sonorestaurant

RobL123

stick to sushi blues on glenwood for casual or än in cary if you want an elegant experience. snooty sono wont be there for more than 2 years if douchebags are running it. we have other, better options.

support southern hospitality!

mammalpants

nicoledapostrophe

catastrophegirl

1. It was not a hibachi restaurant - there was no 'at table service'.
2. I was offering to pay the $40 only if the other two did not show up - this makes sense right? if they show up in fifteen minutes they are still going to order dinner and drinks and probably get a whole other round of drinks out of us and if they don't then charge me.
3. The table was empty and in the middle of the room.
4. I would have been happy to wait at the bar except for three reasons 1. No one could get served at the bar - the bar staff seemed overwhelmed/not paying attention 2. It was an awful space to mingle since we were effectively blocking the entrance from door/ waiting area to the dinning room thus we had to move/reconfigure every time the hostesses were showing people to their seats. So my suggestion would have been helpful to all - I felt bad for the other customers and staff squeezing to get past us. 3. Their double bind of no seating without the reservation and threatening to charge us if we did not have the full tally of the reservations seemed offensive as did their attitude.

The funny thing that I found was that we actually ended up with a table for 14 with two free chairs since people sat at the ends - I would have been interested to see their reaction if we invited more friends to join us...

badmatthewbad

butcept

STrRedWolf

Johann

daveybaker

How about a list of places doing the same?

soifranc

@BigElectricCat: YYZ? YOW? YVR?

President Beeblebrox

Actually , it's more like a restaurant run by an airline...

Snarkysnake

I went to high school and college in the area and I have never heard anyone use the term "the Research Triangle area". If I'd heard that, I'd assume you're referring to that big patch of grass between Raleigh and Durham with all the shiny buildings. "The Triangle" or "the Triangle area", maybe, but never "research triangle".

And I can understand out of towners referring to it as RDU, since that's the airport code and all. FWIW, I use DFW to refer to that area in Texas with all the strip joints.

BTW, I'm perfectly okay with a no-show penalty, though obviously not so heavyhandedly enforced. I know it's a common-ish practice in NYC to book reservations at multiple restaurants.

spinachdip

Wess

I fear for any restaurant that took on a group of Consumeristos!

loadedthorn

greghayden70

If it's really a party of 12 with 2 people missing, usually the group doesn't necessarily mind waiting for the other 2 at the bar; even if they were seated, they wouldn't necessarily get served until someone at the table tells us to start. When you have chefs flicking things around with the smell of hibachi wafting over from other tables, they don't generally wait very long.

aquanetta

brosnan6

@arstal: I would also recommend Waraji off Duraleigh, and Sushi-Thai, either in Cary or off Lake Boone Trail. Waraji is better but Sushi-Thai is still good and cheaper.

Even Tyler's Taproom (damn good pub in Durham) won't seat incomplete parties, but that's because they're always packed. They don't take your credit card number and charge you $20 if people don't show up, though. You just have to wait longer. Jeez.

Damn, there are a lot of Triangleites on Consumerist! Let's go for dinner! Not at Sono!

snowmentality

aquanetta

loadedthorn

arstal

I was at a Morrocan restaurant for a friend's birthday. We had reservations for 10 at 8:30. Everyone from our party arrived on time (namely because we went for drinks at another bar prior) but we couldn't be seated because a party of 24 (I kid you not) had about 8 people still coming but had already been seated.

The one 6 top that was originally intended as ours was also occupied by people that really liked to draw out their meal. I'm talking 40 minutes for coffee and dessert. We finally were seated about half an hour late. The manager and owner was completely clueless as to why we were so annoyed with him.

Ass_Cobra

With my Mastercard, you can go online and generate a different credit card number -- the number maps back to your account, but it can only be used by one merchant and you can set a low limit on it (like $20).

So I'm wondering what would happen if you gave this number to the restaurant when you made the reservation. Probably get you thrown out if they figured out what you were up to.

It might be easier just to go to someplace that likes their customers.

kamikasee

It's just like at the trendy bars and clubs in NYC. If you try to get in with a group of all guys, good freakin' luck. If you show up with some women in your group, watch as your female friends get let in and you get refused entry.

It's the consumers that put certain places up on pedastals that allows those places to get away with crap. You don't see your neighborhood diner or Applebee's doing this, because they wouldn't be able to get away with it. They would lose too much business. But everyone's dying to get into the trendy place.

Byzantine

The Bambino

morganlh85

Anyhoo, since we're doing it, favorite spendy food in Durham was @ Four Square. (Also that little French place down near 40, towards the new mall, that's in a building that used to be a McDonald's. Cannot for the life of me remember the name. Don't know if it's still there or not.)

Favorite bar, Tir na nOg, on the square in Raleigh. Had my rehearsal dinner there, even. (Also fond of Rum Runners, but mostly when I'd been pre-drinking.)

Eyebrows McGee

Andy S.

@r081984: Additionally, there is momentum problem with the suggestion you offered.

Most hibachi-style restaurants have a time frame for the approximate use time of a table. Typically, it's something like from the first party being seated at a table, there is a 15 minute window where the host/hostess can seat that table. After which, the servers descend to take final orders (drinks/appetizers may have been taken before hand) and submit it all to the chef. At which point, chefs have a limited time frame to assemble the required ingredients for the table's meal during which soup and salad are served. Once the chef gets to the table he/she has about 35~40 minutes to finish his show before heading back in to prep. for the next table (usually assigned by a rotation).

So what's the momentum problem? Say the restaurant seats but doesn't close the table and starts seating a different table. The chef who is on standby for the first table may be delayed enough that he/she misses out on a rotation (equals less potential tips/pay). Next, there's the issue of the complications in timing. It's easier to work with an established system (seated, table closed, orders taken, etc.) then to try to have tables up in the air with different (table A is seated but waiting for 2 more, B is ready to go but needs chef from table E which was started late because they were waiting for 1 latecomer, etc.).

