NYC restaurants impose 90-minute time limits on diners: ‘Out of control’

[ZLoth]

From New York Post:

NYC restaurants impose 90-minute time limits on diners: "˜Out of control'

A few weeks ago, Christina Izzo, 33, was out with a couple of friends at Ye's Apothecary, a Szechuan restaurant and speakeasy that opened in NYC's Chinatown last year.

They asked to order some more food – the restaurant serves a menu of $12 to $15 small plates – but were told they couldn't: The clock was ticking and the 90 minutes allotted for their reservation were nearly up.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Geez, I know that NYC is expensive to live and rent business space in, especially when you factor in the "loss factor", and that the margins tend to be thin in food service. But still, ninety minutes means you are gulping down the meals when they finally get served instead of savoring the food.

[jeffandnicole]

I've seen a few articles like this more, regarding time limitations.  It's a practical necessity, especially in a city where restaurants are small and turnover is a necessity.  Wanna lounge with friends?  You better be spending or tipping.

Also, let's talk about Ms. Christina Izzo, the featured 'guest' in the article.  She wanted to order more "$12 to $15 small plates".  Here's the restaurant's website:  https://www.yesapothecary.com/ . Here's their menu:  https://www.yesapothecary.com/menu .  Well, that's page 1 of the menu.  That's also the cheapest options.  There's one $12 small plate, and several $14.  But the next page shows many more $20+ options.  She wanted to overstay her 90 minute time limit to order the cheapest options on the menu.

Also, that time limit... here's the restaurant's reservation page:  https://resy.com/cities/ny/yes-apothecary?date=2023-04-09&seats=2 .  Click on an available time.  Click 'Reserve Now'.  A red box immediately appears that  states "Please be on time to your reservation, your party will have 90 minutes to dine with us, starting from the time of your reservation".  We're dealing with a person where rules don't apply to her.  We're dealing with a person where she thinks flashing a Lincoln ordering another small plate will wow the restaurant with profit, when the next scheduled party may be coming in with Franklins.

If you want to overstay your welcome, go to a place with plenty of seating.  Go to a diner, or an Applebee's.  If you're going to a cozy restaurant that barely fits 40 people, you're not going to impress anyone complaining you couldn't stay and eat another cucumber salad.

[JayhawkCO]

As a former restaurant GM, I have no problem with these restrictions as long as they're well advertised and as long as the kitchen keeps up. If I order within the first 15 minutes but I don't get my food for 35-40 minutes, I'm not abiding to your out time.

[ZLoth]

I've seen a few articles like this more, regarding time limitations.  It's a practical necessity, especially in a city where restaurants are small and turnover is a necessity.

Again, I reiterate what I said earlier...

I know that NYC is expensive to live and rent business space in, especially when you factor in the "loss factor", and that the margins tend to be thin in food service.

One YouTube video had the claim that a 3,000 square foot prime retail space located at 888 Sixth Ave between 31st and 32nd street was $300 per square foot per year. That is $75k per month, so you need plenty of foot traffic. Can someone please tell me the attraction of living in "The Big Apple"?

[Rothman]

I've seen a few articles like this more, regarding time limitations.  It's a practical necessity, especially in a city where restaurants are small and turnover is a necessity.

Again, I reiterate what I said earlier...

I know that NYC is expensive to live and rent business space in, especially when you factor in the "loss factor", and that the margins tend to be thin in food service.

One YouTube video had the claim that a 3,000 square foot prime retail space located at 888 Sixth Ave between 31st and 32nd street was $300 per square foot per year. That is $75k per month, so you need plenty of foot traffic. Can someone please tell me the attraction of living in "The Big Apple"?

My daughter lived in Brooklyn for a while and loved it.  Lots of fun, food and entertainment if you can afford it and find some friends to enjoy it with.  She had a great time.

Then again, living alone there, struggling to scrape by, can be fatally isolating.

[Scott5114]

As a former restaurant GM, I have no problem with these restrictions as long as they're well advertised and as long as the kitchen keeps up. If I order within the first 15 minutes but I don't get my food for 35-40 minutes, I'm not abiding to your out time.

Yeah, if you're going to have a clock, it should really start when you get your entree, not when you walk in the door.

I get why they're doing this, but I personally wouldn't dine anywhere where I was being timed. I don't think I really spend 90 minutes in a restaurant normally, but I generally resent someone lording deadlines over me. (I have a mental illness that causes me to not be able to accurately estimate the passage of time, so it's a source of stress.) I'll put up with it if I'm getting paid to do so, but not for a recreational experience where I'm the one paying.

