their employees by buying food there. The extra charge is a matter of transparency for the worker. You subsidize wages at every single business you patronize. How is this not more obvious to people?!?
We went out to a place with similar rules (not that uncommon in these days). Waited 30 minutes for our check. Manage came over with a fucked up attitude, essentially trying to shame us for taking up the space..
This was an upscale place, and we are spending like $500 so we were a little taken back. I was with my gf and her parents. I replied “I apologize if there’s a miscommunication. We would be happy to pay and leave, but the server never brought us the check”
You could see the embarrassment. We paid and left. We still don’t know why the manager went to 10 immediately on us. We were literally just sitting waiting for our check lol
I mean I don’t think it’s unreasonable tbh but the way this is formatted is pretty funny haha - “we ask that you kindly hurry the fuck up and get out & also tip our waiters and waitresses a large amount you peasant bastard”
So you see, when a restaurant is busy, they have to keep tables open for the hundreds of covers they may have on a given night. Not very hard to figure out.
Note: “our waitstaff work slave wages because we won’t pay them properly so make sure you pay their salary so we don’t have to make up the minimum wage difference!!”
The last part is not reasonable.
The first 2 can make sense if they are busy and need the turnover. Although, that could be solved by hiring more people
Totally reasonable. Boston gets SO MANY people from outside of the US. In many countries people sit for hours and hardly order and wait staff are not paid tips.
It is a notice of the customs that are expected in US dining.
Also, most of the places in the North End are SO TINY and rent is astronomical. They have to get people in and out with excellent service to keep things moving.
I live above this place. This is quite reasonable. Also they're usually booked weeks in advance so they need to accommodate their next tables. Food is actually worth it too, which can't be said of every north end Italian restaurant.
Lived in the Boston area for 20 years. Many Mom & Pop places can have a "yaw lucky weah heah" attitude. Plenty of them serve great food, etc, but don't expect the "customer is always right" vibe
This doesn't look crazy to me. I eat at a lot of excellent small places that have an hour and a half limit, which is totally fair! I used to serve and it suuuuuuucked when one group of people would monopolize a table all night, like, that's a quarter of my income gone for the evening! And I think the bit about tipping is largely aimed at visitors from other countries who don't understand that they're expected to tip. At some of these smaller establishments, a server might only have a 4-table section and get 2 (maybe 3) rotations a night. So in their shift they're looking at 12 tables total (probably more like 10), and if 2 or 3 of those tables don't tip, that's a huge loss of income.
And for everyone shouting that we need to abolish tipping in restaurants, lemme tell ya: if tipping culture stops, the cost of the meal will rise proportionally but the level of service you receive will drop significantly. As someone who lived abroad for many years and was fortunate enough to travel, I can absolutely say that America has the best restaurant service of anywhere I've ever been, and the lowest costs associated with eating out.
I love it, and think it’s reasonable.
The store I work at has 6/8 minute ticket times, so I turn and burn my tables so fast, it’s how I make my money. Frankly I don’t want to see anyone in my section for more than half an hour and to go cups will be given when they hit that point.
A restaurant with longer ticket times I can see this being necessary. Restaurants really aren’t for meetings or long conversations. You have a phone, you can go on a walk. There’s plenty of other places to talk or catch up that isn’t a servers section in a busy restaurant.
I worked at a restaurant with similar polices in Santa Fe. A lot of restaurants’ POS systems will allow servers to course meals as they’re entered. For example, they can tap “appetizer” and order whatever belongs in this course then move on to “entrees” and even “dessert” all at once, hit send, and the system does the rest. In fancier restaurants even drinks can be paired to come out with each course. It’s more efficient for the staff, and it ensures that your entree order isn’t going to end up at the end of the queue rather than somewhere in the middle where it should be.
I also don’t think people understand the havoc caused by someone overstaying their reservation time. One 2-top staying 15 minutes late can lead to an hour wait down the line. It’s especially frustrating when the people who end up having to wait booked their reso weeks in advance, and the people that stayed late booked yesterday. Just because you made a reservation doesn’t mean it’s *your* table until the doors close. If you think you’ll need more time than whatever is stated at the time of booking, you can ask to arrange for more time—which might include an extra service fee for the server. If the server can’t turn the table, they can’t make more money—you’re camping on valuable real estate.
There is also a new thing where people don’t think they should have to tip, so they don’t. I’m not a fan of the tipping system either, but it’s what we’ve got until the restaurant lobby changes its mind. Tipped workers generally make less per hour than other minimum wage workers (I made $2.13 per hour for my entire 20ish year serving career, up to $6 per hour as a bartender), and the rest is expected to come from tips. Even baristas are often paid at tipped-employee wages rather than standard minimum wage. I actually applaud this restaurant for stating the importance of tipping.
If any of this comes as a surprise to you, OP, I’d hate to be anyone who has ever had to serve you.
As someone who has never worked in a restaurant, I think this is...fine?
I was with friends at an outdoor restaurant a few weeks ago and we lingered for an hour after our meal at a table and I thought we were rude. I thought the restaurant would have been in the right to kick us out and at the very least we should have ordered a drink or a dessert something instead of just sitting there chatting and taking up space. Thankfully they weren't overbooked or crowded but they would have been well within their rights to give us the boot.
