WSJ
Hi everyone,
Just figured I throw my two cents in. I’ve been going to the Alki Cafe around once a month (weekend breakfast only) for about two years now. It’s mine and my wife’s default place for breakfast in West Seattle. We think the food is good, the view is pretty, and the dining room is comfortable. But the best part about it is that you don’t have to wait that long for table, even during the very busy weekend brunch rush. Usually, no longer than 15 minutes. I’ve also felt that the service has been fine. It’s not white linen service, but I’ve never been treated rudely. In fact, my usual order includes a substitution, and I’ve never been hasseled for it. The owner has always been polite.
My wife and I were at the cafe that morning. From what it sounds like, we arrived just after the owner approached the party. We were not witness to his angry yelling when the table was moved, but we did see some heated discussion between the owner and a couple of the patrons. We couldn’t hear the women, but repeatedly heard the owner state that his business isn’t set up to handle a party of 14 people and he wouldn’t have seated them if he was there when they arrived. I also noticed that, while some people at the far end of the table were ordering, those nearest the door had already finished eating. We arrived between 10:00 and 10:30, were seated about 35 minutes later, and left the cafe about 35 minutes after that. The party of 14 were all still there when we left. (I’m not swearing in court by my timeline, but that is how I remember it). If the first part of the party arrived at 9:00, that means they were there for over two hours.
I would assume that the weekend brunch is the Cafe’s busiest time (I’ve never gone there at any other time), and that is when they make their most money. And considering that our wait was longer than usual, I would guess that the large party was pretty diruptive to their business, and that the Cafe lost money because of it. I’d bet a party of 9 at 9:00 am might not be a big deal (probably before the big rush hits), but a party of 14 for 2+ hours during the busiest time is a big problem. I don’t know about the Alki Cafe, but many restaurants operate on the slimmest of profit margins, and a major disruption during the busy times can result in a net loss for the week.
Though, I understand the owners frustrations, it sounds like the owner handled the situation very poorly. He should have repromanded his employees, not the customers.