Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1606347)

We were going to purchase drinks at the bar and carry them to one of the 3 empty tables in the bar area. There were at least 6 empty tables in the restaurant that were not being used for any purpose. We were not in a hurry to eat dinner. But the guy at the front of the restaurant specifically told us that we could not sit at the empty tables, and that we had to leave the building and wait for him to call us on the phone, so that we could come back to the restaurant and eat the 5 dollar burgers. So, we went to the town square and bought drinks at the drink shack, and then the guy called us and we returned to the restaurant and ordered the 5 dollar burgers. The burgers were very good. My only issue is that I have never been asked to leave a restaurant when I was willing to buy drinks, and the place was not even crowded.

Originally Posted by Yung Dum (Post 1606345)

Where were you supposed to drink your drinks that you purchased at the bar? Outside? In your car? Take them home? Something here seems amiss.

Originally Posted by waterlily (Post 1604797)

A number of reasons this could have happened.

- Holding tables in an area together to accomodate a large group requiring more than two+ tables, and you are unsure of which neighboring table is going to "break" next.

- Understaffed. Not having enough employees to cover all the tables in the building. Becoming commonplace in the hospitality industry. Look at the help wanted section on Craigslist or Indeed. EVERY restaurant is hiring.

- "False Wait" Usually employed to allow the kitchen to get caught up as opposed to pushing people to the bar to get drinks. The after effect of that is usually detrimental to the kitchen. When the wait is released, the tables are seated at a controlled pace to not allow the kitchen to get "slammed".

I will bet we will see this more and more in TV as the number of restaurants increases, the amount of available staff decreases, and the lack of restaurants that accept reservations.

Originally Posted by JimJohnson (Post 1627824)

Villagers appear to have issue with being told no. I see many posts shaming the bar but no posts pointing out the lack of complete and most likely exaggerated claim. Keep in mind, the 5 dollar hamburger is a WOB perk to the regulars and not a way for someone to get a cheap meal with a glass of water. I’m not saying that is the case hear, but I am saying I find it possible that the OP has left out a few details.

Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1604735)

No details missing. He said we could sit at the bar, but there were no seats available. We could not sit at a table in the bar, even though there were 3 empty high tables.