Do you mind waiting to get into a restaurant?

[Talk Host]

One of the things that I have a difficult time adjusting to here in Florida is not being able to make reservations at many of the restaurants. Waiting up to an hour to be seated is not something that I am ready to do. Of course it is specially bad in the winter.

I may be alone on this feeling, but am curious if other do not mind the wait. If not, what do you do while standing around for an hour. I happen not to drink alcohol, so the bar holds no attraction for me.

Aside from Bella Luna, which restaurants take reservations?

[tony]

I mind a whole lot about waiting at a restaurant that won't take reservations. If the restaurant doesn't take reservations, the owners are telling me what they think about me and my business: I don't matter to them.

It is their way of attempting to force me to spend money at the bar. I am not opposed to drinking, but I don't always drink. Their not take reservations is a not-so-subtle way of extracting money from me for something I don't want, and they think I am too stupid to realize that.

If they don't take reservations, I don't wait. Ever.

[snowbirdgator]

What is the big deal with waiting? Are you in that big of a hurry. Is your life that important, that you cannot wait to enjoy a meal. If that is the case, then maybe you should try staying home and cooking dinner, instead of going out to eat all the time. All everyone does around the Villages is go out to eat and shop. does noone enjoy a nice quiet evening at home anymore?

[Kitria]

Whoa up there Snowbird..

There are lots of people in the Villages that don't go out to eat all the time. Budgets have a lot to do with whether one can go out all the time. MIne happens to be on the low budget side. We enjoy homecooked meals most of the time, going out only occassionaly.

When I do go out..the line does dissuade me at times. I usually will opt for another place to eat rather than wait in line. If we have company, or go out with friends who are partial to a particular place, then we just stand around and chat. Thankfully that hasn't happened when it is pouring rain.

So, in a large nutshell, sometimes I wait and sometimes I don't. I will never wait more than 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. There are too many places to choose from to wait more than that.

A lot of people that don't like to wait in line wait for May-October to eat out more. Let the winter people crowd the places. During May-October most places you can walk into at any time and be seated immediately.

[Talk Host]

What is the big deal with waiting? Are you in that big of a hurry. Is your life that important, that you cannot wait to enjoy a meal. If that is the case, then maybe you should try staying home and cooking dinner, instead of going out to eat all the time. All everyone does around the Villages is go out to eat and shop. does noone enjoy a nice quiet evening at home anymore?


It is nice to see that you have so little to occupy your time that you can waste any hour that you wish standing around outside a restaurant. Yes, my life is so important that I do not want to waste one hour of it twiddling my thumb. Unlike you, I do have important things to do.

[dandt]

It's too bad people cannot reply to these postings without sounding so hostile.

[elcid]

Too bad people can't reply with a real answer.

[Donna]

So, if there was a new restaurant that took reservations, would all of you go there if they had good food? What type of restaurant should it be, Italian, Burgers, Pizza Place, etc..
I am really interested in your opinions..
Donna ::)

[hddeuce]

I won't wait more than 30 minutes and won't often wait that long.

[sweetana3]

I would not wait, period. I understand the difficulty in maintaining a reservation system however. Much more time and money not put into food or profit.

Money will do the talking and if people want the food that much, they will wait.

I cannot stand for more than about 15 minutes due to back pain. Few places have enough seats. I dont want a drink, so the bar is out. So as another poster has said, I arrange my meals for the less busy times.

[hddeuce]

The other reason some of us don't like to wait is that many still work - myself included - about 30 hrs. week; and I find my time off too prescious. I guess if I didn't work it wouldn't bother me near as much as it does, but probably still would not wait more than 30 min.

[sparky]

As the saying goes: "Time waits for no man" and I really don't like waiting over 15 minutes at a restaurant.
The older you get, the less time you have to git-er-done, so why waste it? ;D

[purple_worm]

Well, we don't mind waiting. And waiting is NOT a waste of time, we put it to good use. If we're with friends, we use it to socialize, if we're alone, we talk to each other, or make new friendes, watch the sunset, walk around, etc. etc. etc. Of course, we dont' go out more than once or twice a week, our waist-lines don't permit it !!

Mark

[aford]

Yes, we do mind being told the wait time is 45 minutes. Then when you finally get a table I feel rushed to eat fast and run. We don't wait. I don't enjoy that type of dining. >:( Best time to get a seat is when it is raining. In the winter we eat at home most of the time. My husband tells me I am a better cook. Wow! does that tell you something. Well, I can handle the cooking and serving for a crowd of 100. :super: We have way too many fast food chains here in the Villages. ::)

[LG]

One of the things that I have a difficult time adjusting to here in Florida is not being able to make reservations at many of the restaurants. Waiting up to an hour to be seated is not something that I am ready to do. Of course it is specially bad in the winter.