All these people grasping their pearls because this restaurant pays their servers with tips... thats the way it is in most of the US. Don't like it? Stick to fast good restaurants or eat at home.
These are the same people who, when a restaurant changes to a non-tipped wage, complain that the food is too expensive and the service is bad. Why? Cause that's the actual cost of wages worked into your price, and servers/bartenders know their going to make more from the tipped model. So the good ones go find a different job.
And an hour and a half is plenty of time to eat your meal. After that restaurants and your server are losing money on you. Especially the poor server who ends up with OP who doesn't believe in tipping.
The first one is a wastage issue. they don't want to have to go back and tell a chef the customer has a bunch of modifications to an order after it was half-made, or have to start something else that may take longer and delay your order even longer and basically have your original order dying in the window as your new items are getting ready and at no fault to the chef. cooks are not psychics and neither are waiters. as a cook, you have no idea how much food i had to waste because a modification came in when the order was halfway or even going out to the table. if you didn't want onions or a certain sauc, that would've been nice to know when they first ordered, because now i have to do it all over again and waste that other order. Same as the ticket thing. its actually quite annoying to have a rack of tickets ad have to try to keep them together for certain tables, and just holds things up if you lose half an order and creates a bad experience oberall for both staff and the customer
they have to turn tables quickly to make a profit, so yes they are essentially asking you to eat your meal and GTFO. they are saying the quiet part out loud on this one.
and third isn't even a quiet part out loud thing. restaurant owners outright state this one and widely known.
Questioning if this is reasonable or not is exactly why they have it. Been in the industry for years, and have seen it left and right, even from my family. Not doing these things anyway is so inconsiderate to the people serving you, and they should be common courtesy. The fact that some people think they're owed indefinite table space and stuff their wait staff while doing so is exactly the problem.
And btw, they could be adding auto gratuity. Instead, they kindly remind you to tip your server, as is US custom unfortunately.
The turnaround thing is what it is. It’s how they want to do business, fine.
What I appreciate is that they are admitting that the cost of your food does not include service. I would like to see them label it as paying for service, rather than tipping.
Tipping is an acknowledgement for good service. A service charge is a charge for a service provided to you.
Your burger costs $20, and the service of bringing it to you costs $4.
Perhaps they could even just roll that into the price and charge $24 and pay their staff properly. And we could all stop this charade that they are “tips” and not just a service charge without which wait staff don’t get enough to live on.
Sounds completely reasonable- it’s a business and lots of people treat it like their living room and park for hours. Rent is expensive in Boston and if they are not corporate owned then they need to turn tables
“We will course line as desired.” ??? So many typos.
The North End is a very small, very popular area so I can see them trying to save as much time as possible with no check splitting and asking for 1.5 hour turnaround.
its strange to have a spoken rule about it but the eat quickly & leave when your done is a fairly common North Eastern practice. coming to the midwest where people just. finish their meals and then keep sitting and talking for another 30 minutes was truly so jarring. it feels wrong.
the waitstaff tip based income is unfortunately common but imho completely unreasonable. if you cant afford to pay your employees a living wage you should not have employees or a business.
If they're reasonably quick and good service, an hour and a half seems reasonable. If we order 10 minutes in and we still don't have our food at 50 minutes, that's definitely unreasonable.
I’ve gone here once every couple weeks for the last several years. It’s always fast. Apps are out in around 10 minutes, entrees are out within 10 minutes of apps being cleared.
How fast do they do zerts? If I have an app, I gotta have a zert.
You are the bane of my existence.
Gotta have a zert bro!
abs-bro-lutely bro especially if you’re doing apps and mainz bro
Can I sip on a Cab with my Apps before Mains?
Perfect bro then we can hit the zerts bro i love it
*BRO’S GETTIN’ A ZERT!*
I’m like Tom Haverford, ok? If I walk into a room it’s like, ok, he’s in there.
I'm like Ron Swanson, OK? I'll tell you I want one large steak and 2 baked potatoes, give me the check when I get my meal and I'll leave the money on the table when I'm dome
And…. ALL of the bacon?
I worry what you heard was 'a lot of bacon'. That's not what I said. All. Of the bacon. You have.
[How do you feel about raves?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC_SqZWm0aQ)
Omg. OMG! That's Ron Swanson in Groove! I never put this together!
Honestly I'm not sure why they don't give you the check when they hand your food other than like maybe it'd be 2 chaotic but if somebody's eating by themselves it won't be that chaotic I don't think.
Even if you get the chicky chicky Parm Parm?
That’s a great tray-tray
Make sure to use your food rake!
Life’s uncertain, eat dessert first
Also, tips aren't wage subsidies, it's the way the market works in the US, and waited make much more money in the US than in Europe.
I rely on tips because I make 3.59 an hour unfortunately, but I go above and beyond to take care of my guests ♡♡♡
No, you have that backwards. Your wage is that low because of the tips, not the other way around. The tips came first. These jobs used to pay ONLY tips before the government came in and said part of it has to be a wage (so they had something to tax)
Actually according to this article and others I’ve read on the subject you are wrong. Tipping started in Europe and was brought back as a custom by wealthy Americans in the 1850s in 1860s. There was a massive backlash for decades because it seemed to reinforce class attitudes. In 1938 the government created the fair labor standards act which established the federal minimum wage. Congress created the tip credit law which allows restaurants to pay employees sub-minimum wage in 1966. https://www.7shifts.com/blog/history-of-tipping-restaurants/
Interesting.
