‘So you know what pisses me off about travelling alone?’ Steve said in between swigs of beer.
Johnny didn't but he had a feeling he was about to find out.
‘Restaurant seating policies,’ Steve answered his own question.
‘They never want to give you a table cos there is only one of you. You are clogging up one of their places. They are terrified a bigger party might come in and then you’re in the way.’
Johnny nodded and wiped away some of Steve’s spittle that inadvertantly had landed on his cheek.
‘Then, they give you a table in the dingiest, darkest corner of the restaurant.’
‘Didn’t you rant about this when you came back from Ukraine?’
‘I might have done it’s an on going theme. You get it in cafes too, as soon as you finish your coffee they want you of there out, but… but people in groups can sit round an empty latte glass forever.’
‘Yes, I’ve noticed that.’ Johnny was shocked he’d been allowed to get a word in edge ways.
‘Anyway I was in this place last week’ Steve’s generosity hadn’t lasted long, ‘and there was a table free, I could see it, but they said there weren’t any. When I pointed to the empty table they said oh it’s for 4.’
‘Oh I see. Fair enough I suppose.’
‘No, not fair enough, not fair enough at all.’
Johnny had to wipe his face again.
‘It was exactly the same size as the one I’d had the night before. It just had 4 chairs round it. It was a table for however many they wanted it to be.’
‘So what did you do.’
‘Well they’d ask me to wait 10 minutes, I told them I’d have that table or go somewhere else.’
Johnny didn't but he had a feeling he was about to find out.
‘Restaurant seating policies,’ Steve answered his own question.
‘They never want to give you a table cos there is only one of you. You are clogging up one of their places. They are terrified a bigger party might come in and then you’re in the way.’
Johnny nodded and wiped away some of Steve’s spittle that inadvertantly had landed on his cheek.
‘Then, they give you a table in the dingiest, darkest corner of the restaurant.’
‘Didn’t you rant about this when you came back from Ukraine?’
‘I might have done it’s an on going theme. You get it in cafes too, as soon as you finish your coffee they want you of there out, but… but people in groups can sit round an empty latte glass forever.’
‘Yes, I’ve noticed that.’ Johnny was shocked he’d been allowed to get a word in edge ways.
‘Anyway I was in this place last week’ Steve’s generosity hadn’t lasted long, ‘and there was a table free, I could see it, but they said there weren’t any. When I pointed to the empty table they said oh it’s for 4.’
‘Oh I see. Fair enough I suppose.’
‘No, not fair enough, not fair enough at all.’
Johnny had to wipe his face again.
‘It was exactly the same size as the one I’d had the night before. It just had 4 chairs round it. It was a table for however many they wanted it to be.’
‘So what did you do.’
‘Well they’d ask me to wait 10 minutes, I told them I’d have that table or go somewhere else.’
‘You’re terrible.’
‘No I’m not, I was just standing up for myself. Anyway you could see them doing
the calculations in their head. One guaranteed cover or the potential but not the guarantee of 4
covers.’
‘And?’
‘Well they let me have the table, grudgingly. But then the service was terrible.’
‘I’m not surprised they ignored you if you’d been mardy with them. I’d have done the same.’
‘Well they let me have the table, grudgingly. But then the service was terrible.’
‘I’m not surprised they ignored you if you’d been mardy with them. I’d have done the same.’
‘Ignored me? Quite the opposite, they didn’t leave me alone, everything was
whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. I wanted a nice leisurely meal. They wanted me out of
there ASAP.’
‘So I presume you resisted.’ ‘Of course I did, they didn’t know who they were messing with.’ Steve smiled
and Johnny couldn’t help but follow suit. ‘I’ve never made a pizza last so
long.’
‘Another beer?’ Johnny asked, it was pretty obvious the rant had run its
natural course but going to the bar would kill it off once and for all.
Update 23/11
Do you think the someone from the Guardian is reading my blog?
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/nov/22/price-of-being-single
Update 23/11
Do you think the someone from the Guardian is reading my blog?
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/nov/22/price-of-being-single
are you Emma Lunn or ..are you dating her?
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