Having a party member save a table while others get the food?

[Mickey_777]

We do it. My wife tells me what she wants and I go order and bring it back while she waits at the table THAT JUST OPENED UP. I'm not gonna roam and hover around letting my food get cold until I find a spot to sit.

Once at DHS we grabbed a pizza at the spot accross from Tower and Fantasmic (I forget the name) and another couple just came up and sat down next to us and occupied the other half of the table. They didn't even ask "may we sit with you" or anything. No eye contact. Nothing. They just plopped themselves down and ate and spoke amongst themselves. Wierd but kinda funny now that I think about it.

 

[DisneyLeo18]

I had no idea some people frowned upon this in WDW :lol:

I tend to do this when I go with more than one person. One gets the food the other finds a seat.

I have been in Pizza planet with our tray on top of a garbage can while we eat our lunch since there are no tables available. It sucks. A special thank you to the families that offer up the extra table next to them so you don't have to stand and eat. :wave:

 

[draybook]

We do it. My wife tells me what she wants and I go order and bring it back while she waits at the table THAT JUST OPENED UP. I'm not gonna roam and hover around letting my food get cold until I find a spot to sit.

Once at DHS we grabbed a pizza at the spot accross from Tower and Fantasmic (I forget the name) and another couple just came up and sat down next to us and occupied the other half of the table. They didn't even ask "may we sit with you" or anything. No eye contact. Nothing. They just plopped themselves down and ate and spoke amongst themselves. Wierd but kinda funny now that I think about it.

Yeah, our first time using the DDP we had a couple put with us at the SciFi for lunch. The annoying thing is that they were smacking the hell out of their lips as they ate their ribs or whatever the heck it was. Luckily, my son and I were in the front seat so my wife and daughter caught most of the audio from that experience.


If people ever came and sat at our table with us without asking first, I'd start digging for nose gold while staring at them with intense fervor.

 

[Mickey_777]

Yeah, our first time using the DDP we had a couple put with us at the SciFi for lunch. The annoying thing is that they were smacking the hell out of their lips as they ate their ribs or whatever the heck it was. Luckily, my son and I were in the front seat so my wife and daughter caught most of the audio from that experience.


If people ever came and sat at our table with us without asking first, I'd start digging for nose gold while staring at them with intense fervor.

LOL that's great imagery. That or burp while making eye contact.

 

[mickeysshoes]

I'm trying to figure out how on Earth this would create capacity problems? This statement makes no sense to me. Have you seen the lines that you stand in to get your food at a counter service? There's barely enough room for one person with a tray, and you want me to clog it up with the four of us? This is really just mind boggling to me. When we do counter service, either I or my wife takes our 2 kids(11 &10) and we find a table, while the other goes to get the food. We know what we like to eat so it doesn't take but maybe 5 minutes to get it.


Want proof? I'd bet that the family that was bugging the OP had went in the line as a group and went to find a table as a group.

Glad I am not the only one....????? I say do what is best for your family at the time.

 

[DVCOwner]

Here is something else to take into consideration. It might take less time overall if someone finds a table for a group. Ordering time is less and when I am ordering the others are getting ready to eat. Getting napkins, folks, etc. Than by the time the food comes everyone is ready to eat. I think this may take less overall time and free up tables faster than waiting around for one to open, than running to get everything, etc.

 

[Alison1975]

I'm trying to figure out how on Earth this would create capacity problems? This statement makes no sense to me. Have you seen the lines that you stand in to get your food at a counter service? There's barely enough room for one person with a tray, and you want me to clog it up with the four of us? This is really just mind boggling to me. When we do counter service, either I or my wife takes our 2 kids(11 &10) and we find a table, while the other goes to get the food. We know what we like to eat so it doesn't take but maybe 5 minutes to get it.


Want proof? I'd bet that the family that was bugging the OP had went in the line as a group and went to find a table as a group.

We had 8 with us most times. 2 would grab the food the other 6 would sit. Imagine 8 of us in line.. 3 of them 9 and under..HA HA.. that would be a whole other thread I'm certain. So complain about us waiting at a table all ya want. I bet if my rambunctious 6 year old bumped ya and made you drop your food you'd be madder.

 

[Wyatts_Mommy]

Honestly whenever we go we have Most of our party sit while 1 or 2 of us go up to order. We have very small children with us, infant, and I am not dragging my baby in line with us bc he is far too heavy. Like oers have said eat at an off time like 11 or 1.
My husband is also disabled from his service in Iraq. Now you would know it from looking at him bc he is a tough guy but standing for too long is very painful for him. So maybe people sit while others go get food bc they have to or bc they are just plain lazy, so please don't give dirty looks bc really you just never know. We get dirty looks all the time and I think it is completely uncalled for.

 

[Crockett]

I bet if my rambunctious 6 year old bumped ya and made you drop your food you'd be madder.

True. And you'd also be buying me a new meal.

People holding tables has never bothered us before. It's hard to blame them when restaurants are overly packed, especially groups with small children.

 

[Alison1975]

True. And you'd also be buying me a new meal.

People holding tables has never bothered us before. It's hard to blame them when restaurants are overly packed, especially groups with small children.

ha ha.. that's a given..LOL.. but alas..i prefer to leave all 4 kids at the table.