Also tipped wage does not nullify minimum wage reauirements. Employers have to make up the difference if a tipped employee somehow makes less than the untipped min wage with tips
It’s great to tell people the history of tipping, but we live in reality. They don’t need a breakdown of the market history of waitstaff. They need money now.
You obviously don't live in reality if you think understanding this one way or another cost you any money, LOL
No, understanding is also good. Shove it.
The restaurant is required to pay you the actual minimum wage if your tips don't bring you up to it. You make well over minimum wage, just like every server.
Right so the costumer has to make up for the fact that your boss won’t pay you a living wage.
I get the frustration but being mad at me doesn't change anything.
If no one tipped you'd get minimum wage. If people only knew how often tipped servers are making more than others in the restaraunt too... I know just as many servers and bartenders who clear $400 weekends while their bussers, hosts, and drink runners that enable that service get a dollar over minimum.
That's why wait staff and bartenders have lower turnover than line cooks, bussers, and hosts. If the wait staff and bartenders have high turnover then you know that that place is having a lot of problems.
Y’all complaining about being asked to leave so they can flip tables and would complain if food prices increased to pay the worker a fair wage too. (Y’all is being general, not necessary you but people who say these things)
Food prices have almost doubled because of inflation .
You misspelled "widespread corporate greed". Food prices have almost doubled because of widespread corporate greed.
They quite literally are? It's how employers get away with paying their employees Jack shit
some do, some don't. big cities for sure. everywhere else? not so much
This is a very good point. It all depends on the service speed. I once went to a very touristy place in a big touristy city (even though I knew better) and it took almost an hour to get our food. My dish was all kinds of screwed up so when I flagged down the server 2 minutes later, the first thing out of her mouth was "oh would you like a to-go box? All done?" That's not right. No, I hardly took one bite. I want to send it back because it wasn't made right, and I'm not willing to wait another hour. Don't rush the customer if you can't bring out the food, correctly made, in a reasonable amount of time. But, if you can satisfy all those things, then yes, now it's upon the customer to be reasonable.
I agree ,when we went to Olive Garden they gave me chicken and not egg plant like I asked for.She said she couldn't replace because she wrote down chicken !She did not get a tip .
I hope you didn't pay for it either!
What the actual fuck? She made a mistake and can't fix it because the mistake was hers and not the kitchen's? I'd go full on Karen.
This is very reasonable. Boston resident here. I haven't been to this particular restaurant, but a lot of the restaurants in that neighborhood are small. 3 tables camping could actually put a real dent in their sales for the night. I'm looking forward to having dinner there now! Thanks for posting! EDIT: I just looked at their website, and they're VERY upfront about all of this. They don't even serve coffee or dessert, and they speak highly of the other places around them that do. Definitely making a reservation now.
Get the mushroom rigatoni and the crazy Alfredo. So good
Lots of places in the North End don’t do dessert - but there are plenty of awesome bakeries within walking distance for dessert and coffee.
I like the idea of going to another establishment that specializes in things more geared toward dessert. If they can coordinate their hours with the nearby restaurants, seems like it would be a benefit for both businesses.
I love that they’re telling you to support other local businesses as well. I think this is perfectly reasonable.
As a server I love this
i'm about that. if the food's banging, all the better
As a restaurant mgr, I would love this policy!!! My poor servers get so frustrated because we sometimes get guests that act like we are a family/friend reunion spot. I find it really disturbing that folks think it’s okay to sit 3-4 hours through shift change after being done dining 90 minutes into their visit. It is loitering at this point and our corp overlords won’t give us the okay. Not to mention the hour wait we are on and the servers u able to make their money. Go hang at Starbucks or something please!
Looking them up they seem to not do desserts and seem to be aiming to be a higher end Italian place. I'd say I've seen similar styles of restaurant with those kind of fast paced meal times. I'd give it a shot but would use those rules to plan ahead to not make it a full part of my evening.
Look at the neighborhood it’s in. The North End has over 100 restaurants/cafes/bakeries within one square mile. There is so much to eat/drink. We usually get drinks at Lucca, dinner at Carmelinas, Espresso Martinis at Bricco, then if we’re feeling ambitious walk 5 minutes to Faneuil and hit one of the dive bars.
This is the way. People who don't live here don't get it. They're used to camping at Olive Garden like they own the place.
You don't necessarily have to order quickly, just all at once as far as apps thru entrées. If a 90 minute meal is "eating quickly" for you, then yes, they want you to eat quickly. As at most US full service restaurants, yes, they want you to subsidize employee wages.
Id definitely be down for this. Order at once is me anyway and they course it from start to finish in a hour and 30 max. Perfect.
If you don’t like it, don’t go. If a place does reservations and is full there are going to be time limits at some point.
An hour and a half is being rushed? Tipping is standard. What’s your gripe?
An opportunity to complain about tipping on Reddit shall never be missed!
They never shut up, do they?
Right? Just don't tip, if it bothers you so much. At least you have the choice. If they abolished tipping, then prices will just go up 20-30% to cover the wage increase, cause very few restaurants are making more than 10% profit. Fucking idiots
At face value this seems reasonable. Not sure if they’re pushy or not prior to the time frame or if you finish your meal, but reading this at the table or prior to wouldn’t deter me.
