“What Is Taking So Long Now?”: Woman Who Made A Reservation For 20 People Makes A Fuss Over Missing Table After Arriving 2+ Hours Late
No one likes encountering rude people, yet it happens all the time. Usually, when we get wronged by a stranger, with some self-talk, we’re able to move on – however, when it’s practically your job to deal with entitled folk, only experience will be able to save you.
Kellie, or @ambryrae, who’s a restaurant manager, has had her fair share of experiences, and she recently took to TikTok to recount one that involved a party of 20 who showed up several hours late for their reservation.
More info: TikTok
Restaurant manager takes to TikTok to blast a party of 20 who were 2+ hours late for their reservation
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto
“One time, this party made a reservation for a party of 20 for six o’clock”
“It was either on a Friday or a Saturday night. I can’t remember which one. At the time, the place that I was working at, we had a 15-minute grace period. Six o’clock comes around. No one shows up for the party. Okay. 6:10 comes around. No one shows up for the party. 6:15 comes around. No one shows. My hostess calls them, and then I call them about five minutes after that, just to see – because I don’t want 20 people showing up, and we don’t have a table for you. No one picked up, no one returned a phone call. 6:25 rolls around, and I’m like, okay, I have other guests that I have to seat, I have to give away these tables. We move on with the rest of the night, and everything’s going well.”
“8:15 comes around, and my host comes to me in a panic, and she’s like, ‘Hey, I’ve got this Jones party up there. They’re a large party. They’re saying they have a reservation, but I can’t find it. Can you come talk to them?’ Of course, I can! I go up, ‘Hey, my name is Kellie, I’m the host manager. Let me apologize right away just in case there’s any inconvenience on our end that we’re causing. But let me look into this for you.’ So I asked the name for the reservation, and asked if it could be under any other name. She’s like, ‘No.’ I say, ‘Okay, so what time was your reservation for?’ She says, ‘Eight o’clock.’ I say, ‘So I have a reservation under this name, but it was for six o’clock. Are you sure that’s not you?’ ‘No, that’s not me. I made it for eight o’clock. I made it for eight o’clock.’ Okay. I say, ‘So I just want to confirm a few things. Can I confirm your email address?’ It’s her email address. ‘Can I confirm your phone number?’ It’s her phone number. So I said, ‘Well, ma’am, you made the reservation. You made it online, and you made it for 20 guests at six o’clock. Not only did you make it, but you confirmed it for six o’clock.’”
Image credits: @ambryrae
“So, her and her big feet get the stomping around”
“Now she’s getting loud. She’s putting on a show for everybody in the lobby. And she’s like, ‘Well, what’s the point of me making a reservation if you guys aren’t going to hold my table?’ So I said, ‘Well, ma’am, you have to remember you reached out to us and told us you would be here at six o’clock. It’s not like we reached out to you and asked you if you wanted to hang out tonight. You said that you would be here with 20 people.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, I didn’t know that we were going to be stuck in traffic.’”
“Eventually, her husband calms her down, and he comes over to talk to me. So he’s like, ‘Yeah, anytime that I’ve ever had an appointment and we’ve been late we’ve been able to keep that appointment.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, well, it works a little bit differently with reservations in a public restaurant.’ It’s not a banquet hall. I have other guests that I have to accommodate. But it’s going to be a while. ‘Do you guys still want to eat here? I don’t have a problem. It’s just going to take a while.’ I tell them it may take upwards of an hour or more. He says, ‘Okay.’ I confirm if it’s still 20, and he says, ‘Yes.’”
Image credits: @ambryrae
“About 50 minutes into their wait time, she comes stomping back over to the front”
“‘What is taking so long now?’ ‘So, ma’am, you need 20 seats. You guys all want to sit together? I have to make sure that I have the space for you guys.’ ‘20? Why are you giving me 20 seats?’ ‘Because your reservation was for 20?’ ‘Well, it’s only 13.’ Okay, well, nobody said anything! So okay, we luckily had a party, like it was like 15 or 16, that was leaving. So we were able to just flip the tables and just give them that table. Because I already know how certain people are, I was working the table with the server so that there were no issues, and there weren’t any issues.”
“About an hour into their service, the rest of their party shows up, and the lady insists that we seat them with the party before – the 13. Uh?! No, we cannot! I have six all the way over on the other side; they can sit there, or they can do to-go. I don’t, I don’t care at this point. She’s mad, but whatever. It’s time for the bill. The bill comes. The bill is really really high because they paid for both parties. And so I present the bill, and she says, ‘So you mean to tell me you’re not going to give me a discount because you guys messed up on our tables?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And she said, ‘That’s why I don’t support black businesses now.’”