[jeffandnicole]

As a former restaurant GM, I have no problem with these restrictions as long as they're well advertised and as long as the kitchen keeps up. If I order within the first 15 minutes but I don't get my food for 35-40 minutes, I'm not abiding to your out time.

Yeah, if you're going to have a clock, it should really start when you get your entree, not when you walk in the door.

Part of the reason of the timeclock is to prevent people from walking in the door when they feel like it.  If they have a 7pm reservation, be there at 7pm.  Not at 7:15 or 7:30.  It messes with the server's time.  It messes with the time of the next reservation when they do show up promptly, and then get irritated when they can't be seated at their appointed time.

If the restaurant is running behind, sure, that's on them.  But that typically isn't the problem at places that have these time limits.  Like this restaurant, they have small plates that are short on prep time, and don't take long to eat.  I'm sure after a half-hour, this party probably could've ordered another small plate or two and another round of drinks with no problem.  But I get the picture that's not what happened here.  After 75 minutes of sitting and chatting, the restaurant isn't in the mood to see a party of 4 sit around another 30 minutes ordering another small appetizer.  They honestly would rather force a money losing party out than care about their $15.

I get why they're doing this, but I personally wouldn't dine anywhere where I was being timed. I don't think I really spend 90 minutes in a restaurant normally, but I generally resent someone lording deadlines over me. (I have a mental illness that causes me to not be able to accurately estimate the passage of time, so it's a source of stress.) I'll put up with it if I'm getting paid to do so, but not for a recreational experience where I'm the one paying.

Me saying what I said above, I agree with this as well...depending on my overall plans.

If I'm in NYC to see a show at 8:30, and I make reservations at this place at 6, I'm going to want to be out at 7:30pm anyway.  This place is perfect - I know I'll get my pre-show dinner and drinks and expect I'll be out of there to be on my way to get to the show.  I won't need to worry about my order taking too long.  But if I want to go to a place to sit back and relax...this probably isn't the place to be.

[JayhawkCO]

As a former restaurant GM, I have no problem with these restrictions as long as they're well advertised and as long as the kitchen keeps up. If I order within the first 15 minutes but I don't get my food for 35-40 minutes, I'm not abiding to your out time.

Yeah, if you're going to have a clock, it should really start when you get your entree, not when you walk in the door.

I get why they're doing this, but I personally wouldn't dine anywhere where I was being timed. I don't think I really spend 90 minutes in a restaurant normally, but I generally resent someone lording deadlines over me. (I have a mental illness that causes me to not be able to accurately estimate the passage of time, so it's a source of stress.) I'll put up with it if I'm getting paid to do so, but not for a recreational experience where I'm the one paying.

I ate at an all you can eat sushi place last month that had the restriction. No problem at all for me.

[thspfc]

(I have a mental illness that causes me to not be able to accurately estimate the passage of time, so it's a source of stress.)

I'm confused as to why estimating the passage of time is a necessary skill here . . .

Phone? Watch? Just check when you sit down, then you know the exact time you need to be out.

[J N Winkler]

If I'm eating by myself and there are people waiting to be seated, I'm not going to dawdle over my meal.  But time limits do send a bad signal to me--it's like being told, "Don't beat your wife."

[formulanone]

If I order within the first 15 minutes but I don't get my food for 35-40 minutes, I'm not abiding to your out time.

I agree with the total times, especially for a little place in a city that thrives on reservations. But for typical fare, I should have an hour to eat from the time my entree is served. I rarely need that much time, except when meeting up with people I haven't seen in a long time, or maybe the two times a year I get to go out with my wife for something other than fast food. We don't like the idea of hogging a table, and usually we have other things to do. I'm okay with off-peak hours at restaurants which usually means I have my choice of tables.

I've noticed that our family and co-workers usually tend to be done and out the door after 45 minutes of receiving our main entrees; salads and appetizers don't count against the clock, and any deserts are "overtime". If the party gets up to 8-12 people, then there's a little stretching because someone either didn't get their meal or something "wasn't right" (thankfully this is getting rarer).

When I eat alone, I'm usually served, paid, up-on-out pretty quickly! Parties larger than 15-20, ugh...I usually dread those and try to be the first out the door, my ambivert scale usually tips deeper into into GTFO territory if I don't know everyone or don't need to make an big impression.