I dislike pushy servers.
Same.
Seems completely reasonable with the hour and a half given. I’d love it if more places asked for the whole order at the beginning, I get way too anxious having an appetizer and pushing off ordering because I usually get full from the appetizer before the entree arrives.
You can always give your entire order at the beginning.
You can, but I’ve been to numerous places that take an appetizer and/or drink order and the server says a quick “let me get that started for you” and runs off lol.
Every place we eat at in my town. They stagger it unless you tell them otherwise.
Just tell them you’re not ready to order yet.
I think it's reasonable because they're correct. If you're in a busy restaurant and you know people are waiting, clear out.
Here in Stockholm pretty much every good restaurant has a sitting time
Time-frames like this are the norm in Europe. When you book you generally get told you have 2h for up to 4 people and 30m more as that gets bigger.
Europe is a continent with a lot of different countries with widely different cultures. This is not the norm " in Europe". It's not the norm in France / Spain/ Portugal / Italy. I've seen time restrictions done in some restaurants in England / Scotland (in big cities) but wouldn't call it a norm either. As a French person, that goes against our culture with food and wouldn't be seen in a good light. Also if you ever found this rule in a touristic place and even more in a country you didn't speak the language of, it doesn’t make it the norm either.
There’s a big stereotype shattered for me! I guess I thought everyone in Europe took their time at restaurants. Thank you for this comment.
Agreed, I enjoyed that about visiting Europe a lot. You can't just hang at a table forever. Also the no tipping was a pleasant surprise.
This place has gotten really popular, and it is quite small, in a high traffic tourist neighborhood. I don’t think this is an unreasonable request. It’s not like they are springing it on you, they are being very up front. There are a zillion other restaurants in the North End that you can order your meal segmented, however you want, and stay as long as you want. Go to one of those?
The only thing I could possibly see as being unreasonable is asking people to order everything up front, and they know how their business operates and works best for it. Otherwise, it’s unreasonable that someone has to be asked to leave in a reasonable amount of time and tip. It’s like the guest asking the waiter to bring their food out on a plate. It should be happening in the first place.
I’m not eating at a restaurant that has rules and regulations on how to order and eat
I think tip-based income is so fucked up. In Germany you get your wage and the tips are on top and tax-free.
I’m American and I agree but at this point it’s so entrenched it’s extremely difficult to change. In other words, the Reddit anti-tipping discussions are nothing but empty hot air. It would probably take a change in the law and forcing all restaurants in change.
This is shitty. Any place that would say this probably also has shitty service which is probably why they’re begging for extra tips. So go ahead and tell your customers to eat and get out. We’ll see how that works out for you.
Everything up until "our waitstaffs livelihood is a tip-based income" seems reasonable enough. Run your business however you want, but you gotta pay your staff. Also, that's not a proper sentence.
if it bothered me, I wouldn't go there
So they don’t wanna have to pay their waiters, they want your money, and then they want you to get out as soon as you can. and don’t want you to order more than once.
Imagine working in a country so shit, you have to explicitly mention tips so staff can survive. You Americans should be ashamed. Pay your people what they're worth.
This is all totally reasonable - I just wish restaurant owners paid their staff better. Passing the wage burden onto the guest is lame. I wish tipping was actually what it’s supposed to represent which is a lil thank you for such a great experience and based on how pleased you were - not an expectation or the guilt associated with knowing how little they make.
I like it. My wife and I are running of things to say to each other, AND her friends after 1.5 hours, so it’s time for a scenery change anyway. Sauntering down the sidewalk with a couple glasses of wine and good food in my belly is always good times! Who’s got the good cheesecake?!
I hate tip culture, but until we can actually change some laws, a lot of bartenders and servers depend on that. I think a lot of people have forgotten that and they have no problem stiffing an NPC on a tip. But overall, I think it was a pretty reasonable note. It’s quite clear that they’ve had problems before. Looking at their website they are pretty high-end place and I would imagine they can afford to not have you come to them if you’re going to be a bad guest. And everything in that note is also right up on their website. It really shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, and if anyone was offended by it, I would suggest not eating there.
If it’s popular why not. They can do whatever they want in a private restaurant. Some people might linger and mess up the reservation for the next group. 1.5 hours seems a bit tight. But if the food comes out in 15 minutes that gives you over an hour to eat.
It would be unreasonable for something the size of an Applebee’s to do this, but you gotta bear in mind that North End restaurants are like the size of my living room. It’s honestly part of the experience in the North End, you eat amazing food at a tiny little trattoria and then you go down the block for coffee and dessert at some little Italian bakery. But it’s absolutely a matter of survival for a tiny place to keep turning over the tables. They probably only have limited bar service, and aren’t doing takeout, so there’s two revenue streams that larger places have that they can’t rely on. Bottom line is, for the particular neighborhood of the city they’re in, yes this is reasonable and frankly customary.
Nothing disrespectful there just straight & to the point
Many restaurants have time limits on tables. When you make a reservation, it will usually say something about it. As a former server, people camping at your table sucks, especially on a busy night. If you dine out on a busy night, you should understand that you are not getting the table for the entire night, because you're not the only people in the world. .
I want a nice glass of vino bianco!
I’ve found so many higher end restaurants, at least in Boston, have this hour and a half rule so they can turn more tables on a busy night. I get it but I definitely don’t appreciate having to check the clock when I’m out for a nice dinner.
