How close to a restaurant’s closing time can a party arrive without making someone angry? —Byron K., St. Louis
One of the most loosely interpreted restaurant policies is the hours posted on the door. In many cases, the place is already closed by the posted closing time. That’s why seeing “4 p.m. to close” these days is not uncommon. It’s also not much help.
For some reason, restaurant hours get interpreted differently than other businesses. If you go into a bank or grocery store one minute before closing time, you’re in and free to go about your business. Do that at a restaurant, and you’re likely to get the evil eye—or worse. If you get served at all, food will fly out of the kitchen faster than you ever thought possible.
To many establishments, closing time means customers gone, clean-up done, and lights out. (That's why you so often witness many vacuum cleaners whirring while a place is still open.) The majority, however, believe closing time indicates when the kitchen stops accepting orders.
No matter the interpretation, somewhere along the line it became uncool to push a restaurant’s posted hours. So what is acceptable, and what is the norm?
Restaurateurs disagree on the answer, but most say they appreciate if the party arrives 15 to 30 minutes before the posted closing time, as final cleanup hasn't been completed and (at least a few) staffers are still on the clock.
There is however, an easy solution to the dilemma: Instead of posting hard and fast hours (e.g., 4–10 p.m.) or the nebulous “4 p.m.–close” or the asking-for-trouble "Open 4 p.m.–Last Seating 9 p.m.", I propose a clean, clear, and indisputable alternative: "Open 4 p.m.–Kitchen Closes 9:30 p.m."
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