Grub Street: The New Rules for Dining Out
This is by far my biggest pet peeve in the NYC dining experience:
Don’t linger when you’re done.
Do not be fooled by any tattered hardcovers beckoning from a shelf nearby. You are not to read these. Gone are the days of cocktails before opening a menu. During prime dining hours when there’s obviously a wait for tables, enjoy yourself and move on.If you want to linger, plan to dine early or late and speak honestly with your server or host. Ask if they need the table back right away. If they do, they will most likely make you comfortable at the bar. If they don’t, they’ll be grateful that you asked and you’ll savor your dessert in leisure.
As much as we might want our table for the evening, as Marcia Gagliano puts it, “There is a contract between diners and restaurants. You want them to stay in business and they want you to come back.”
