Turn Times… greed or necessity?

I have no problem with a restaurant employing turn times to increase the number of covers they do – it makes perfect sense. However, if a restaurant is to employ turn times, it needs to make sure it:

1) provides quick service – I once went to Zuma on a 90 minute table but our order was only taken 30 minutes after we sat down. They then brought the bill without us asking for it, and without a sniff of pudding.
2) gives people enough time at the table – in my opinion, 90 mins is rarely long enough and certain types of food or service don't match the turn times the restaurant use
3) tell people clearly about the turn time at the time of booking – most restaurants are good at this, sometimes to a fault – a friend was recently told on booking of a turn time at Nobu Berkeley and rung 3 subsequent times to be reminded!

I am fine with it as long as they tell you, as then it is your choice to go (and to be honest, long since stopped going to the trendy type of places that want to churn and burn tables) and as long as the service can keep up with it.

One time in Nobu, the ‘trendy I can remember the order’ waiters tried to turf us out after 2 hours, we simply refused until they brought us all we ordered. Which actually resulted in an argument between us and the waiter on whether we ordered it or not. Given it was the blacked cod, my favourite and the 1st thing I ordered I was fairly sure!

In another restaurant, the Ledbury, was told on the phone table back by 9pm, I asked them if it would that give me time for the tasting menu, and was assured that if I arrived at 6pm it would not be a problem. So arrived at 6pm, a half hour later when they decided to be bothered to serve me, I was told if only I got there half an hour ago I would have had time for the tasting menu, but now time would be too tight for us to enjoy it properly! Reluctantly ordered off menu and was jolly good from what I remember. But that was back in ’05 (you always remember the bad and not the good) and not been back since; so annoying customers with too strict a table turning policy clearly doesn’t pay!

I think it definitely depends on the restaurant.

Classic example is Yauatcha – 2hr Turnaround – Seems to offend no end of people, I eat there all the time and have never had to be asked to leave, or spent more than 2hrs eating.

If the menu is going to be an extravaganza of dishes and the restaurant still has a turnaround time then they need to go back to school and retake ‘customer satisfaction: the basics’

I don't ever mind getting told that they need the table back for late bookings or for more simple fayre, but if there is an element of style to the establishment, they need to rethink. A good meal should be memorable, a few good bottles of wine, good conversation and great food. I want to arrive at 8pm and leave at closing not have to squeeze it in between 6 and 9pm.