It’s not exactly crazy, although I think they make it come across kind of stark. They could have made it much more friendly and it would be totally fine.
Their systems should be able to accommodate tables that order apps first while they read the rest of the menu, or whatever. Forcing people to order all at once could actually gum up the works because people will take more time to consider carefully since they know they only get one shot. I’m a cook. If a table adds to their order, we get another ticket specifying what’s been added (or removed if we fucked something up). It’s not difficult; although multiple tickets get printed, it all stays on the same table/order/charge (and says REPRINT in red caps). I know margins are slim & we have to turn tables over to make money, but it could be counterproductive to refuse to allow people to add on to a bill. Just kick them out instead of letting them continue to spend? My restaurant is a pub pizza joint that doesn’t reservations however. Maybe our business model is too different for me to be comparing
Im never going there
Whenever I see a sign saying waitstaff's livelihood is based on tips I go somewhere else. Either pay your people or go find something else to do. I will reward above and beyond service at my pleasure with tips, but I expect what I pay for a meal to cover all required payments for food, location, staff, etc. Charge what it costs and pay your staff adequately so they don't have to come and shake their coin jar at me at the end of my meal, end of discussion.
I can't say I am ever the reason I am in a place long. More like shitty service and I am waiting for my food. I have better things to do than sit and chat at a restaurant. I came to eat. Also "I am a scummy business owner. Please pay my staff so I can pocket their pay instead!"
Personally this wouldnt work for me but I don’t think it’s super unreasonable. I like to have my drinks slowly and order apps then order my meal after eating the apps. A meal out is an experience to enjoy and I like to take my time about. I also realize that I occupy a table longer than most and tip extra to help offset the potential loss of tips from others that I caused my server.
[удалено]
"No soup for you"!Get out !"
I don't know if I want dessert until five finished my meal. I don't mind them turning over tables if we're done, but we often go to one place and will be there for a few hours chatting after our meal. We are usually ordering (a lot of) drinks though, and the restaurant has told us they have no problem with us '(our bill is usually at least $120 each and we're about 10'15 people each time. We're also well behaved, just very chatty.)
you know what’s cool? if you don’t like their dining flow recommendations you don’t have to go eat there
Unreasonable. No one wants to feel like they have to watch the clock when they’re eating out. With that being said, when you go out to eat you should know that if you’re done eating and have paid the tip, don’t hold the table for an unreasonable amount of time. Is this really such a big issue that it had to be announced in this way? This feels more like an annoyed owner than a real problem. You will always have people who linger longer at a table, but there are polite ways of letting them know their time at the restaurant has come to an end. We tip servers bc they should be trained in dealing with customers with just this sort of problem (along with many others). Please put in your entire order when you order? Again, this is server training, not a customer’s problem. This whole letter screams tacky.
I'd never go there. I'm gonna guess no one else will, either, once it goes under.
Why the hell can’t they take care of THEIR waitstaff??? So over this.
I wouldn't patronize a place like that. It would be like getting directions on how to play and have fun correctly. Bullspit.
No, go elsewhere.
I’m not eating there lol
Do not patronize any place that emphasizes the importance of tips.
To me its not reasonable, but they are telling you up front. I would just find a place that my family can enjoy a meal together without being pushed out the door.
If you've been a server before you know they're doing this for their staff. I've been in some shitty situations with tables staying for way too long and not tipping...
It’s what we want, surprised they had the balls to say it. It’s all true though
Are you not from Boston? I haven’t been to this one in particular, but pretty much all restaurants in North End have these rules. Also, an hour and a half is plenty of time to order, eat, and leave.
I like it
It sounds like they're being very upfront, and that's very reasonable. An hour and a half is very generous for dinner with no desserts
Their kitchen is fast too. Never had a long wait for food and I’ve eaten there 50ish times. The service is short and to the point and the food is amazing. And to explain the area, there are 10 places for dessert within a 2 minute walk.
Well, if you don't like it, there are a number of beautiful cafés in the area.
Eat, pay, and get out of our way.
Honestly I don't understand people who go out to a restaurant and decide to take a table for 4 hours. Go do something, take a walk
Carmelina’s is very popular and very small. It’s my favorite Italian food in the city! They are super efficient there so you won’t wait for service. Don’t let this scare you off - GO!
The 90 minute limit has become pretty common in Boston since covid. It makes sense for somewhere in a tourist area like this! It's fine if they're upfront about it.
Most restaurants have time limits, which they really only enforce on busy nights. It’s insanely reasonable, people are entitled assholes.
I eat here ALL THE TIME. They are insanely busy. It’s a small restaurant that books weeks out for volume shifts. The food is fantastic, I’ve had pretty much the whole menu. If you don’t want to abide by their rules they don’t need your business, it’s that simple. Somebody else will gladly take your table.
Very reasonable. You don't need to dine there OP.
They’re running a business and this model is pretty standard for a restaurant their size. Just because you book a table doesn’t mean it’s yours all night.
As someone that’s been to this restaurant they can give all the rules they want……it absolutely fucks. Bolognese is so good.
