A pet peeve of mine when I go out to eat is when the restaurant is nearly totally empty, it's nearly silent and there are three or so tables with people at them ANNNNND the waitress/ waiter wants to seat all three tables right next to each other so they aren't all spread out for whatever reason.
Its uber annoying because not only can I hear clearly everything the people at the tables next to me are saying, I have zero anonymity or privacy, if you can have any, because we're all sitting next to each other!
Spread us out a bit! Let us feel like we have an entire restaurant to ourselves! Give us some room! It doesn't cost anything!
However, I go out to eat so often and have eaten at so many amazing places that the thrill is kind of worn off on me, I'm happy with a McDonald's snack wrap with a bag and ketchup and a straw with a napkin. But if I REALLY wanted to enjoy a place, rather than being seated cafeteria style with a billion other people where the restaurant kind of exists to serve its self, it's like....I mean....if you really think about it, who really says "I want to go eat in a crowded room with a million other people and be crammed in with a bunch of strangers while my server is so busy that they don't really have time to serve ME but balance me in with the others?"
I don't know anyone who says this but this is essentially what the dining out experience is!
If it was a TRULY great dining experience....ever seen the movie "Lord of War" where he rents out an entire resort for a week just to catch up with the girl of his dreams? It would be totally sweet to go eat at a place that exists where I'm the only one and have the place to myself with my own server! Not that I'm that hoity toity, I probably sound that way (I ate at Red Robin tonight y'all and hit Starbucks on the way to work this morning) from the way I'm writing but...I mean, now THAT would be something memorable. Especially because it's NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! But whatev.
At any rate, its just...gimme a bit of room and don't cram me next to somebody when the entire place is empty. That's all.