@ambryrae The concept of a reservation shouldn’t be this hard…. #restaurant #hostess #manager #foodservice #serverlife ##NextLevelDish #serverproblems #reservation #storytime #fyp ♬ original sound – Kellie With A *IE*
It’s no big secret that every job is challenging in some manner – however, we can all probably agree that positions that require you to handle customers are on a whole different level.
Let’s say it straight: Working in customer service can be a painful experience. It’s an emotionally taxing job that often involves dealing with entitled and frustrated folk.
To give you a more illustrative example, a poll of food service workers by the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center, which was conducted back in May 2021, found that 39% were quitting over concerns about hostility or harassment from customers. A pretty high number, isn’t it?
There are a bazillion and one reasons why people preach good manners, but then, miraculously, choose to go all out because of a tiny inconvenience that, most likely, could’ve been easily fixed if only the people in question had remained calm – however, the good news is that once you get the gist of it, you’ll become a pro at dealing with those who make your work life a living hell.
The star of today’s article, Kellie, or @ambryrae on TikTok, is no exception! The woman recently took online to retell an interesting encounter she experienced at the restaurant where she works that left over 1.4M people vexed.
Now, traffic does happen, and it’s not unusual to be late once in a while, but when you’ve got a whole party planned and expect the staff to hold your table for several hours despite not picking up your phone, that’s on you. Many netizens praised Kellie for her patience, but what is your take on the story? What do you think about unpunctual clients?
TikTok users shared their thoughts and opinions on the situation
This post has infuriated me. How entitled can you be to turn up 2 hours late and still be this much of an a**hole?!
I'm a host at a restaurant this drives me crazy! Never 2 hours late for a 20 top, but some customers think making a reservation gives them a golden ticket to the restaurant to do whatever they please. Showing up late, showing up early. Like 'I made a reservation why do I have to wait for a table?!' Well dear patron you made a reservation for 15 guests for 7:00pm and it's currently 5:30, so people are kinda still eating. How and where I seat it largely based on reservations, so showing up on time, or at all. Please call and cancel if you have to. I appreciate it. The entitlement some people have. More infuriating is when they said 'this is why I don't support black business'. F**K that horrible customer!
Load More Replies...I think we as an industry have allowed people to get away with far too much. We've trained them to expect that we will do anything to avoid conflict. And that's on us for allowing people to act like spoiled toddlers and win.
I agree. When I had my restaurant and people acted like fools in person and online they got told. I outed them if they had an unreasonable complaint.
Load More Replies...Doesnt support black businesses. As a white woman, if I had heard that nonsense she would have heard my thoughts in that tomfoolwery.
I would of just laughed at her and said we only hold reservations for 15 minutes, but due to your parties large size we did call the number provided 3 times and no-one answered nor did we get a call from you informing us you would be late so we were unfortunately forced to accommodate the guests that were here. Then give her her options, if you still would like to be seated I can add your party to the wait list, it will be an hour to an hour and a half wait tho. All with a smile.
I will admit I have been 2hrs late before. But I called before my appointment to say I was in traffic. I lived 2hrs away and the main 4 lane highway had a massive accident. Someone had died, they closed the highway and had to filter people off the highway except a truck jack knifed on the exit ramp... was an absolute shitshow. In the largest city in Canada to boot. I called like in 30min intervals apologising like crazy, letying them know I was still on my way, giving updated eta and offering to just cancel it (it was my post-lockdown/bridal hair apt for my wedding the next day)... they insisted I come. I got there 2hrs late (it took me 4.5hrs), they were with people and I was as quiet as a church mouse for the 45min I waited because, the way I see it-- I made them wait 2hrs, the least I could do was wait however long and be grateful. They did my hair, I was super appreciative and knew I was lucky for how late I was. I have never tipped so high in my life!