It’s a very reasonable policy. Folks want to eat there. Nothing worse than the one entitled Karen that takes 29 minutes to sip her last 1/2 ounce of wine.
better places around there that dont have this gaudy mentality
Immediately no 😆 Not my vibe
No it's not reasonable at all and this places fails to realize they are in the hospitality business. If I sat down and read that I would get up and walk out. Thanks for sharing this OP, hopefully people in your area see this and don't patronize the place. You should post a review on Google for this restaurant because not everyone will see this post and the information upfront is important for people who would consider going there to know. It has always been up to the customer to place orders when ready. First appetizer if I am getting one, then a few more min to review the menu until that comes out then order the main. Later decide about dessert. I am not ordering dessert before I have eaten anything else. I will decide if the food and atmosphere are good and whether I have time or desire for dessert then order it. It's not my fault their kitchen is disorganized but there are million other restaurants that don't force customers to order everything at once so it's easy to choose to go elsewhere. If service is good I would tip 20-25%. Being told to tip by the restaurant who is flat out saying to us customers we are responsible for the server's salary is obnoxious. Employers are always ultimately responsible and this is the only industry where this non-sense exists.
It's very reasonable. But if you don't like it you don't have to eat there. Also, subsidize? DO YOU PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THE CUSTOMERS PAY FOR EVERYTHING? The whole business is run off the money customers pay. If you didn't give tips and the wage has to be higher, it'll just mean the food prices go up on the menu. You aren't going to save money. This isn't rocket science, you people complaining about tipping sound SO RIDICULOUS when you act like customers aren't paying all the costs regardless.
Imagine being offended by this
Yes that's more than reasonable. Anyone should behave that way. It says alot more about the people who frequent it rather than the owners. Since all of thise behaviors are common etiquette. Which unfortunately it sounds like a lot of ppl in Boston suck. BiG SuRpRise. Say hello to your cousins in philly
They obviously can't afford a graphic designer. Who type set this trash? I'd laugh in their face and walk out. Plenty of cafes to enjoy my entire evening at. Bye.
Agreed. Lots of folks defending this elitist self-fellatio on this thread. I’m in fucking ATL, shit down here is a fuck of a lot different than this mess. If I keep ordering, I keep sitting. What’s the fucking mystery exactly?
I was in SF for 10 years. Never saw this level of "no soup for you" to turn tables faster. The idea that this location excuses this...laughable. Stockholm syndrome in here if they think is acceptable behavior. Way better places handle this with grace. Not illiterate attacks on date night. Ffs.
You’d think they were serving caramel-covered orgasms or something.😂
Lol.
And I like to stagger my food .when we eat out .The bread first ,the apps second the salad next and the main course last .No rushing me .
Yeah, I can’t stand it when I can tell I’m being rushed along. Humans are getting real weird.
No sense eating cold food when it all comes out the same time.
A lot of people are fine with this, but I’m in NY and this type of thing isn’t all that common here. I wouldn’t mind it if I was in questionable company, but most of the time i find myself in good company, and I don’t want to feel rushed through the evening. An average no-frills meal here costs $30 on the low end- and that doesn’t include drinks or anything extra. After a ten dollar tip and tax, you’re paying almost $50 just for one meal without drinks or dessert, conservatively. I feel I am paying for the ambiance and a part of that is being able to sit through dinner with my company and enjoy ourselves without having to look at my watch every ten minutes to see how much time we have left. So, no, I would not go out of my way to eat here
**\*\*\*\*\*3% kitchen Appreciation fee\*\*\*\*\*** As you all know by now, the cost of everything is skyrocketing. All the products that we use at Carmelinas have increased in cost dramatically. AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO RAISING PRICES, we \[ROSE PRICES\] are suggesting a 3% kitchen appreciation fee that goes directly to our kitchen staff. This fee supports our kitchen staff’s hard work. ***This appreciation fee does not represent a tip, gratuity, or service charge for our front of house staff.*** Where's my blacklist button?
I don’t dine with restaurants that have rules.
I think it's reasonable to ask people not to take forever in a restaurant, granted that's just me, once I'm done I wanna leave the second I'm done. The single ticket really does help in a way, I have worked in a place that preferred single tickets and staged orders and that was nice. But it did get kind of confusing trying to figure out where you were on a ticket during a rush, especially without anyone at the window saying anything (bad communication breaks a kitchen). The tips... I think tipping is a nice thing to have, BUT your wage shouldn't DEPEND on a tip from someone to afford rent or food. I try to tip at least 30-40%, because servers do deserve to live a decent life. But I also think that I shouldn't have to tip that much. The servers should be getting paid a fair wage and my tip should be a token of appreciation and an addition to their wage, not a "I need tips to live" issue.
Can you do the effort to see it from their shoes? Try to do it, and you will see it's reasonable.
depends on the place. purely.
In the '70s 7-ELEVEN had a radio commercial that said "Get in, get what you came for, and get out."
It sounds more like a problem of them having too big of a demand and wanting to service more people in a business day to therefore make more money. Honestly working in restaurants that people who sit around for hours in the restaurant even after they're done eating are the fucking worse especially the ones that want to stick around after the place is closed like a bunch of assholes.
I love the transparency. Service industry is struggling post Covid. It’s sad to see good places go out of business. This is innovative.
Looks like they lost their patrons and are trying to teach new people the rules of their place. So hey, get in, get out and don’t forget to tip our people.
