Thoughts on "holding" quick service tables?

[correcaminos]

Usually we send one person to order the food. The rest of us wash hands and such while the person is in line. Once they have ordered we'll look for a table. Last time at Woody's that took us 5 minutes or more to get one. Finally just as my husband was bringing the food a table opened up. One sat while the others helped and got condiments and such. So we weren't holding the table more than a minute before the food was ready. Our food was hot and good so glad we didn't have to wait.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We do tend to send ahead a "wash your hands/get napkins and straws/find a table" recon party -- but only when there are plenty of empty tables available - by which I mean, 1/3 or more of the dining area unoccupied. This is almost always the case, because we deliberately choose to eat CS lunches by 11:30am and dinners by 5pm, before the lunch and dinner rushes begin, and we try to steer toward CS venues with larger seating areas. The practical result is that the line to order is short, we're not clogging up the ordering line with extra people, the ordering process goes smoothly and efficiently (because one of us, usually me, is passing along orders for the entire party - no hemming and hawing or changing one's mind in line), and by the time the rest of the family has visited the washroom and condiment station, the table is only being "held" for a minute or two, if at all, before I get there with the food anyway.

If the dining room is full and/or there are signs or CMs instructing people not to get a table until they have food in hand, however, then we obey that instruction. And because the dining room is usually filling up by the time we leave, we don't dilly-dally after our meal, but clean off and wipe down the table and leave it open for incoming guests.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

because we deliberately choose to eat CS lunches by 11:30am and dinners by 5pm,

My routine exactly....when it's "QS Day". It usually leads to a 9-10ish snack/light meal. .

 

[larryz]

How many years did you work in food service that you know how things are done? Just curious.

I've never worked in food service*, but I understand concepts like parcooking, serving, drinks, and other food-service issues through research and discussions with relatives in the business, both retail and wholesale.

Plus I've eaten more than my fair share of restaurant food in my lifetime.

*for money, anyway. I've worked as a volunteer at the stove, steam kettle and serving line...

 

[wombat]

When trying to eat at a quick service spot (Casey's, Woody's notably) in any of the parks, do you send someone in your party to go and find/wait for an empty table? If they are successful, they essentially will be at a table with no food while you to wait in line, order food, wait for food, and then find them. Meanwhile people that have their trays of food are left standing looking for a spot. Occasionally I used to partake in this, but this most recent trip I realized how annoying this is when I see other people do it, so we stopped. What do you all think?

Unless you have a member of your party that cannot stand while you are waiting to be served then you should not occupy a table. If somebody is in a wheelchair, then there should be no problem in them waiting for the rest of the party before finding a table.

Common Courtesy realy

 

[xdan0920]

Unless you have a member of your party that cannot stand while you are waiting to be served then you should not occupy a table. If somebody is in a wheelchair, then there should be no problem in them waiting for the rest of the party before finding a table.

Common Courtesy realy

Nonsense, plain and simple.

 

[King Panda 77]

I think it is only acceptable to hold tables if you do it wearing one white glove and a snappy fedora ...

 

[katieee]

Bolded: how about common courtesy for those who already have trays of rapidly cooling food who can't find a place to sit?
If that's too much for you then you may be sorely disappointed at some of the CS restaurants like Cosmic Ray's, where at busier times they do not allow anyone to be seated until you have your food order in hand. Guests with children in strollers, or those in wheelchairs may wait to one side. We encountered this a few times on my last visit. I had no problem waiting to one side in my wheelchair until DH had our food.

At quieter times, when finding a table isn't difficult, then I don't care if you camp out there as long as you want.

Unless there is only one person in your party then there is no issue other people getting a table whilst someone else queues for the food! it’s just as annoying when the queue is 3 miles long because people in huge parties all queue up for the food! some people on here need to grow up and if people want to find a table whilst one person gets the food then so be it

 

[jaklgreen]

I've never worked in food service*, but I understand concepts like parcooking, serving, drinks, and other food-service issues through research and discussions with relatives in the business, both retail and wholesale.

Plus I've eaten more than my fair share of restaurant food in my lifetime.

*for money, anyway. I've worked as a volunteer at the stove, steam kettle and serving line...

With respect, I think we all like to think that we "know" how things work. But really, it is never that simple, especially with food service. There are so many rules and regulations and it is nothing like cooking at home. And we really do not know what is going on behind the scenes in a restaurant, especially the ones at the parks. I can not imagine what it takes to be able to get the sheer amount of food out that they do in such a short time. I am actually impressed with their speed. And for others, especially those who have never worked in food, always seem to think it takes too long. I think there should be a law that every person has to work in food service for at least 6 months before they do anything else. The world would be much better place if everyone understood what it was like. People sure as heck would treat food service people better and would NEVER show up someplace a few minutes before they closed/done serving breakfast,etc.
I would also like to add on, that your statement about parcooking, etc is also something that is finite. They can only parcook so much and only so far ahead of time. There is still limited amount of space in the warmer, limited space in the coolers. Plus you can't start cooking a burger 4 hours before you need it and just keep it in the warmer, ready to go. There are time and heat limits on everything, per health codes. We are talking about Disney parks, they have a totally different dynamic then your local place.