That's what any decent person would do. Glad everything worked out for you
Load More Replies...Reminds be of a few weeks ago at the restaurant where I work. Lady made a reservation for 12 people at lunch on a Saturday. She DID confirm when we called that morning. Didn't show up. We called, no answer. We held it for 30 minutes, as is policy, before we flipped it for other reservations. That lady showed up with a grand total of 43 people at 6 o'clock and proceeded to kick up a huge fuss because we A) Didn't have her table still reserved for her and B) Didn't even have a banquet hall/conference room/space for that many people PERIOD. The largest single reservation we can take at a time is 32 people, and you best call MONTHS in advance because it can only go in one specific spot. In the end, our district manager opened up our covered patio and offered 4 servers $200 each out of his own pocket to take care of it, while tacking on a mandatory 20% gratuity. It was 40°F. They stayed until closing, and put up a huge fuss on one way out cuz we refused to comp many $80 steaks and lobsters
This lady already was annoying me and then she says the thing about black businesses... I would have lost my s**t
Appointments save a block of time... if you are late for that block of time you should not expect a full service you expected. Other people who also made reservations or appointments and the employees shouldnt get screwed because you cant be on time... And FYI... of your making apts at a dr. Dentist or service provider you may need to sign forms or waivers BE EARLY BY 15 min. Even if your not new to the establishment, you should still be 10 to 15 min early just in case. Im not cutting into someone elses time bc you cant be on time.
Oh no she DIDN'T!! My jaw flat dropped when she said that's why she doesn't support black businesses! What a b***h to pull the race card! TOTALLY uncalled for! You have the heart of an angel to put up with her c**p without blowing your top, because i sure as hell don't think i would have much tact after dealing with her.
I've had so many people book and confirm the incorrect dates or times. Then somehow it's all our fault for their own incompetence. I can appreciate there is a level of embarrassment on their part but you have to be brave to insult and scream at the people who handle your food.
And it will never cross their minds about how they treat those who are giving them food and drink.
Load More Replies...Wow, the entitlement is flowing! There is no where that i know of in the US where you are gonna have traffic that you will have a 2hr wide dead zone. This host is amazing, just above. The CS industry is a hard one. Been there done that in restaurants, catering, retail and reception. Thank God I don't currently. These entitled folks need a special fee to put up with them!
Any time I worked waiting tables, the restaurants would charge an automatic gratuity for large parties. We needed to be paid for all the work involved in serving a large group and some people don't think of that.
Plus that table of 20 is taking up someone's entire section for however long they take. So the small tables in and out that the servers would normally have are now filled with 20 entitled people who are going to be lousy tippers. This is the reason for auto gratuity. Need to do away with tipping culture and pay these people a living wage
Load More Replies...See I would have shoved those 6 extra late comers in right next to the hostess, realllly snugly.
When I was the office manager for my dentist, a mother showed up with her daughter 30 mins late into a 45 min appt. Walked in saying, “i know im late, I know im late.” I said “yes you are and I’ll have to reschedule you.” She asked what the dr was doing right then and I said working on the Pt that showed up. She said well, isn’t in your job description to call? And I said yes it is, I called and you confirmed, so my job is done. She said it sounds like someone’s getting smart, don’t. And I said, take it how you want. She said, “I don’t want anyone at come to my daughter.” And I said, “oh no, I won’t come at her, imma come at you since you’re the adult that made the appt!”
Pretty sure she was prob the one driving too. And she thought just because she said I know I'm late it was gonna be okay. No it isn't.
Load More Replies...And before I got past the 1st paragraph everyone's who has been on the industry knows that you could do anything possible and there still would be 0 tip
I call/text EVERYTIME I'm going to be late, to EVERYONE! I'm a stickler for punctuality, so I stress myself out when I'm running behind for anything, and I immediately let whomever is waiting for me that I'm still coming, start without me, etc. I'm on salary at work, and I still let someone know if I'm going to be more than 5 minutes late. It's respect.
It's simply easier to tell them 'Sorry, you missed it. Try again tomorrow "
The top comment on tiktok actually made alot of sense to me over the confusion-- "did they confuse 1800 with 8:00"... honestly I know most people do not really convert 24hr and 12hr time and many restaurants at least in my area send 24hr confirmations. If they had a 24hr time booking service I could 100% see them thinking they had booked 8pm, showing up at 8:15 due to traffic and then being confused/ pissed off that they didn't get the thing they wanted.
Even if they did that,they should have answered the phone when called 3 times.