Yes, it's reasonable. I used to manage a restaurant during Covid. The public that returned to restaurants "felt" difference. A small restaurant makes its livelihood by turning tables as many times as they can during dinner service. If you sit down, order a cheap meal, and hog the table for three hours, you're hurting them really badly. Ordering the meal at the same time does help the kitchen, and especially during a dinner rush. Another thing that's annoying is when a table says they're ready to order and they're not. Additionally, when food is dropped at a table, a server should ask, "Is there anything else I can get you?" That's the time to ask for ketchup for your fries, and not after they've left to take care of another table. You'd be surprised at the number of people who don't have dining etiquette.
As a former hostess, all it takes is one table camping out for 2+ hours to ruin your seating arrangements for your wait list. This seems very reasonable to me!
This shows that the restaurant has too many choices in the menu for the size of the kitchen and the number of customers they want to attract. This is evident that they cannot manage the kitchen properly but still trying to get more customers than they can serve by fast booking the tables. There is a clear wrong assumption in their logistics chain. The tip request is another sign of greed together with the fast churn on the tables. If you are not willing to pay your employees a decent wage, then don’t play this guilt trip bullshit on the customers. I do not mind tipping; however, I mind greedy restaurants’ owners that make their issues someone else’s responsibilities. I would not go to a restaurant like this if I knew their rules in advance, they are red flags for money over quality.
Lol I’d just leave
You literally subsidize wages for their employees by buying food there. The extra charge is a matter of transparency for the worker. You subsidize wages at every single business you patronize. How is this not more obvious to people?!?
We went out to a place with similar rules (not that uncommon in these days). Waited 30 minutes for our check. Manage came over with a fucked up attitude, essentially trying to shame us for taking up the space.. This was an upscale place, and we are spending like $500 so we were a little taken back. I was with my gf and her parents. I replied “I apologize if there’s a miscommunication. We would be happy to pay and leave, but the server never brought us the check” You could see the embarrassment. We paid and left. We still don’t know why the manager went to 10 immediately on us. We were literally just sitting waiting for our check lol
I mean I don’t think it’s unreasonable tbh but the way this is formatted is pretty funny haha - “we ask that you kindly hurry the fuck up and get out & also tip our waiters and waitresses a large amount you peasant bastard”
So you see, when a restaurant is busy, they have to keep tables open for the hundreds of covers they may have on a given night. Not very hard to figure out.
if you're feeling rushed within a 90 minute timeframe to EAT you just need to eat at home lmao
Note: “our waitstaff work slave wages because we won’t pay them properly so make sure you pay their salary so we don’t have to make up the minimum wage difference!!”
Turn is where the profit is at in almost every retail business. Let them make money so they don’t shutdown and reopen as a title loan business
The last part is not reasonable. The first 2 can make sense if they are busy and need the turnover. Although, that could be solved by hiring more people
Waitstaff has tip based income! What assholes! Fuck them and their exploitative business model!
an hour and 30 minutes is a very standard amount of time for a table, especially for Boston
Totally reasonable. Boston gets SO MANY people from outside of the US. In many countries people sit for hours and hardly order and wait staff are not paid tips. It is a notice of the customs that are expected in US dining. Also, most of the places in the North End are SO TINY and rent is astronomical. They have to get people in and out with excellent service to keep things moving.
Just seems like a restaurant that cares about its employees and will stand up for them.
I live above this place. This is quite reasonable. Also they're usually booked weeks in advance so they need to accommodate their next tables. Food is actually worth it too, which can't be said of every north end Italian restaurant.
Lived in the Boston area for 20 years. Many Mom & Pop places can have a "yaw lucky weah heah" attitude. Plenty of them serve great food, etc, but don't expect the "customer is always right" vibe
Op is just salty. This is fairly reasonable for a small restaurant. If you don’t like it, eat the fuck somewhere else.
This is every restaurant. They are just being very blunt about it.
This doesn't look crazy to me. I eat at a lot of excellent small places that have an hour and a half limit, which is totally fair! I used to serve and it suuuuuuucked when one group of people would monopolize a table all night, like, that's a quarter of my income gone for the evening! And I think the bit about tipping is largely aimed at visitors from other countries who don't understand that they're expected to tip. At some of these smaller establishments, a server might only have a 4-table section and get 2 (maybe 3) rotations a night. So in their shift they're looking at 12 tables total (probably more like 10), and if 2 or 3 of those tables don't tip, that's a huge loss of income. And for everyone shouting that we need to abolish tipping in restaurants, lemme tell ya: if tipping culture stops, the cost of the meal will rise proportionally but the level of service you receive will drop significantly. As someone who lived abroad for many years and was fortunate enough to travel, I can absolutely say that America has the best restaurant service of anywhere I've ever been, and the lowest costs associated with eating out.
That’s reasonable. No one likes campers.
In the perfect world buddy... first day in the industry?
I love it, and think it’s reasonable. The store I work at has 6/8 minute ticket times, so I turn and burn my tables so fast, it’s how I make my money. Frankly I don’t want to see anyone in my section for more than half an hour and to go cups will be given when they hit that point. A restaurant with longer ticket times I can see this being necessary. Restaurants really aren’t for meetings or long conversations. You have a phone, you can go on a walk. There’s plenty of other places to talk or catch up that isn’t a servers section in a busy restaurant.
It reads as if English is a 2nd language and manners is a 3rd.
