You always hear about the adage, “the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, there are people take it to the extreme and abuse that privilege. Needless to say, you’re expected to act responsibly. Not only to avoid wasting everybody’s time but also because it’s basic decency to behave courteously with others.
In San Marcos TX, a tourist city 30 minutes south of Austin, establishments are almost always teeming with customers. If you’re making a reservation in restaurants San Marcos TX, it’s best to know the following etiquette.
- Book at least a week before the scheduled lunch or dinner. This is to give the restaurant a lead time in penciling your reservation in. Of course, this only refers to a simple lunch or dinner. It’s different if you are planning a birthday party, a retirement party, a corporate event, or a wedding.
- Book 6 months to 1 year for big events. Big events need careful planning not only on your end but the restaurants San Marcos TX, as well. They need to set up the conference room, ballroom, or a private room. You need decorations, sound and light systems, and the food. If it’s a massive event, they also need to hire extra hands to make sure everybody’s needs are served.
- Call a day before your reservation. This is only to confirm to the restaurant that you are not canceling the reservation. Most restaurants, however, will initiate contact with you. They will call you up to confirm your lunch or dinner reservation.
- Show up 10 minutes before your scheduled reservation. If you are the host, you should be there first to make sure that everything is in order. You don’t want to be caught by surprise in case something is wrong with your reservation. A 10-minute lead time will give you plenty of opportunities to rectify the situation.
- Call the restaurant if you are running late. Call the restaurant to make sure they don’t cancel their reservation because you are running several minutes late. The worst thing that can happen would be them not being able to contact you. They would have no choice but to give your table to somebody else, especially if the queue is long.
- Inform the restaurant if there are changes to the original arrangements. Again, don’t do this at the last minute. It’s unfair for the restaurant to scramble around to accommodate your request when it also has other customers to think of.
Finally, be polite and courteous. If you’re a visitor, it’s good to know the local tipping practices, although in general, the tip is about 15-20% of the total cost of your meal. If the restaurant already collects a service charge, you are not obligated to tip.
However, if you’re happy with the service of the wait staff, they would love it if you add an extra bonus, especially if you’re eating out as a group. If staying in the restaurant for a considerable amount of time, compute the number of people the establishment could have seated while you are there and factor in 20% out of the total.
