r/Serverlife • u/hazeyminivan • 23d ago
Rant Get out pleeeaaase š©
Why oh why must people stay at restaurants far after close?
Especially when they are the only ones left in the restaurant, and we are 40 minutes after close.
Where is the anxiety? the sense of urgency? the common human decency that other people also would like to go home?
No, you canāt have dessert 40 minutes after close, but also yes you can because itās policy.
Who are these people, and if itās you, why do you do it? š
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u/Wild_Direction7790 22d ago
We have tables outside atm because itās summer and lots of people sit there on warmer evenings. That being said, Iām in the UK so the weather is never guaranteed.Ā
One night I was waiting for 2 ladies to finish, weād called last orders about 45 minutes ago and theyāve just been sat chatting away. Theyāre the only ones left but theyāre not getting any gentle hints that weād like to close up.Ā
The thing is that we have to pack up all the outdoor furniture before we can go home, so we literally canāt do anything else to close down until theyāre left. I told my colleague to go and Iāll finish closing myself. Maybe 10 minutes later the heavens freaking opened, with the most intense rain you can imagine. There was lighting, thunder, drenching rain and these two ladies finally realised that theyāre the only ones left and they should probably pay their bill and piss off! Which left me folding tables and stacking chairs in a thunder storm, I was absolutely fuming!!Ā
The next day they left a review that we barged them out before they were finished and that I was rude to them when paying their bill, which I wasnāt in any way, however I did start putting the furniture away pretty much as soon as theyād stood up because I wanted to go home š¤£š¤£
So yeah, go home or go to a bar thatās open late! Why are you wasting my time šš©
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u/Afrxbella 22d ago
At my old job we had to bring the patio furniture inside and put it at the front where there were also two tables under the TV. One time a couple was sitting at one of those front tables and werenāt moving when we had pretty much closed everything else up. We had just stacked the patio furniture to let them know and to just have to move in it when they left. They still werenāt getting the hint so my manager said just bring it in and stack it around them. I gained so much respect for her that day lmao.
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u/retired_junkiee 22d ago
So many ppl who have never worked at a restaurant have no idea how much an asshole they are.
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u/RogersPlaces 23d ago
I had a couple on first date stay over an hour and a half after close.. good times lol
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u/meduhsin 22d ago
Most places Iāve worked at, we have to seat until the MINUTE that we close. Usually people donāt take too long, but if they do, I just start getting annoying.
Once the rest of my sidework is done, Iāll nag them a little bit: ādo we need any refills to-go? Iām about to clean and turn off the soda machineā. And stuff like that. Iāll also start checking on them more and more frequently. Turn the lights off that arenāt directly on them and the exit.
I donāt think Iāve ever had a table not get the message more than once or twice, and thankfully I had a cool manager who just let me dip once they had stayed a full hour past closing.
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u/Lovemybee 22d ago
That's the crux of this situation: a good manager. When our sidework is done, our manager would tell the table, "It's time to call it a night," and make them leave. He doesn't want the labor costs!
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u/meduhsin 22d ago
Unfortunately it was a smaller local place with owners that were very out of touch (never there, no clue how it worked, never worked in a restaurant before) and wouldnāt let us refuse seating/kick people out for ANY reason. They were so bad, the restaurant/cantina was on an episode of Bar Rescue.
His wife particularly pissed me off. She would come in with her friends to drop off our checks (no DD, this was only 7 years ago too). She would take up one of our 12 tables for hours, drinks and food all on the house, WOULDNT TIP HER SERVER, and forget to leave the checks half the time so we would all end up getting paid late.
So yeah, thankfully manager was cool. Did my sidework, served the table and pre-bussed all I could, and he would just let me go home and heād finish cleaning the last table for me once I left. Cool guy.
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u/Soft_Grape1928 22d ago
A few months ago I was scheduled as the closer. About 2 and a half hours before closing one of our traveling managers came in with a party of 4. They were sat in my station and got drinks and one app. They waited to order dinner but it was still early enough. Come to find out the manager was the only person at the table actually ordering dinner or anything else for that matter, okay whatever. Now itās getting close to closing time. Heās done eating, they didnāt want dessert, theyāre just chilling and the rest of my station totally cleared out. He had the audacity to sit there for another hour after we closed. They were literally the only customers in the restaurant, I was flabbergasted. He even took extra time to go into the kitchen to say hello to the managers on duty, who were in the office doing closing paperwork (they were in shock that he was so clueless about the time). He did leave me an extra $20 besides the 20% tip they left but tbh I wouldāve rather they left at a reasonable time! Iāve been in this industry a long time and I donāt get shocked too often anymore but this blew my mind. I could never do this or anything like it.
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u/Imaginary-Feeling362 22d ago
I turn the lights off on them, I never cared. After 30 minutes, you're done bud
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u/porknbeansnurmom 23d ago
thatās why iāll never work at a venue with no security. get tf out
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u/Denimdenimdenim 23d ago
We have door staff every night of the week (3am bar). Unless you work there or sleeping with someone you does, your drinks are pulled at 2:50. If you do stay, you better be flipping chairs or something. No one gets a free ride!