Load More Replies...I don't know what kind of magical fairy realm you live in but as a veteran chef of many years, I've had to comfort MANY a front of house person through their tears because some patron said some crazy sexist/racists/sizeist/religious insanity that should have NEVER come out of a person's mouth. I 300% believe she said "this is why I don't support black owned businesses"
Load More Replies...She clearly matched the contact info and the time on the reservation and the woman even confirmed the reservation. I make reservations on line all the time. I've made mistakes, but I always check them before the date. Also, I always get an email a day or two prior asking me to confirm the info. Clearly, Karen is lying. Obviously, as the rest of her party showed up even an hour later! Even if her reservation were at 8pm the people showing up an hour later would have been a huge pain in the a*s.
Load More Replies...I could perhaps believe the rest of it, but I highly doubt that ANY business/restaurant in America uses military/24hr time on their online booking system. We do not commonly utilize 24hr time in many other places (especially not public places), and it is not commonly taught to children/adults to be able to read/understand 24hr time. I ONLY know it well because my dad was in the Air Force, but most Americans aren't taught to easily read 24hr time and most restaurants would likely not utilize it on their online booking platform.
Load More Replies...This post has infuriated me. How entitled can you be to turn up 2 hours late and still be this much of an a**hole?!
I'm a host at a restaurant this drives me crazy! Never 2 hours late for a 20 top, but some customers think making a reservation gives them a golden ticket to the restaurant to do whatever they please. Showing up late, showing up early. Like 'I made a reservation why do I have to wait for a table?!' Well dear patron you made a reservation for 15 guests for 7:00pm and it's currently 5:30, so people are kinda still eating. How and where I seat it largely based on reservations, so showing up on time, or at all. Please call and cancel if you have to. I appreciate it. The entitlement some people have. More infuriating is when they said 'this is why I don't support black business'. F**K that horrible customer!
Load More Replies...I think we as an industry have allowed people to get away with far too much. We've trained them to expect that we will do anything to avoid conflict. And that's on us for allowing people to act like spoiled toddlers and win.
I agree. When I had my restaurant and people acted like fools in person and online they got told. I outed them if they had an unreasonable complaint.
Load More Replies...Doesnt support black businesses. As a white woman, if I had heard that nonsense she would have heard my thoughts in that tomfoolwery.
I would of just laughed at her and said we only hold reservations for 15 minutes, but due to your parties large size we did call the number provided 3 times and no-one answered nor did we get a call from you informing us you would be late so we were unfortunately forced to accommodate the guests that were here. Then give her her options, if you still would like to be seated I can add your party to the wait list, it will be an hour to an hour and a half wait tho. All with a smile.
I will admit I have been 2hrs late before. But I called before my appointment to say I was in traffic. I lived 2hrs away and the main 4 lane highway had a massive accident. Someone had died, they closed the highway and had to filter people off the highway except a truck jack knifed on the exit ramp... was an absolute shitshow. In the largest city in Canada to boot. I called like in 30min intervals apologising like crazy, letying them know I was still on my way, giving updated eta and offering to just cancel it (it was my post-lockdown/bridal hair apt for my wedding the next day)... they insisted I come. I got there 2hrs late (it took me 4.5hrs), they were with people and I was as quiet as a church mouse for the 45min I waited because, the way I see it-- I made them wait 2hrs, the least I could do was wait however long and be grateful. They did my hair, I was super appreciative and knew I was lucky for how late I was. I have never tipped so high in my life!
That's what any decent person would do. Glad everything worked out for you
Load More Replies...Reminds be of a few weeks ago at the restaurant where I work. Lady made a reservation for 12 people at lunch on a Saturday. She DID confirm when we called that morning. Didn't show up. We called, no answer. We held it for 30 minutes, as is policy, before we flipped it for other reservations. That lady showed up with a grand total of 43 people at 6 o'clock and proceeded to kick up a huge fuss because we A) Didn't have her table still reserved for her and B) Didn't even have a banquet hall/conference room/space for that many people PERIOD. The largest single reservation we can take at a time is 32 people, and you best call MONTHS in advance because it can only go in one specific spot. In the end, our district manager opened up our covered patio and offered 4 servers $200 each out of his own pocket to take care of it, while tacking on a mandatory 20% gratuity. It was 40°F. They stayed until closing, and put up a huge fuss on one way out cuz we refused to comp many $80 steaks and lobsters
This lady already was annoying me and then she says the thing about black businesses... I would have lost my s**t
Appointments save a block of time... if you are late for that block of time you should not expect a full service you expected. Other people who also made reservations or appointments and the employees shouldnt get screwed because you cant be on time... And FYI... of your making apts at a dr. Dentist or service provider you may need to sign forms or waivers BE EARLY BY 15 min. Even if your not new to the establishment, you should still be 10 to 15 min early just in case. Im not cutting into someone elses time bc you cant be on time.
