The importance of diners at your Table getting their Meals at the same time?

[Peterpack]

How important do you think it is for your table to get all its meals at the same time ? let's say a table of 6-8 people, not too big

What is an acceptable variance for you between say the first person getting their main course and the last person ?

 

[Seven S]

im a chef. i would say a couple minutes at most. an efficient and well-run restaurant should have all main courses coming out to a table of 6-8 at the same time. anything more than a few minutes usually means someone screwed up the order in the kitchen and forgot to prepare it when the order came in (it could also be the waiter forgot to write the dish and only realized it when about to serve the table).

 

[snack_pack85]

I would be annoyed if it were more than a few minutes. Three maybe five minutes. I eat out a lot, and always write reviews when I get home. ALWAYS. One of the number one reasons I wont go back is bad service.

 

[Claire]

Very important. After all, if we all wanted to go the the fridge and get dinner at different times, we wouldn't go out, would we? That is one reason I often do not send a meal back that by all rights should be; by the time the problem is fixed, I'd be eating my dinner when everyone else is ready to go home (for me, most of the time the problem is a steak I've ordered VERY RARE comes out gray. Unlike when your steak is a little underdone for your taste, you can't uncook a steak that looks like stew meat). If the time difference is much more than 5 minutes, I'd be frustrated. A good measure is that most of us were raised to not start eating until everyone has been served. If the first person served has to eat a cold meal, and really, that doesn't take long, than it has been too long.

You have to understand, I'm talking restaurants here. You know, where you are paying well over what it would cost you to do it at home. If you are at someone's home, then shut up and put up or stay at home. If someone is gracious enough to feed you with friendship or even love, eat it and keep quiet.

 

[JoeV]

Peterpack,

You have now solicited the DC community's opinion on two somewhat emotional topics; Chefs and restaurant service times. My question for you is are you a journalist or some sort or culinary student working on a paper? Your questions are not within the usual realm of cooking or baking questions that we see here, but rather of a controversial type meant more to stir emotions than to answer any simple question. It appears to me that you have a motive for being here other than learning to cook or sharing what you know. Care to elaborate?

 

[bowlingshirt]

For that size, it shouldn't be any more than a couple of minutes.

However, my mother-in-law is a real slow eater and needs to be served about 20 minutes before everyone else.

 

[RobsanX]

I think that everyone should be served at the same time. Get all the food done, and grab as many servers as it takes.

 

[kitchenelf]

Peterpack,

You have now solicited the DC community's opinion on two somewhat emotional topics; Chefs and restaurant service times. My question for you is are you a journalist or some sort or culinary student working on a paper? Your questions are not within the usual realm of cooking or baking questions that we see here, but rather of a controversial type meant more to stir emotions than to answer any simple question. It appears to me that you have a motive for being here other than learning to cook or sharing what you know. Care to elaborate?

I simply read it as a question with no ill intentions read between the lines.

I also feel that no more than a few minutes from the start of bringing out the plates to the last person being served. If there is a crucial mistake made then when the first plates go out an explanation as to why someone will be served later is a must. And even "later" shouldn't be much longer. If it is then something will no doubt be comped.

 

[ChefJune]

Wherever the meal is being served, there should be no more than a couple of minutes between folks at the table being served.

And even at a large event such as a wedding dinner, the service should be coordinated, and the food should be prepared and ready for service so that all of each course is served to ALL the tables at approximately the same time.

That's paramount to what we all call "good service."

 

[bethzaring]

being of the mind set that no one takes a bite until all guests have been served their food, this is very important.

A few months ago I was part of 11 people eating at a friends pot luck, around a large dinner table, and even then, no one ate until the last person was seated.

 

[Fearless Kitchen]

I'd say no more than a couple of minutes. I've been in situations where one person's food has come out late and that's always awkward.

 

[Erinny]

I went out to eat a few years ago with my parents, sister, brother, their families, and an aunt. 13 people in all, and they sent two waiters out so we all were served within I'd guess less than 2 minutes. By the time you helped yourself to the butter, sauces, salt and pepper, everyone had their plate so it wasn't awkward.
We thought that was excellent service, and so the waiters got a rather larger than usual tip that night.

 

[Claire]

I have on occasion been to a restaurant where one person ordered something that took a long time to prepare. The waiter actually asked about the timing (i.e., did we all want our food to arrive at the same time, or did the person ordering the longer-taking preparation just want to eat a little later). Interesting. But usually when these things happen it isn't about the preparation time, just bad coordination in the kitchen or among the wait staff. Often, with my group, it is because someone orders an appetizer as their main course. Usually we try to make it plain that we want that person served it as the rest of us are served our main course. More and more lately there is just too darned much food, and that appetizer is plenty of food. But when there is a bunch of us, it can get confused.

 

[JoeV]

I simply read it as a question with no ill intentions read between the lines.

I said nothing about "ill intentions." I asked about his/her motives, that's all.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Should be no longer than it takes to get back to the kitchen and get the other plates.

 

[velochic]

I used to live in Germany (actually was living there when I first joined here). They bring out the meals as the are completed in the kitchen, so often they did not come out all at the same time. I grew to prefer this because your meal was always piping hot.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Having worked in restaurants, I am well aware of the challenge involved in getting everyone's meal ready to serve at exactly the same time...when this works for a large party, it is the chef who deserves the kudos/tip, not necessarily the wait staff. Here in Mexico, it must be alot like Germany (well, that may be the ONLY thing they have in common). Except in very high-end restaurants, the food is served as it is ready, and the person served first may be finished with his/her meal before the last person gets served. Considering the courtesies we grew up with, that means a very cold meal for someone - LOL.