[CtrlAltDel]

I can't help but feel that this is tacky regardless of how well displayed the limit is.

[Scott5114]

(I have a mental illness that causes me to not be able to accurately estimate the passage of time, so it's a source of stress.)

I'm confused as to why estimating the passage of time is a necessary skill here . . .

Phone? Watch? Just check when you sit down, then you know the exact time you need to be out.

I don't want to spend the whole meal checking my phone every five minutes to see what time it is and how much I have left. The pressure of keeping to a schedule is enough to ruin the entire experience for me. If I want the Temporal Sword of Damocles hanging over my head, I'll just work in a corporate environment again, thanks.

(I won't eat anywhere that requires reservations for the same reason. I am not going to pay good money for the privilege of playing time clock grabass with somebody else's manager.)

[1995hoo]

[JayhawkCO]

(I won't eat anywhere that requires reservations for the same reason. I am not going to pay good money for the privilege of playing time clock grabass with somebody else's manager.)

Can you explain what you mean here? (Not computing in my brain at 6:42 AM)

[JoePCool14]

Another reason for me to never want to live in NYC, or in Chicago.

[Roadgeekteen]

I eat so quickly that I could even deal with a 30 minute limit.

[hotdogPi]

Another reason for me to never want to live in NYC, or in Chicago.

I live 30 miles from Boston, and we have a few here. It's not unique to large cities.

[kalvado]

I eat so quickly that I could even deal with a 30 minute limit.

Not all restaurants have two golden arches above them....

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Technically many McDonald's have dining time limits with signs posted. The employees don't get paid enough to give a shit unless someone is being belligerent.

[Scott5114]

(I won't eat anywhere that requires reservations for the same reason. I am not going to pay good money for the privilege of playing time clock grabass with somebody else's manager.)

Can you explain what you mean here? (Not computing in my brain at 6:42 AM)

I don't want to have to make a reservation for, say, 7pm. Because what will inevitably end up happen is 1) I will stress myself out about getting to the reservation on time that I will leave insanely early and get there at 6:42 and have to sit in the lobby killing time for 18 minutes, or 2) I will end up underestimating the time it takes to get there/how long it takes to get ready/whatever and end up still not being at the restaurant at 7pm and then will stress myself out about being late and probably do something like speed to get there.

All of that adds enough stress to the dining activity that stops being an enjoyable experience and becomes a chore, so I won't participate in it. You can find food that's just as good without that level of formality by going to a food truck or some greasy spoon place.

[hotdogPi]

I will leave insanely early and get there at 6:42 and have to sit in the lobby killing time for 18 minutes

I went to an Easter brunch yesterday and arrived ten minutes early. They seated us immediately instead of forcing us to wait for ten minutes.

This one had a 1 1/2 hour limit, by the way.

[JayhawkCO]

(I won't eat anywhere that requires reservations for the same reason. I am not going to pay good money for the privilege of playing time clock grabass with somebody else's manager.)

Can you explain what you mean here? (Not computing in my brain at 6:42 AM)

I don't want to have to make a reservation for, say, 7pm. Because what will inevitably end up happen is 1) I will stress myself out about getting to the reservation on time that I will leave insanely early and get there at 6:42 and have to sit in the lobby killing time for 18 minutes, or 2) I will end up underestimating the time it takes to get there/how long it takes to get ready/whatever and end up still not being at the restaurant at 7pm and then will stress myself out about being late and probably do something like speed to get there.

All of that adds enough stress to the dining activity that stops being an enjoyable experience and becomes a chore, so I won't participate in it. You can find food that's just as good without that level of formality by going to a food truck or some greasy spoon place.

Fair enough! I like having a cocktail in the bar if I arrive early at a reservation type place, but, obviously, to each their own. I don't often dine at reservation places, despite me having working in fine dining for most of my career. But it never stresses me out when I do, I suppose.

[JayhawkCO]

I will leave insanely early and get there at 6:42 and have to sit in the lobby killing time for 18 minutes

I went to an Easter brunch yesterday and arrived ten minutes early. They seated us immediately instead of forcing us to wait for ten minutes.

If there is a table available, you're an idiot if you don't seat the table early. It gives you a lot more flexibility the a) getting in the other reservations and b) possibly being able to accommodate walk-ins.

[LilianaUwU]

The fact that some people think this will in any way improve things is impressively stupid.