Omnivore - Attack of the table-lingerers

There aren’t many restaurants in town lucky enough to have an hour and a half wait for a table, but there are a few that do. I’m not naming names, but last night I was at one such restaurant. I didn’t begrudge the restaurant their popularity (although I did begrudge the vastly under-estimated estimate they gave me about how long the wait would be), but I did begrudge the numerous tables of diners who were well past done with dinner, and who stayed at their tables, not eating or drinking, ignoring the legions of people waiting patiently only a few feet away. Seriously, if you’ve been done for an hour, and sitting and chatting for an hour, all the while seeing that people have been standing there waiting for over an hour, GET UP!!!!! I was genuinely appalled at the lack of consideration my fellow diners showed, not just to the waiting customers (who were clearly visible) but also to their servers who need to turn tables in order to make money. I understand not wanting to end the girl’s night out, or the date, or whatever, but if you need more than say, 15 minutes, move your powwow elsewhere - a bar, perhaps? Don’t want to spend any more money? GO HOME.

Sorry, that’s the ex-waiter in me getting all excited. But seriously, where are people’s manners?