Not a Moment Too Soon: Should You Go in a Restaurant Near Closing Time?

You've just gotten out of a concert, a sports event, or are cruising around on any given night. You decide you want something to eat, so you head towards a popular restaurant. No problem, right? Normally you wouldn't think so, but you could have a dilemma on your hands: It is 9:55 and the restaurant closes at 10. Do you go in and ask to be served anyway? Or would you rather drive away and find somewhere open later?

The decision is really up to you, but you have to consider your rights to superior customer service as well how you are making the employees feel.

You may want to go in because you know the customer is always right and you are entitled to excellent service regardless of what time it is. This is certainly the truth. It may annoy the servers and cooks on duty, but as long as you get through before the door is locked, you can expect to be served.

Understand that the employees will frown on you for waiting to come in until the last minute. This is nothing against you as a person; it is natural reaction. These people have worked hard during their shifts and usually want nothing more than to finish their job duties and go home. In most cases, they won't be rude to your face, but after you leave, you will be fair game for trash talking. If you don't want to leave that kind of impression on the staff, you should try going to a place that is open later.

No matter what decision you make about whether to eat at this restaurant at 9:55 when it closes at 10, (or 10:55 when it closes at 11, or any other time close to closing), you should follow these customer etiquette tips:

If you come up and the doors are already locked, do not insist the staff opens them for you and your group. If they open up for you, they will have to open up for everyone else who wants to eat last minute creating unnecessary overtime and added stress. If the doors are locked, take your business elsewhere or go home. Unless the restaurant is going out of business, you will always be able to go back on another day at a more appropriate time.

Once you have finished your meal and paid for it, do not linger around for an extra half an hour or 45 minutes to have additional conversation. You need to get up and leave immediately so the busboy or server can clean your table. While you were eating, they had to work on getting ready for the next day of business, so give them the courtesy of getting to your table as soon as possible.

Do not make unreasonable requests. Sometimes, the kitchen may be out of a certain food or has already shut down certain equipment. They cannot turn something back on and clean it all over again for the purpose of you refusing to change your order to something that is readily available. By the same token, do not place complicated orders with many substitutions or request a takeout order for a large group.

If you are in a place where you have to leave a tip, leave your server something extra for still being friendly and willing to take care of you. This is not a requirement but if you can afford to slip him or her an extra few dollars, don't hesitate to do so.

As already mentioned, the staff may be annoyed by your decision to come in so close to closing. However, that doesn't mean you should hear them complain about it. If for whatever reason a staff member rolls their eyes or talks badly about you in your presence, immediately ask for a manager. Managers, for the most part, take customer complaints seriously and will warn or reprimand the employee in private.

Everyone should be able to enjoy a meal out to eat, but the restaurant hours are posted for a reason. If you feel like you must eat at a restaurant near closing time, be respectful, don't linger, and don't make any unreasonable requests. In the future, though, you may want to try to plan meals for earlier in the evening.