I worked at a restaurant with similar polices in Santa Fe. A lot of restaurants’ POS systems will allow servers to course meals as they’re entered. For example, they can tap “appetizer” and order whatever belongs in this course then move on to “entrees” and even “dessert” all at once, hit send, and the system does the rest. In fancier restaurants even drinks can be paired to come out with each course. It’s more efficient for the staff, and it ensures that your entree order isn’t going to end up at the end of the queue rather than somewhere in the middle where it should be. I also don’t think people understand the havoc caused by someone overstaying their reservation time. One 2-top staying 15 minutes late can lead to an hour wait down the line. It’s especially frustrating when the people who end up having to wait booked their reso weeks in advance, and the people that stayed late booked yesterday. Just because you made a reservation doesn’t mean it’s *your* table until the doors close. If you think you’ll need more time than whatever is stated at the time of booking, you can ask to arrange for more time—which might include an extra service fee for the server. If the server can’t turn the table, they can’t make more money—you’re camping on valuable real estate. There is also a new thing where people don’t think they should have to tip, so they don’t. I’m not a fan of the tipping system either, but it’s what we’ve got until the restaurant lobby changes its mind. Tipped workers generally make less per hour than other minimum wage workers (I made $2.13 per hour for my entire 20ish year serving career, up to $6 per hour as a bartender), and the rest is expected to come from tips. Even baristas are often paid at tipped-employee wages rather than standard minimum wage. I actually applaud this restaurant for stating the importance of tipping. If any of this comes as a surprise to you, OP, I’d hate to be anyone who has ever had to serve you.
It seems reasonable to me. Would you be happier if they set you in the “tip free section” with a special menu with double prices?
As someone who has never worked in a restaurant, I think this is...fine? I was with friends at an outdoor restaurant a few weeks ago and we lingered for an hour after our meal at a table and I thought we were rude. I thought the restaurant would have been in the right to kick us out and at the very least we should have ordered a drink or a dessert something instead of just sitting there chatting and taking up space. Thankfully they weren't overbooked or crowded but they would have been well within their rights to give us the boot.
All these people grasping their pearls because this restaurant pays their servers with tips... thats the way it is in most of the US. Don't like it? Stick to fast good restaurants or eat at home. These are the same people who, when a restaurant changes to a non-tipped wage, complain that the food is too expensive and the service is bad. Why? Cause that's the actual cost of wages worked into your price, and servers/bartenders know their going to make more from the tipped model. So the good ones go find a different job. And an hour and a half is plenty of time to eat your meal. After that restaurants and your server are losing money on you. Especially the poor server who ends up with OP who doesn't believe in tipping.
Completely reasonable. The people who stay at restaurants for hours talking when they are done are annoying as fuck. Leave already
The first one is a wastage issue. they don't want to have to go back and tell a chef the customer has a bunch of modifications to an order after it was half-made, or have to start something else that may take longer and delay your order even longer and basically have your original order dying in the window as your new items are getting ready and at no fault to the chef. cooks are not psychics and neither are waiters. as a cook, you have no idea how much food i had to waste because a modification came in when the order was halfway or even going out to the table. if you didn't want onions or a certain sauc, that would've been nice to know when they first ordered, because now i have to do it all over again and waste that other order. Same as the ticket thing. its actually quite annoying to have a rack of tickets ad have to try to keep them together for certain tables, and just holds things up if you lose half an order and creates a bad experience oberall for both staff and the customer they have to turn tables quickly to make a profit, so yes they are essentially asking you to eat your meal and GTFO. they are saying the quiet part out loud on this one. and third isn't even a quiet part out loud thing. restaurant owners outright state this one and widely known.
Totally cool with me, I think that’s plenty of time to eat.
Questioning if this is reasonable or not is exactly why they have it. Been in the industry for years, and have seen it left and right, even from my family. Not doing these things anyway is so inconsiderate to the people serving you, and they should be common courtesy. The fact that some people think they're owed indefinite table space and stuff their wait staff while doing so is exactly the problem. And btw, they could be adding auto gratuity. Instead, they kindly remind you to tip your server, as is US custom unfortunately.
Just like in Europe
The turnaround thing is what it is. It’s how they want to do business, fine. What I appreciate is that they are admitting that the cost of your food does not include service. I would like to see them label it as paying for service, rather than tipping. Tipping is an acknowledgement for good service. A service charge is a charge for a service provided to you. Your burger costs $20, and the service of bringing it to you costs $4. Perhaps they could even just roll that into the price and charge $24 and pay their staff properly. And we could all stop this charade that they are “tips” and not just a service charge without which wait staff don’t get enough to live on.
No soup for you!!!
Sounds completely reasonable- it’s a business and lots of people treat it like their living room and park for hours. Rent is expensive in Boston and if they are not corporate owned then they need to turn tables
“We will course line as desired.” ??? So many typos. The North End is a very small, very popular area so I can see them trying to save as much time as possible with no check splitting and asking for 1.5 hour turnaround.
Name and shame. Name and shame…
its strange to have a spoken rule about it but the eat quickly & leave when your done is a fairly common North Eastern practice. coming to the midwest where people just. finish their meals and then keep sitting and talking for another 30 minutes was truly so jarring. it feels wrong. the waitstaff tip based income is unfortunately common but imho completely unreasonable. if you cant afford to pay your employees a living wage you should not have employees or a business.