If you want a better seat at a restaurant, you just have to do this one simple thing when booking. Be warned, it's a bit controversial.
In a trending video with more than 75,000 views, TikToker Jeunesse (@jeunesse_) shared her take on how to "properly" make a dinner reservation. It might not be what you think.
"When you make a dinner reservation you want to make sure that you ask for one more person in your [reservation] than is actually in your party," Jeunesse said.
Jeunesse shared that she picked this trick up from her aunt years ago, and it has worked like a charm since then.
Jeunesse, who was clearly filming from the inside of a restaurant, went on to say that she made a reservation for her and her friend. Despite knowing it was only going to be the two of them, she put down a reservation for three people.
"You know, if we had asked for a reso for two, we would have got a super high table, no space, and the stools with no back," Jeunesse said.
Instead, because the restaurant thought it would be three people, they got a table that seated a total of four, giving them extra chairs to put their bags and jackets and enough room on the table to look at their menus comfortably and spread out their appetizers and mains.
Several people in the comments section pointed out that while this is a great way to get more comfortable seating, it could potentially screw over the restaurant.
If you go during a time that's not busy and has plenty of open seating, then it'll probably be fine, but if you do this during the lunch or dinner rush, then you're likely losing the restaurant money that your tip won't cover.
For example, in this situation, the restaurant could have given Jeunesse and her friend the two-seater and sat a party of three or four at the other table. They would likely end up making more money in this scenario since one to two more people are placing food and drink orders.
It's improbable that whatever Jeunesse tips will cover what one or two more people would have consumed.
While Jeunesse has seen the negative reactions to her video, she pointed out that she's been a server before and said in a comment reply that "it’s truly not that big of a deal. Be nice, tip well, and don’t camp out."
"Girl ignore the comments idk why there mad fr it’s a good idea," a top comment read.
"You can request a table for two with low seats. I do this when going out with my granny who has various seating needs," a commenter suggested.
"When I make a reso on any online app I put in the notes that I’d like to be seated in a 4 person table if possible since we’ll be ordering a ton of food & want to have space for our order. When I arrive I reiterate my request when I speak to the host & that’s always worked for me!" a person shared.
"I've noticed post pandemic there are a lot of restaurants that take a credit card at the time of reservation and charge you if anyone in your party does not show up," another noted.
@jeunesse_ How to properly make a dinner reservation ???? #fyi #foodies #dinner #girlsnight #momsnightout #momtok #reservation #millennialsoftiktok #food #eatingout #restaurant #howtotiktok #eats #majorkey #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound - jeunesse
The Daily Dot reached out to Jeunesse via TikTok direct message and comment.
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The post ‘My aunt taught me this’: Woman reveals trick to making sure you get a good table when booking dinner reservations appeared first on The Daily Dot.