 

[jaklgreen]

Unless there is only one person in your party then there is no issue other people getting a table whilst someone else queues for the food! it’s just as annoying when the queue is 3 miles long because people in huge parties all queue up for the food! some people on here need to grow up and if people want to find a table whilst one person gets the food then so be it

It does not matter how many people are in the queue. They are still ordering for the same amount. So when the order for the family of 6 is done, they are all leaving at the same time. It does not take any longer for you to order or get your food because it is still for the same amount of people. What does hold up the line are the people who are not ready by the time it is their turn to order. You should not get in line until you know what you want.

 

[eliza61nyc]

It does not matter how many people are in the queue. They are still ordering for the same amount. So when the order for the family of 6 is done, they are all leaving at the same time. It does not take any longer for you to order or get your food because it is still for the same amount of people. What does hold up the line are the people who are not ready by the time it is their turn to order. You should not get in line until you know what you want.

lol, ot. the comedian John Pinette does a funny monologue on holding up the line at mcdonalds trying to decide what to order. He also does a hysterical one on visiting disneyworld.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It does not matter how many people are in the queue. They are still ordering for the same amount. So when the order for the family of 6 is done, they are all leaving at the same time. It does not take any longer for you to order or get your food because it is still for the same amount of people. What does hold up the line are the people who are not ready by the time it is their turn to order. You should not get in line until you know what you want.

Large parties in the ordering and pick-up area do reduce capacity and increase waits because the crowd eventually cascades and occupies the physical space around the register, preventing others from ordering.

 

[jaklgreen]

Large parties in the ordering and pick-up area do reduce capacity and increase waits because the crowd eventually cascades and occupies the physical space around the register, preventing others from ordering.

I doubt it, you are talking about an extreme scenario. With the crowds at lunch time, the kitchen gets backed up, so even if you got your order in 3 minutes earlier because there were less people ahead of you, there is no way that the kitchen would have even looked at your order yet by then anyway. It is all a mental thing. You THINK that you will get your food earlier if there are less people crowding the queue, but the kitchen still gets the same amount of orders.

 

[KellBelle]

There is nothing wrong with this practice at all. It is not any different than doing the same thing at your local fast food eatery.

This!

 

[Janir]

Wife and I are usually the only ones in our 'group' at a Disney Trip. So two people is easier to manage. at a QS, I'll go order the food, or pick up our mobile order while she scouts for a place to sit. by the time I'm bringing back food, she's just got somewhere to sit. If that makes us evil then we're gonna go with evil. We don't tend to linger and we usually give up the extra chairs at our table for anyone needing them my their tables. The only time we've lingered at a table is for a fireworks show and we're having somethign for a late dinner or a dessert then anyways.

 

[larryz]

I can not imagine what it takes to be able to get the sheer amount of food out that they do in such a short time.

You don't have to. There are plenty of videos of mass food service available so you can see how it's done.

 

[wombat]

Nonsense, plain and simple.

Why Nonsense?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I doubt it, you are talking about an extreme scenario. With the crowds at lunch time, the kitchen gets backed up, so even if you got your order in 3 minutes earlier because there were less people ahead of you, there is no way that the kitchen would have even looked at your order yet by then anyway. It is all a mental thing. You THINK that you will get your food earlier if there are less people crowding the queue, but the kitchen still gets the same amount of orders.

The issue isn't in the kitchen, the issue is in the ordering area. Two people ordering for six is absolutely faster than six people ordering all together.

 

[correcaminos]

Unless you have a member of your party that cannot stand while you are waiting to be served then you should not occupy a table. If somebody is in a wheelchair, then there should be no problem in them waiting for the rest of the party before finding a table.

Common Courtesy realy

Sometimes the CMs will seat you faster if you have someone with wheels. I know during busier times at least Columbia Harbor House had a section roped off just for HA people. They required you to go to the area while someone ordered because wheels take up space and are harder to move around. They do not work well in most QS lines sadly.

So what you think is common courtesy, the CMs will require you to do differently. My point? There is no right answer to this. Do as your family see fits and don't be rude to people.

 

[xdan0920]

Why Nonsense?

It's not common courtesy to do things in an inefficient fashion. I have a little nuclear family of 4. I do the ordering while my wife finds a table and texts me the location. I order quickly, no dilly dallying, no taking up extra space in the queue. By the time I pick up the food, then drop it at the table, then head back to the condiments/napkins/forks set up, my wife has the kids sat, clean and ready to go. THAT is the best, quickest, smartest way to operate. It reduces the overall amount of time we are in the restaurant, while ensuring that we turn the table over quickly.

Let me tell you what isn't efficient. 4 people in line, 2 of them under 5 years old. Waiting to order food as a group. Staring at the menu, deciding, changing minds, etc...taking up space. Then we all order, then we all wait for the food, then we all stand around in a big group, holding food, trying to find an empty table. Then we finally find a table. Sit down, get back up to go to condiment bar. Then get back, then clean up the kids, then start eating. This way takes much longer and ensures we are both occupying space in the restaurant for a longer amount of time, and at absolute BEST, holding the table for the exact same amount of time.