 

[WDWLOYAL1971]

I usually go get the food while my wife sits down with one of our two children. I do not see a problem with this, as we sit and eat, then leave. We do not stay around really any longer than we need to be there. I would rather have people sit down than having their whole families standing in line and crowding it even more than it already is. There really is not need to have your whole family standing and waiting.

I agree. More crowded lines are worst in my opinion. Nothing wrong with having a family member or members wait at the table while the other is doing the food ordering. I do agree however that once a party is finished with their meal, they should make the table quickly available instead of lingering around.

 

[the-reason14]

They had a system like this at Pecos Bill one year, where the CM's 'made' you get your food first then they would have a seat waiting for you. I don't know if they still do this, but we wound up walking around for a good while until we found a seat after someone left. Never doing that again, whether they're trying to make us do it or not. I'll tell my dad what I want, and me and whoever else I'm with will sit and wait till he gets back then we'll eat.

 

[Tink ッ]

True. And you'd also be buying me a new meal.

People holding tables has never bothered us before. It's hard to blame them when restaurants are overly packed, especially groups with small children.

Disney would give it to you for free actually

 

[JillC LI]

I think you count as a customer of the restaurant when you enter intending to purchase food. So I see it as each group accounts for an occupied table as soon as they enter the restaurant. The customers saving tables are already going to need a table in the next five minutes anyway... it's not like someone is saving a table for dinner at 2 PM. It's no different capacity-wise than eating slowly, going to the bathroom in the middle of the meal, or lingering at the table while finishing up. Yet, I've rarely heard anyone complain that you should have known you would have to use the bathroom or are expected to eat at breakneck pace to satisfy "efficiency".

This hits the nail on the head. Once we're in the restaurant to buy food and eat there, I consider my family entitled to use the tables.

As a parent of four children the youngest being three our family has done this on numerous trips to WDW. We would order our food and either I or my DW would head for a table while we would wait for our food and leave the older child to help the parent with the food. My feeling is this, once our food is ordered I'd rather have my children seated instead of trying to keep them occupied while waiting.

Now as far as hovering I will never do this to another family and if we are asked how long we'll be my response is always "as long as it takes our family to eat our meal". That normally sends the message. If we are finishing and see a family looking by all means we'll let them know the table is available so they can sit.
I will say this is a touchy subject though.

This is exactly what we do - one child sits with an adult, the other child helps carry. And while we do look for an available or about-to-become-available table, I would never annoyingly hover or allow my kids to annoyingly hover over a family still eating, or heaven-forbid, ask them how much longer they will take!

 

[Timekeeper]

This hits the nail on the head. Once we're in the restaurant to buy food and eat there, I consider my family entitled to use the tables.

Once you're in the park, you are entitled to use the tables (unless CMs or policy signage designate otherwise, of course). :sohappy:

 

[draybook]

Yeah, we won't hover for ANY reason. I'd rather walk halfway to the next land and find a bench than bug some other family.

 

[mergatroid]

Disney would give it to you for free actually

Yes they're really good about this. One year a lady dropped her entire tray onto my table whilst passing and I ended up with coke drenched burger and fries . She apologised profusely (I accepted as she was pretty and wearing a short, tight fitting top) and offered to get me a new meal. A cm came over straight away and said they would replace both meals for free and did!

 

[sbkline]

Yes they're really good about this. One year a lady dropped her entire tray onto my table whilst passing and I ended up with coke drenched burger and fries . She apologised profusely (I accepted as she was pretty and wearing a short, tight fitting top) and offered to get me a new meal. A cm came over straight away and said they would replace both meals for free and did!

Did you at least get a phone number though?

 

[sbkline]

Sure, it's not as efficient to have someone hold a table while someone else orders, but I think it's a courtesy that people should be able to take advantage of. I think Disney has the right balance: let people do whatever they want except on the busiest days where they need all the capacity.

The ordering area for every counter service restaurant I can think of is tiny-- where would 4x as many people fit? Then, you cram four meals and four drinks onto a tray that was meant for two or three and then you get to snake your way around the whole restaurant?

I think you count as a customer of the restaurant when you enter intending to purchase food. So I see it as each group accounts for an occupied table as soon as they enter the restaurant. The customers saving tables are already going to need a table in the next five minutes anyway... it's not like someone is saving a table for dinner at 2 PM. It's no different capacity-wise than eating slowly, going to the bathroom in the middle of the meal, or lingering at the table while finishing up. Yet, I've rarely heard anyone complain that you should have known you would have to use the bathroom or are expected to eat at breakneck pace to satisfy "efficiency".

Exactly.

Furthermore, people have ALWAYS had their party find a table while one person orders. If Disney has such a complex formula for determining the average turnover rate on tables, I find it hard to believe that they do not factor in the fact that an average amount of "X" guests has someone hold a table while someone else orders. As meticulous as Disney is with details, and if they have someone who sits down and factors in all these variables to determine how much time it takes a table to open up, don't y'all think that this practice is already figured in to the formula?

Whether it is or not is irrelevant, though. My family will continue to find a table while I order.

 

[Timekeeper]

One year a lady dropped her entire tray onto my table whilst passing and I ended up with coke drenched burger and fries.

That's funny; Disney uses charges extra for that! :ROFLOL:

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