[npwalters]

Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa

I have a different view, based in part on having eaten in some of the finest and most expensive restaurants in New Orleans' French Quarter, and in Cajun BBQ shacks out in the Bayous.

In the restaurants in the Quarter, you have real silverware and crystal on white tablecloths with subdued lighting and candles on the tables. You are attended by multiple service staff attending to everything from keeping your water glass filled to using an electrostatic comb to clean up the flakes of French Bread that fall on the tablecloth when you break the bread. The service staff is impeccably attired, varying according to their duties, and they speak softly and politely. There is a quite, peaceful ambiance.

The meal comes in courses, which are spaced out to provide a comfortable pace for eating, and you are never rushed into ending one course to begin the next. This encourages relaxed conversation among the diners and a general feeling of contentment. By the time you finish your after dinner coffee or drink, you may find that two hours have passed.

In contrast, at the Cajun BBQ shack you are seated at large wooden outdoor-style picnic tables, your order is taken, and the entire order comes to your table at once. You tend to eat quickly, and if you linger too long, your server will start clearing away your plates, bring your check, and stand at your elbow waiting for you to pay. You are expected to finish up in 30 to 40 minutes.

NOW, if you occupy a table at the expensive restaurant for an extended period of time, you are depriving the server(s) of an opportunity to get another diner at that table, and another tip. How terribly thoughtless of you!

The solution is not to "gobble and get" as you would in the Cajun shack, but rather to pay a larger tip for the extended use of the table. Think of it as a fee that you are paying for the additional amenities that enhance the ambiance of the dinner.

Well you have made quite a few assumptions here including about me. You don't know me and if I am thoughtless or not.