A New York woman went to a fancy local restaurant to enjoy a meal with a friend. However, she says what she endured was a “horrible experience” when they were asked to leave the table after some time. This opened up questions about how long a reservation actually lasts, and if this guest overstayed her welcome.
Karen (@karensilvaart) lives in New York City and frequently visits nice restaurants to review them. She recently went to Ayah, a Moroccan restaurant that takes reservations. What Karen didn’t know is that there were table time limits so your reservation only lasts 90 minutes to two hours. After that, staff could ask you to leave or move to the designated on-site bar. Karen claims, “I thought an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes was a reasonable expectation for dinner” after she was asked to leave her table after some time.
In Karen’s video, she asks the server for tea after she’s had her dinner. The server explains, “We need to give you your tea at the bar because we need to double back in five minutes, guys.” When Karen realizes her time at the table is up, she’s shocked. She says her reservation was at 8 p.m. At 9:10 p.m., they were already asking her to leave her table.
Karen was shocked by the treatment and says, “NYC restaurant hospitality is ridiculous.” After being told they could move to the bar, Karen decided she didn’t want dessert anymore. As she finishes her video of the conversation, she very clearly looks annoyed with the service.
The video sparked reactions from commenters, some of whom agreed with Karen. Others, however, thought she was asking too much of them. One commenter stated, “If someone is kicking me out while food is in my mouth, I would be mad.” Another added, “I don’t get why everyone is defending the staff, this time they are in the wrong. Getting kicked out at 70 minutes is crazy.”
However, another commenter looked at it from another angle. They stated, “I’m almost positive when you booked it said 90 minutes booking per table. People neglect this and expect the next waiting reservation to wait an additional 20 minutes so you can finish your tea.”
Commenters continue to share their differing opinions on how this situation was handled as the video gains popularity online, with some defending the restaurant’s actions while others believe the customers deserved a little more time to enjoy their meal.
