Q: What’s the best night of the week to go out for dinner? Are certain days better than others? —Larry L., St. Louis
A: The answer is yes but I’ll wager it’s not the ones you’d think. Common sense would indicate that the slower nights—Sunday and Monday—would be safer bets, but that’s not the case. I’ll analyze it night by night.
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Sunday & Monday: As I indicated in the last Ask George, experienced personnel often take the slowest days off, which leaves the lowest seniority staffers to work these shifts which can be problematic. In addition (and often out of necessity), restaurants tend to schedule light on these days.
Tuesday & Wednesday: These are the best nights to catch a restaurant “in the weeds.” These are the hardest nights to schedule because early-week business is so unpredictable and can fluctuate wildly.
Thursday: The most predictable night of the week for a restaurant as business tends to be consistently medium-busy. In addition, Thursday night diners tend to be experienced and frequent diners, so the best servers gravitate to this night as well. In my opinion, Thursday is therefore the best night of the week to dine out.
Friday & Saturday: The busiest nights of the week are also a safe choice because the restaurant is fully staffed and with the best employees. Weekend nights would be my top choice if not for the inexperienced and/or amateur diners who often bog down the machine on these nights.
If you’re looking for scientific data to back up the above statements, there is none. It’s merely one man’s opinion, one that’s based on 35 years of restaurant management experience.
