I recently went with a friend to a restaurant that is the kind where you wait in line, place your order, they give you a number to put on your table and you wait to bring them your food. (A local restaurant, not a chain.)
Anyway, it was very busy and we wanted to sit outside but there were no tables available outside. Once we were near ordering (like 2nd place in line) I saw a table clear up outside and went to sit at it to save it for us. I noticed a bag near the table but I didn't really think much of it, and was just going to tell the waitress that I thought someone had left their bag.
I'd been sitting there for a minute (my friend is ordering for both of us at this point) and a girl came up to me and said that I had to move and she was sitting there and that's why her bag was there. She was in the very end of the line, at least 15 people behind us. I just kind of stared at her for a while and then was like "OK whatever" because I didn't feel like arguing (she was very nasty) and was OK with sitting inside, but was pretty pissed off for a while.
She was wrong, right? If you want to save a table at a place like that, I believe you have to be actually sitting at the table, not just plop your bag down when you get there. You shouldn't leave your bag lying around anyway!
P.S. It was at least 10 minutes from the time I tried to sit there to the time she ordered and sat down.
Maybe I wasn't clear on the timing -- my friend was ordering for both of us as I sat down. I guess we could have waited a minute or two, but no one was in front of us, so the only people who would have taken the table were people behind us who hadn't ordered yet either...
She was with at least one other girl; i.e. she wasn't putting her bag there to save it for herself because she couldn't sit there, but because I guess she wanted to wait with her friend in line. They were small, round tables -- not ideal for sharing with strangers.
Anyway, it was very busy and we wanted to sit outside but there were no tables available outside. Once we were near ordering (like 2nd place in line) I saw a table clear up outside and went to sit at it to save it for us. I noticed a bag near the table but I didn't really think much of it, and was just going to tell the waitress that I thought someone had left their bag.
I'd been sitting there for a minute (my friend is ordering for both of us at this point) and a girl came up to me and said that I had to move and she was sitting there and that's why her bag was there. She was in the very end of the line, at least 15 people behind us. I just kind of stared at her for a while and then was like "OK whatever" because I didn't feel like arguing (she was very nasty) and was OK with sitting inside, but was pretty pissed off for a while.
She was wrong, right? If you want to save a table at a place like that, I believe you have to be actually sitting at the table, not just plop your bag down when you get there. You shouldn't leave your bag lying around anyway!
P.S. It was at least 10 minutes from the time I tried to sit there to the time she ordered and sat down.
Maybe I wasn't clear on the timing -- my friend was ordering for both of us as I sat down. I guess we could have waited a minute or two, but no one was in front of us, so the only people who would have taken the table were people behind us who hadn't ordered yet either...
She was with at least one other girl; i.e. she wasn't putting her bag there to save it for herself because she couldn't sit there, but because I guess she wanted to wait with her friend in line. They were small, round tables -- not ideal for sharing with strangers.