"Table turning" costs diners £1 a minute
02 September 2010 09:41
Diners at some top restaurants are paying more than £1 a minute for the experience because of the trend of "table-turning", according to a survey.
About 15% of leading restaurants now ask diners to leave their table after a set time during peak hours to allow another party to eat, the report by lastminute.com found.
More than half of diners polled (51%) for the study named the practice as their top complaint about restaurants.
The time limit means diners at Hakkasan in London, for example, are paying £1.23 a minute based on a £148 meal for two over two hours. Customers at Midsummer House in Cambridge are paying £1.16 a minute for a £174 meal for two over 150 minutes.
Other restaurants found by the study to charge more than £1 a minute are London restaurants Zuma and Hibiscus, and Simpsons in Birmingham.
Lastminute.com spokesman Mark Bower said: "Diners understand that restaurants have got to make money and that one way of doing that is by getting two or more sittings per night at each table.
"However, when they are being asked to spend more than £1 per minute for their meal, foodies will question the value of their chosen eaterie. We're urging diners to check table-turning policies when booking and to negotiate just how much time they have for their meal to avoid feeling rushed."
A spokesman for Hakkasan said: "Since our launch, Hakkasan has consistently been one of the most popular restaurants in London and to satisfy this demand we operate a time limit on our tables, a policy all of our valued and loyal customers are aware of."
Midsummer House chef Daniel Clifford said: "At Midsummer House we are a 12-table restaurant that only turns two tables of two people on a Friday night and two tables of two people on a Saturday night.
"We give our guests three hours for dinner. Coffees are offered in our garden or recently refurbished lounge overlooking the River Cam.
"The two tables relayed on Friday and Saturday evenings are due to a high demand for tables of two on the weekend."
Other top complaints by restaurant-goers included the service charge automatically included on the bill, tables packed too closely together, wobbly tables, waiting for the bill to arrive and the levels of mark-up on wine.
A spokeswoman for Hibiscus said the restaurant did table-turn, but always told diners of the time limit when they booked.
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