To some this may not be a big problem, but it's a headache that restaurants deal with all the time because at the end of the day, customer satisfaction equals repeat/referral business.

Chi

Preppy6917

Me neither. If some place asked me for one, all they'd get is a dialtone.

Mr. Gunn

Dead on about the Hibachi style grills, it's pretty much standard policy for the reasons he mentions.

@qwickone & r081984:

Think about what your lie is costing not just you and your party but the momentum of the establishment. Once they start seating people at a Hibachi style grill, they've got around 15 minutes to finish seating before they close off the table so that the meal can get started. If they held the table open so that a late couple could arrive, then it delays the chef which then delays the entire table and it'll also mess up the rotation for the remaining chefs (e.g., chef A has to wait an extra 10 minutes for the first table to finish seating so his turnaround after cooking puts him 1~2 tables behind the other chefs, less tables served equals less tips equals less potential pay). Talk about screwing over a business because people can't be punctual.

@ceejeemcbeegee:

I suppose that's true for LA and it would hold up well if a resturant was going to seat incomplete parties and not fill the missing seats. As an alternative practice, some places try to arrange/direct customers to "fill out" tables so there isn't potential renuve lost. And as a practical matter, it may work out if the consumer wants to pay more for privacy... but utlimately the problem will come down to general satisfaction of the folks left in the waiting area... folks might get upset that rich elite get a table all to themselves while the rest have to "share".

P.S.: My opinions may be jaded as I've worked for one of these Hibachi-style places...just my $.02

Chi

jurisenpai

chilled

Fortunately, there's this thing called choice, where you can choose not to patronize restos with a no reservations policy. One place here (Lauro, I think) recently started taking reservations after a remodel.

TWSS

afw

I have a major issue with so many restaurants not taking reservations any longer. If the wait is more than 15 minutes they should be taking reservations.

you're not kidding. i stopped eating at places that would rather hand me a vibrating garage clicker when i walk in than take a freaking reservation over the phone.

usually i don't even make reservations, but if i'm going to a classy joint on a weekend, i'll have them put my name in the book.

mac-phisto

Or you can wait until all 12 are present and then be seated. They will hold the table for how long?

Or the 10 of you can just leave and they lose all the business.

I've never heard of this sort of policy. Normally, the 10 would be seated and they would start selling you drinks and appys until the others arrive.

I worked for a company based out of RTP from 1981 through 2001 and although there was clearly a upward trend in sophistication, I never felt there was that sort of snootiness. Certainly not in Raleigh. Maybe in Cary (Concentrated Area for Relocated Yankees).

Favorite restaurant in Raleigh...Peddler Steak House.

ClayS

Beauty, eh? :)

BigElectricCat

I have a major issue with so many restaurants not taking reservations any longer. If the wait is more than 15 minutes they should be taking reservations.

Don't get me started on the pretentious customer abuse that some restaurants seem to think is part of the experience.

bohemian

esp. with hibachi, the table is filled with multiple parties, so an "empty table" is simply one that hasn't had sufficient customers assigned to it. the OP may have mistaken an empty table for their empty table.

mac-phisto

humphrmi

sleze69

outphase

huadpe

mackattack

(It's not just a Rush instrumental...)

pegr

RDU & 'The Triangle' are both acceptable for douchebags and otherwise.

3ZKL

hi

Frequent travelers often use airport codes as shorthand. Non-frequent travelers get tripped up by airport codes like ORD, MSY, MCO and MDT. And don't get me started on Canadian airport codes.

BigElectricCat

If the table is just sitting there empty why not seat them and let them wait at the table?

r081984

BigElectricCat

timmus

Where is this RDU you speak of? It's the airport.

Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are usually called "The Research Triangle Area."

Ausoleil

Having worked in several restaurants in my youth, I can admit that seating partial parties are annoying for those reasons. However, a skilled waiter knows how to make lemons out of lemonade. ;-)

ceejeemcbeegee

always follow Japanese people to sushi restaurants... it's like asking a fat guy where to get the best burger in town. me being Japanese, I only go to Japanese restaurants where the majority of the patrons are Japanese... it ensures the food is more authentic.

oakie

AlexLand

AlexLand

APFPilot

qwickone

was the OP's intention to pay the $40 & then have the late couple join the festivities? or did he intend on telling the late couple to find somewhere else to eat?

i don't agree with the $20 no-show policy, but i do agree with a restaurant's refusal to seat an incomplete party. at a restaurant, the most valuable real estate is large party tables, not the tiny bar wairing area.

mac-phisto

Geekybiker

We went to the Magnolia Grill in Durham which was super-famous at the time and like the maitre d' could NOT have been trying harder to ape a bad charicature of an NYC maitre d', down to snubbing patrons he felt were not fancily dressed enough. We were giggling into our food the whole evening from his antics. There was this aura of desperation because the maitre d' was trying soooooooo hard to be hip.

After that we stuck to restaurants that were just as tasty but not nearly as famous, that were friendly to all their customers and not trying to be so hip it hurt.

Sounds like this place would suit that maitre d' just fine. :P

Eyebrows McGee

Blackneto

Coder4Life

If it was the drone, you should have escalated to a decision maker. Either way, it's foolish of the restaurant to act like that.

InfiniTrent

ARP

They do it at whackadoo places like Cheesecake Factory, but when you've got a 2+ hour wait and no reservations/call-ahead available, they don't want a small placeholder party to waste the table space while they wait for everyone else to show up.

Troy F.

evilinkblot

Hello Sono, welcome to the Internet.

scoobydoo

winstonthorne

BoC

eightfifteen

Pro-Pain