Christmas day lunch

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I'd have called straight after to ask about a table for 2, as it is possible some people had pulled out or had become ill, possibly died!!

grannysyb

You can close shops over Christmas, but you can't close hospitals and other emergency staff. We have medics in the family and have looked after children at Christmas.

I used to be in healthcare, and that’s exactly why I think non essential workers and businesses shouldn’t be open on stat holidays. It’s hard enough to miss holidays when you know people NEED you.

grannysyb

You can close shops over Christmas, but you can't close hospitals and other emergency staff. We have medics in the family and have looked after children at Christmas.

Well of course. Emergency services are one thing- there is absolutely NO need whatsoever for shops and restaurants to be opened from Christmas Eve until day after Boxing day- NONE whatsoever.

And of course shops being closed for those days is very much the norm in many other countries.

You can close shops over Christmas, but you can't close hospitals and other emergency staff. We have medics in the family and have looked after children at Christmas.

I'm not sure if I would like that, really - it would be like eating in a canteen/refectory.

It's clearly a tricky situation, with many different perspectives, and there is so much hype around having a good time at Christmas, which further complicates things.

Why don't they do shared tables IE 3 couples sharing a table for 6

SachaMac

We went out for Christmas lunch as a family last year, There were a couple of tables with just two diners but they were mainly tables with larger groups like us which I suppose is quite natural on Christmas Day.
I have to say it was lovely not having to shop, prepare and cook and also good not having to eat leftovers for days afterwards. After years of cooking Christmas lunch here I really enjoyed it. We didn’t book again for this year but I’m beginning to wish we had now as the price was fair compared to what some places charge and as it was local so we could have a drink and a nice walk home.

I love having all the leftovers to eat up - hardly any cooking for a few days!

Oh, I agree! Unfortunately, there’s rarely a straight quid pro quo on such things, especially if the holiday they want to have off is on a weekend.

And it’s pretty rare to have enough people who observe other holidays available in all positions in enough quantity to fully staff a restaurant, and to not have customers complain if the place shuts down on another day.

I live in a small town, and one of the restaurants closes one day a week, and the owners take a week holidays as well. And hoo boy, do people get mad, even though they put up notices, and have ALWAYS been closed on Mondays.

People need time off. And if that means no holiday meals out, so be it. Nobody should have to work a stat if they don’t want to, and their job isn’t in essential services.

I take your point, MQ, but as you say, not everyone celebrates Christmas, and working Christmas Day could mean that someone can take time off for their own festivals.

Many people complain that they are contractually obliged to take holiday at Christmas, so their leave is restricted at Diwali or Yom Kippur and they can't have that time with their family instead. In a multicultural society it doesn't make sense to close at Christmas unless employers are going to give the time off as 'free' leave on top of the other days, or close for other festivals too.

While I agree about Christmas not being the only holiday celebrated, the fact is, unless and until the government decides that other major religions get statutory holidays as well, it’s an enforced de facto holiday.

Personally, I’m against restaurants and retail being open on statutory holidays, religious based or not. I hate the two tiered system enforced by it: those who are ‘important’ enough to have the day off, and those who serve.

So often I’ve read about people unhappy that their AC can’t come home for a holiday, yet retail and restaurants being open keep someone else’s family from being home too. I don’t care if they celebrate Christmas or not, everyone deserves a paid day off.

FTR, people are threatened with being fired if they don’t want to work a stat, ime. Yes, some welcome the extra money, but a lot are forced into it, because they don’t have the luxury of quitting.

I cannot believe some of these posts, calling restaurant staff liars, booking a table for 6 with only two people turning up. The tables for two are probably already booked, as for encouraging people to give bad reviews on trip advisor, and trying to ruin someone's business, words fail me.

With the cost of living going up and expenses high, these businesses rely on Christmas, so of course they are going for larger parties who will spend more.

I don't know. Christmas can be very lonely for people on their own, and going out for lunch/dinner can help them to mark the occasion and be part of the celebrations. It's tough on those employees who would prefer not to be at work, but that's true in many occupations, and people can often organise a family meal on Boxing Day or make other arrangements. I think it's fair to expect to pay more to go out at Christmas, though.

Fleurpepper

Gundy

Let’s just close ALL retail and restaurants so ALL EMPLOYEES can enjoy the day off too!

100% agree, same for shops from 12 midday on Christmas eve and Boxing day.

So will you offer the same compulsory close down to honour Ramadan, Eid, Hanukkah, etc?
We live in a multi cultural non-Christian society and I dare say there are many who are quite happy to earn double rates for overtime over so-called religious “holidays”.
Not to mention the emergency services we depend on 365 days a year.

Gundy

Let’s just close ALL retail and restaurants so ALL EMPLOYEES can enjoy the day off too!

100% agree, same for shops from 12 midday on Christmas eve and Boxing day.

We went out for Christmas lunch as a family last year, There were a couple of tables with just two diners but they were mainly tables with larger groups like us which I suppose is quite natural on Christmas Day.
I have to say it was lovely not having to shop, prepare and cook and also good not having to eat leftovers for days afterwards. After years of cooking Christmas lunch here I really enjoyed it. We didn’t book again for this year but I’m beginning to wish we had now as the price was fair compared to what some places charge and as it was local so we could have a drink and a nice walk home.

Let’s just close ALL retail and restaurants so ALL EMPLOYEES can enjoy the day off too!

I think we still don't know if this was because all the tables for 2 were booked up.

I wpuld speak to them if I was a regular to be honest

I'd say I'd like to book a table for 6. Then say you just need to check on the time..... But in the meantime you'd like to also book a table for 2.

Tell the truth 'sorry but our tables for two have all been booked, we only have tables suitable for larger parties left' is honest, accurate and less likely to alienate anybody.
That's true, Rosie, but it may well have been a young and inexperienced waiter who took the call.

Maybe they were fully booked for the tables for two but had larger tables available, they would not have put two people on a table that caters for eight.

If indeed the OP's booking for two was refused because only tables for larger parties were left, then wouldn't it have been better for the restaurant to say exactly that? Being told they were "fully booked" and "they have a lot of repeat bookings and are pretty full by the beginning of the year." really does suggest there are no tables left which was obviously not the case.
I understand that hospitality venues need to make a profit and in some areas are struggling, but they need to remember that couples are a big proportion of their 'bread and butter' all year. Without that custom they won't survive for the Christmas 'jam'. Tell the truth 'sorry but our tables for two have all been booked, we only have tables suitable for larger parties left' is honest, accurate and less likely to alienate anybody.

That's not fair, cc. I can understand charging £20 extra at Christmas, as staff costs will be higher, but people should know before they book that this will be happening.

Allsorts

Do you not realise how business's are struggling, I don't blame them, please be more understanding, it's their liviehoods they are protecting, pubs are closing by the day. To suggest booking for 6 and cancelling, is just disgraceful, , I think they should have payment in advance, having bought the food, paid for extra staff, that by the way are working Christmas Day, not for the fun of it, they need the money, times are hard. Last Christmas I missed all I had booked due to Covid here you pay in advance so I lost my money, quite rightly, they had catered for me.

Restaurants in our area do now ask for payment in advance and I don't blame them either. However my daughter booked a couple of years ago and they had upped the price when she got there, an extra £20 pp. They had her over a barrel and would not have refunded the initial payment if she had cancelled.