I may be alone on this feeling, but am curious if other do not mind the wait. If not, what do you do while standing around for an hour. I happen not to drink alcohol, so the bar holds no attraction for me.

Aside from Bella Luna, which restaurants take reservations?


YOU CAN CALL AHEAD AT THE OUTBACK AND CARRABA'S

[villager99]

i generally only wait if it's conducive to socializing with my meal companions or other patrons, people watching or listening to music on the square.
in the villages there is almost always another restaurant around the corner. so if A has a line i'll go to B and try A Another day - time.
that said,
having always lived in densely populated areas, i've never seen a line or crowd in the villages that compares to many in boston or new york.

[F16 1UB]

Being retired military - kinda used to waiting. I don't mind because I'm with enjoyable company. I don't drink either but will ask my wife or friends if they want to go to the bar. :) Time to socialize. After 911 I've got a whole different outlook. Savor the moment.
Steve

[Barefoot]

Steve - :agree: Savor the moment. Chill out. We met wonderful people on our Preview waiting in restaurants and had great conversations with them. My days of hurrying are past. Yes, Talk Host, my time is also important to me, but I feel meeting new people is always a good use of my time. ;D

[golfnut]

Well said bare.

[SteveZ]

For me, a restaurant outing is more about the company than the food - no matter what kind of rave reviews the restaurant gets or how wonderful the chef thinks s/he is.

That being said, I can't fault a place for long lines - if their business is that good that they can't keep up with demand, well I just wish I had stock in the place.

However, I'm not one who enjoys $6-10 drinks at the bar, and really have had my fill of sitting on pine waiting my turn for something to happen. That includes everything from straining to hear if my name is called (like I'm some lucky lottery winner) or whether the beeper they give me starts to vibrate. If the place cannot take me right away (or pretty close to it) then I'll remember that the next time I go there (went at the wrong time of day) and for now will take my business elsewhere. There's a lot of places in-and-out of TV which serve food.

A long time ago I remember hearing the line, "Life's too short to dance with ugly women." That line can be modified many ways, and the end-line centers on "too short" I'm not mad when a place is too busy to take my business - I just modify what I do accordingly. I've been known to change sit-down dinner plans for something else. Again, the company I'm with is the important part of the outing, not what culinary delight ends up in the stomach.

The Villages are neat, in that if you are flexible and fun-loving, then there are options available. I can picture the time will come when I'll be at Lake Sumter Landing and not get seated at one of the restaurants during high snowbird time. So, the option may then become a plastic-cup marguarita and a hot dog while I have a dance with my spouse to the music in the square. I can't see anything like that as "less" and in many ways it qualifies as a "more."

Again, "Life's too short....."

[chuckster]

Well put Steve..............what's the hurry???? relax, dance, laugh and enjoy the few years we have left. I'm still looking down not up at the grass and loving every minute of it. Jan, try people watching or just laughing and dancing at the square while waiting. Who said you have to drink, I don't. ;D

[bestmickey]

I don't mind waiting, as long as I don't have to be at another place shortly (like an appointment or a movie). How long I'll wait depends on how good the food is, and the companion(s) I'm with.

[Avista]

We do mind waiting. We used to enjoy an alcoholic drink during the waits. Now we no longer drink alcohol, so the waits get rather tedious. We try to go early to avoid the waiting. Rather dull watching other people drink. Of course, the restaurants make money this way.

[Irish Rover]

Yogi Berra said it best "nobody goes there anymore because it's always too crowded". If the foods good and the drinks big, it's worth the wait. :)

[mike1946]

I understand the problem about busy restaurants during the winter when many of us part time visitors are in TV ...however there is a very easy way of easing some of the congestion ...and it's not rocket science !!! just open longer in the evenings !!! Is this far too hard !!! Many people don't mind eating late !! It happens all over the world !! Most restaurants in France/Italy/Spain/UK won't even open til 7pm ...most restaurants in Florida are putting the chairs on the tables at 9pm.

So !! Florida restaurants double your snowbird winter takings ...bring in a 3 or 4 sittings system 4pm-6pm 6pm-8pm 8pm-10pm 10pm-midnight...Take reservations with a non-refundable visa card payment and watch the lines disapear.