Seating yourself without being assigned by the host violates common restaurant etiquette and can create service problems. The host manages the seating strategy for the whole restaurant by reviewing reservations and planning where each table sits and when. This planning helps balance table assignments across servers and keeps drink and food service flowing smoothly. It also allows the restaurant to accommodate party size, special requests, and preferences. Choosing your own table can cause the host to miss your arrival, leading to longer waits or not being served. It can also raise hygiene concerns because the prior situation at the table is unknown.
"If you walk in and plop yourself at a table of your own choosing, you may disrupt the restaurant staff's entire evening - not to mention your own. The biggest risk of seating yourself is simply not being served. After all, it can be hard to spot a new table in the midst of a packed dinner service, and if the host doesn't know to inform your server about your unannounced arrival, you'll likely be stuck waiting at your table longer than you would have up front."
"If you're still not convinced that seating yourself is a major dining etiquette mistake that should be avoided, then I invite you to consider the hygiene element of it all. You never know what happened to a table before you got there,"
Read at Tasting Table
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