Look, I get it – we all love a long, leisurely meal once in a while in which the conversation flows into the night.
But now is not the time to do that.
Now is the time to actually put a limit on how long you stay in a Burnaby restaurant, depending on how busy things are.
Let me explain.
I’ve spoken with several owners and staff at Burnaby restaurants and they are struggling with people staying too long in their eateries.
It’s a delicate issue, but here them out. COVID-19 has destroyed many different industries, including restaurants. People are coming back for sit-down meals, but many restaurant owners tell me that Thursday to Saturday are now the only time where they make any profit because that’s when most of the customers are coming out to eat.
Sundays to Wednesdays are often empty for these Burnaby restaurants.
The problem is that with social distancing in place, restaurants have had to cut down on the number of tables available so they can be spaced out.
So on Friday nights when crowds are strong, it’s critical to turn over these tables so the next diners can sit down.
Only some diners are overstaying their welcome by staying a long time after they’ve finished their meals in order to chat with their friends or family.
Sure, understandable. We all do that. But it’s forcing these restaurants to turn away customers and that’s hammering their bottom line.
Here’s how one restaurant owner explained it to me: “A key component of restaurants surviving these times will be maximizing the turning of the seats we have available. We are trying to enforce 2 hr dining time for each party, which is ample for seating, ordering and eating. However people are very reluctant to honour that and it does leave a bitter taste with the client after what has probably be a great meal.
“We inform clients prior to reserving, once they have reserved their seat, and also upon arrival at the restaurant; however, we struggle to enforce this which leaves us nervous for taking a second reservation for the same table. It seems pretty standard in terms of ‘giving people a set time for dining’ and it is manageable when you are not in a pandemic, however we cannot accommodate over-capacity during these tough times. There are many things we are trying to inform clients prior to dining but many guests say, ‘I didn’t see that.’ I agree, it all leaves a bitter taste in people’s mouths but if they want to continue dining and want us to survive then we are asking for cooperation.”
So remember that when you are in a crowded restaurant that has limited capacity. Not all are like Cactus Club or Joey with massive square footage.
Help these restaurants increase their profits so they can survive.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