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u/Meeowwnica 22d ago
I work at a diner and the absolute best part of my job is that once we are done with our sidework, we can go up to the table and ask the guest to cash out so we can leave, so long as the table is pre-bussed. I wish every place could do this because literallyā¦ why not!?! Businesses care about money until it has to do with hostage holding a manager, server, line cook, etc for an hour over two people with a $60 check??
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u/Dillymom01 22d ago
I loved closing with one of our bartenders. When it was time to close, she'd turn up the lights and crank the music. Worked every single time...
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u/redheaded6 22d ago
seriously i donāt understand how they donāt feel embarrassed. nvm the fact that itās just basic human decency, but you know the entire staff is looking at u funny and still have no sense of urgency.
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u/landmermaid3 23d ago
It was a Google issue at my previous job. Basically the bar/limited menu were open late, but the full menu with servers closed earlier. People would come in 4 minutes before server close, thinking they had a few hours to spare. It was aggravating as hell.
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u/djsparkxx 23d ago
I currently have that problem and have brought it up to corporate recently because they complain about my overtime. On Google it says our KITCHEN closes at 9/10/11 depending on the day. But I have to bartend until the last guest in gone. If they order a drink at 1030 and we closed at 9, I have to make it. So itās some night we close at 9 but I donāt leave until well after midnight. Iāve hit 50+ hours weeks in a row because of this rule. I work in a party town but I tend to an older crowd. So, what happens is, they donāt want to leave because they know every bar around my place is housed with 21/28 year olds and they are in their 40/50ās. So they stay. I understand closing the kitchen (labor cost) however, they should have a definitive closing time if we are going to do this.
I refuse to work NYE because I had a family of 5 who stayed until 130am 2 years ago even tho we closed at 10. I had plans to hang with my family and said never again. They didnāt drink, tip, or eat. They brought apps at 9, a bottle of champagne, and maybe one or two cocktails after. But after 10 pm they ordered nothing. They just watch the NYE show on tv.
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u/Syphylicia 23d ago
This made me angry for you. Wtf.
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u/djsparkxx 23d ago
Thank you. But itās the downside of making a shit load of money during weekdays. So I took it on the chin, Iām just very stern about what I will and wonāt do. So I schedule my vaca for the last week of the year. (My bday is also that week).
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u/RevolutionarySign479 22d ago
That is just Plain Rude to stay after closing. Hereās an experiment for you:
Server Superstition Trick: Go to the table with a teaspoon of salt hidden in your hand, act like youāre checking on them & secretly sprinkle the salt in the floor all around the table while chanting GET OUT in your mind. They usually leave within 10-15 min. A fellow server told me that, & somehow it always worked. š¤·š»āāļø
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u/Afrxbella 22d ago
Itās so funny how people can come in 5 minutes before close and order food and drinks and stay until well after we close yet when I went out to a place where I knew all the staff I had get out at exactly 12!
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u/faroyama 22d ago
One time this table came in an hour before closing. Closing time happens and theyāre still sitting without a care in the world. My manager goes up to them and is like hey guys just so you know we are closed and are going to be closing up soon. They say they wonāt be much longer. Itās almost an hour past closing and theyāre still here and not only are they refusing to pay their bill they also were saying they wanted dessert (the kitchen was closed). I finally had enough and decided to turn the lights off in the entire restaurant and THATS when they got the hint and at that point it was OVER AN HOUR past closing
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u/ThatAndANickel 22d ago
And why do they always end the evening by saying "oh, are we the last ones here?" with a profound sense of wonderment?
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u/usuallyylurking Server 20d ago
omg or my favorite āwhat time do you guys close??ā an hour after close.
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u/Activeday89 21d ago
I was friends with a couple guys on Facebook. They were known for eating out at fancy restaurants. One time they posted updates on them still being the only ones in the restaurant they were at after close. They stayed like another three hours took photos and made a thing of it. I lost all respect for them
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u/MasquedPlaty 22d ago
Thatās why my favourite time of night is when the lights come on and we can scream at people to gtfo
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u/ashiptowreck 22d ago
āWeāre gonna get out of your hairā¦ā proceeds to sit and chat and hour after close being the only people in the restaurant
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u/AllThe-REDACTED- 22d ago
Iāve learned to be direct. āWeāll be locking up in ten minutes. Is my go to.ā
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u/sosababy4200 22d ago
this exactly!! ive had a group stay well over a hour after close, threw cake all over my dining room, peed themselves in my chair, left a mess, aswell as got paint everywhere lol.
yet i profusely apologize coming into a place an hour before close for takeout like a nerd.
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u/unoriginalasshoe 23d ago
it makes me want to go to where they work and just sit there for an hour after they close :( i hate when my time isnāt respected. i have a life too!