You need to fight the desire to request a specific table at a restaurant. Here's why.
Oftentimes, when you're being seated by the host at a restaurant, you see a few tables across the room that are open.
While the host may start leading you to the back of the room, you may see a table by the window that you prefer or maybe a booth that looks more comfortable.
While it's understandable that you'd want to have a choice between what's available, it can have a negative domino effect on the staff serving you.
In a trending video with more than 42,000 views, server Mackenzie (@getreadywithmack) revealed what happens behind the scenes of a restaurant when a customer asks to sit somewhere specific.
She explained that servers are usually assigned a section of the restaurant to take care of for the night.
The host has a board that shows who was just sat and where. Part of the host's job is to make sure diners are being equally distributed between sections.
"If you're asking for a section and we just sat that server, they get double sat, which means they get more work, more tables, and more money than other servers," Mackenzie pointed out.
But she did add that it's OK to request a specific table if you have specific needs like needing larger seating, more accessible seating, or space for a high chair.
"Do not walk in and act like you get to choose where you're sitting. If you see a sign and it says, 'Please see a hostess for seating,' you should see the hostess for seating," Mackenzie said.
People in the comment section had mixed reactions to Mackenzie's video.
"It’s my meal that I’m paying for if I don’t like the seat I’m damn sure gonna say something," a person said.
"I just want a booth every time I go out. I don’t want to sit at a table with hard chairs," another wrote.
"it's okay to ask. but as a customer we need to be okay with the word no," a commenter pointed out.
"As a host, I get yelled at by servers because of the guest wanting a different table. The world doesn’t revolve around you, sit in the table we gave you, it’s the same excact table as the one you want," a worker added.
If you've never worked as a server, you don't know the ins and outs of what it's like to work in the food-based service industry. Here are a few things you can do to be a better guest.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mackenzie for comment via email and Instagram direct message.
@getreadywithmack please be kind to those working in the food industry. #psa #serviceindustry #bekind ♬ original sound - mackenzie????????
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The post ‘Thank you. I had no idea!’: Server says this is why you shouldn’t ask for a booth at a restaurant appeared first on The Daily Dot.
