I’ll say one thing about the local hangout (and being by water): it inspires a lot of slice-of-life blog posts and provides a seemingly bottomless pit of ideas – most of which come by sheer observation or letting my mind wander.
Anyway, less than half an hour before Canada’s World Cup match against Morocco this past Saturday, the local hangout is almost full. Reserved signs are sitting on the few empty tables both inside and outside, and people who made those reservations are still arriving.
Then come the inevitable walk-ins.
“Table for four.”
“Table for eight.”
“Table for ten; we’d like to watch the game. No, we don’t have a reservation.” Yup, table for ten, seven minutes before the game. No reservation.
The answer is the same every time.
“Sorry, we’re fully booked – including the spots at the bar.”
And just as predictable (sadly) as the question is the reaction of some.
A few people roll their eyes, get annoyed, mutter under their breath – one even slammed his fist on the host station – and storm back out the door as though the restaurant has somehow wronged them.
Really?
Canada defeated South Africa six days before playing Morocco, and the excitement around this match had been building all week. Everyone in Canada and around the world knew when it was being played. Everyone knew this was the only place in town where you could reliably watch the game on huge TVs and with a crowd. Buckhorn is a small town – more like a hamlet, actually.
My friends and I knew that too, so we made a reservation for Saturday as soon as the South Africa-Canada game was over. Problem solved.
What really struck me is that this wasn’t even the first time I’d seen it.
The exact same thing happened before Canada’s match against South Africa. Five minutes before kickoff, parties of six and eight walked through the door asking for a table or a place at the bar so they could watch the game. By then, the restaurant was already packed with customers who had reserved their spots well in advance.
The answer was no.
Yet some people still looked genuinely surprised, as if the staff should somehow find another table hiding in the back room and violate fire code regulations. Others walked out frustrated, directing that frustration at the restaurant instead of asking themselves the obvious question: “Why didn’t we reserve?”
When you know one of the biggest sporting events of the year is about to start, waiting until the last few minutes isn’t taking a chance. It’s practically guaranteeing disappointment.
What puzzles me is the mindset that somehow the restaurant should magically have room because someone decided to show up at the last minute. It’s as if planning ahead is optional, but accommodating poor planning is mandatory.
It doesn’t work that way.
Restaurants have only so many tables. Once they’re spoken for, they’re spoken for. The staff can’t invent another dining room or squeeze ten people around a table built for four simply because someone is upset.
The people who reserved their tables shouldn’t lose them because someone else didn’t bother to make a phone call a few days earlier.
In fact, those reservations represent customers who planned well and respected the business enough to let them know they were coming.
Why should they be penalized?
This isn’t unique to restaurants, either. We see it everywhere. Flights fill up. Hotels reach capacity. Campgrounds and resorts are booked months in advance. Yet every so often someone acts genuinely shocked that they can’t get in simply because they showed up.
Then comes the frustration, directed at the business instead of the person who actually created the problem. Themselves.
I actually felt bad for the host, who had to endure snarky behavior from a few who thought they deserved a seat or four, and from some who tried to sneak in (they were caught). The staff wasn’t doing anything wrong. They weren’t playing favorites or holding tables just to be difficult. They were simply honoring the reservations customers had already made.
That’s called good customer service. The people who walked away disappointed weren’t victims of bad service. They were victims of bad planning.
You know as well as I do the old saying that poor planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine. It fits perfectly here.
The World Cup comes around every four years. If you know a big match is coming and you want one of the best seats in town, make a reservation.
It’s free and takes about two minutes.
And unlike entitlement, it actually guarantees you a table.
johnberkovich.com 