Oh no she DIDN'T!! My jaw flat dropped when she said that's why she doesn't support black businesses! What a b***h to pull the race card! TOTALLY uncalled for! You have the heart of an angel to put up with her c**p without blowing your top, because i sure as hell don't think i would have much tact after dealing with her.
I've had so many people book and confirm the incorrect dates or times. Then somehow it's all our fault for their own incompetence. I can appreciate there is a level of embarrassment on their part but you have to be brave to insult and scream at the people who handle your food.
And it will never cross their minds about how they treat those who are giving them food and drink.
Load More Replies...Wow, the entitlement is flowing! There is no where that i know of in the US where you are gonna have traffic that you will have a 2hr wide dead zone. This host is amazing, just above. The CS industry is a hard one. Been there done that in restaurants, catering, retail and reception. Thank God I don't currently. These entitled folks need a special fee to put up with them!
Any time I worked waiting tables, the restaurants would charge an automatic gratuity for large parties. We needed to be paid for all the work involved in serving a large group and some people don't think of that.
Plus that table of 20 is taking up someone's entire section for however long they take. So the small tables in and out that the servers would normally have are now filled with 20 entitled people who are going to be lousy tippers. This is the reason for auto gratuity. Need to do away with tipping culture and pay these people a living wage
Load More Replies...See I would have shoved those 6 extra late comers in right next to the hostess, realllly snugly.
When I was the office manager for my dentist, a mother showed up with her daughter 30 mins late into a 45 min appt. Walked in saying, “i know im late, I know im late.” I said “yes you are and I’ll have to reschedule you.” She asked what the dr was doing right then and I said working on the Pt that showed up. She said well, isn’t in your job description to call? And I said yes it is, I called and you confirmed, so my job is done. She said it sounds like someone’s getting smart, don’t. And I said, take it how you want. She said, “I don’t want anyone at come to my daughter.” And I said, “oh no, I won’t come at her, imma come at you since you’re the adult that made the appt!”
Pretty sure she was prob the one driving too. And she thought just because she said I know I'm late it was gonna be okay. No it isn't.
Load More Replies...And before I got past the 1st paragraph everyone's who has been on the industry knows that you could do anything possible and there still would be 0 tip
I call/text EVERYTIME I'm going to be late, to EVERYONE! I'm a stickler for punctuality, so I stress myself out when I'm running behind for anything, and I immediately let whomever is waiting for me that I'm still coming, start without me, etc. I'm on salary at work, and I still let someone know if I'm going to be more than 5 minutes late. It's respect.
It's simply easier to tell them 'Sorry, you missed it. Try again tomorrow "
The top comment on tiktok actually made alot of sense to me over the confusion-- "did they confuse 1800 with 8:00"... honestly I know most people do not really convert 24hr and 12hr time and many restaurants at least in my area send 24hr confirmations. If they had a 24hr time booking service I could 100% see them thinking they had booked 8pm, showing up at 8:15 due to traffic and then being confused/ pissed off that they didn't get the thing they wanted.
Even if they did that,they should have answered the phone when called 3 times.
Load More Replies...I don't know what kind of magical fairy realm you live in but as a veteran chef of many years, I've had to comfort MANY a front of house person through their tears because some patron said some crazy sexist/racists/sizeist/religious insanity that should have NEVER come out of a person's mouth. I 300% believe she said "this is why I don't support black owned businesses"
Load More Replies...She clearly matched the contact info and the time on the reservation and the woman even confirmed the reservation. I make reservations on line all the time. I've made mistakes, but I always check them before the date. Also, I always get an email a day or two prior asking me to confirm the info. Clearly, Karen is lying. Obviously, as the rest of her party showed up even an hour later! Even if her reservation were at 8pm the people showing up an hour later would have been a huge pain in the a*s.
Load More Replies...I could perhaps believe the rest of it, but I highly doubt that ANY business/restaurant in America uses military/24hr time on their online booking system. We do not commonly utilize 24hr time in many other places (especially not public places), and it is not commonly taught to children/adults to be able to read/understand 24hr time. I ONLY know it well because my dad was in the Air Force, but most Americans aren't taught to easily read 24hr time and most restaurants would likely not utilize it on their online booking platform.
Load More Replies...
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