HALLIE EPHRON: I'm just back from a lovely week-plus in Key West where the food is SPECTACULAR! There's a reason why Lucy planted her Key Zest food reviewer Hayley Snow in Key West. The Shrimp! Fish Tacos! Grouper! Pie! Cuban coffee and Sandwich Cubano!! The restaurants! The food trucks!!
I could go on and on, waxing ecstatic.
However so many days in so many restaurants with great food reminded me of a few of my pet peeves about eating out.
Why oh why are the seats at restaurant tables invariably so low? (Or is it that the tabletops are so high??) When the table is level with my armpits, it feels like when I was a kid and had to stand on tippy toes to see what was on the table. Or like I'm trying to do the chicken dance while seated.
Restaurant seats are never adjustable, and I've yet to go to one that offers grownups a booster seat. Or a phone book. Or an extra seat cushion.
I know I'm shrinking, but not THAT much.
Maybe it's a plot to make us so uncomfortable that we won't overstay our welcome. Restaurants need tables to turn over. But really, someone needs to invent a booster seat for shorter (and really not very short) people.
And don't get me started on high top seating. Once you manage to climb on, feet dangling or on the foot rest, how are you supposed to skootch close enough to the table to get to your food? And what is the point of eating 12 inches higher?
Then there's noise. Something I'm much more sensitive to now that my hearing isn't what it used to be. The ambient noise in some restaurants swamps the voices of the people you're sitting with. Add a thumping sound system or visiting vocalist and I need two Tylenols for dessert.
Rereading this, I do sound like a grump. And truly I love eating out.
Because what's gotten better is quite a lot, too.
No one blinks when you order dishes to share, and takeout boxes come routinely at the end of the meal. Splitting the check isn't a problem. Usually. And of course, in Key West at least, nine times out of ten the food is great, and not anything I can fix for myself at home.
But I also like to see my food and hear my dining companions. Is that too much to ask?
Count me in, too, as one who is definitely not a fan of high tops . . . I simply don't get why there have to be tall tables at all . . . .
ReplyDeleteBut the food is almost always yummy, no one grumbles about take home boxes [or cups so that coffee still in the pot on the edge of the table doesn't get poured down the drain] . . . overall, I can think of more good things about eating out . . . .
It may be that sitting at a high top table is kind of like sitting at the counter . . . .
DeleteI agree,there are more good things (than not good) about eating out... And you're reminding me of sitting at the counter at our local drugstore and watching them make me a milkshake. And spinning around and around...
DeleteHallie, you have hit on my pet peeve for sure. Why are restaurant seats so low compared to the table height? Now I'll answer it. More diners are very tall these days, and they are perfectly comfortable at the table. Other diners are so hefty, that a normal distance between chair and table wouldn't provide adequate space for their thighs to fit. However, it does leave me wishing for my grandma's copy of the Manhattan phone directory, which was provided for me at her NYC apartment until I was 5 and switched to the Bronx.
ReplyDeleteI do love to dine out and don't really mind the high tops.
I'm guessing you're right that most diners aren't bothered by low seats. Or at least not enough to complain.
DeleteLiving in a rural area, I eat out only once or twice a year. I am tall so I've never noticed anything with tables. I do dislike high noise levels -- I ate lunch for nearly forty years in a school dining room that was quieter than many of today's restaurants -- which makes me wonder if I am losing some of my hearing or if I've just been accustomed to being able to tell noisy dinners to quiet down, please. However my biggest takeaway is that I am always thrilled to have someone else cooking dinner and doing the dishes! (Selden)
ReplyDeleteAND now the restaurants deliver and you don't even have to park!
DeleteI am short and often feel the need for a booster seat in restaurants. Sometimes I roll up my coat and sit on it. I have noticed that most places with high top tables will ask if you are willing to sit at them so they must realize there are people who don’t like them. Climbing up and down and scooting those chairs in is a problem, but if the stool doesn’t have a back on it, I am definitely out.
ReplyDeleteSomething they do here in Florida, Ocala at least, is almost always ask you if you want another drink (not alcohol) to go. I’ve never experienced that before.
A drink TO GO?? Once upon a time that wasn't legal, even in New Orleans.
DeleteHallie, not alcoholic beverages
DeleteSince Covid alcoholic drinks to go ate common in California.
DeleteThe extra drink offered is usually soda or coffee, a refill for the road.
Hallie, you’ve hit the nail on the head! We have the same problems here in Canada. I’m 5’8’’ and I enjoy eating out for all of the reasons you mentioned. I don’t like tables especially in booths where my ‘’girls’’ sit on the table and make it difficult to reach my plate!! 🤣
ReplyDeleteDorothy, I'm rolling at the visual of the "girls" on the table! Thanks for making my morning brighter.-- Victoria
DeleteHa ha ha! I'm visualizing...
DeleteI agree with everything you said! We visited Conchiglia, a new restaurant in Key West on our last night there. Reservations required. We were seated out on the front porch at a high top table. My back ached by the time we finished a really lovely meal.
ReplyDeleteThe noise level in most restaurants is a big issue even with my cochlear devices which do a heroic job of tamping down the noise. Seven Fish in Key West is one of the best noise canceling restaurants in town because they have intentionally placed layers of noise abatement in their restaurant. That was done a few weeks after they first opened; their employees said after a shift their ears ached so the restaurant closed for weeks, brought in noise specialists then reopened to a much quieter and more comfortable environment. So it is possible but many establishments aren’t willing to invest the time and money.
I haven't heard of Conchiglia Emily--will have to try!
DeleteIt’s where Croissants de France was on Duval.
DeleteNoise abatement! Another reason to love Seven Fish.
DeleteI agree. Not a fan of high tables and booths. And the noise, I can't hear the person sitting next to me.
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed the low seat/high table problem, maybe because my legs are short and my torso is long so I'm a better fit. I don't like climbing up onto high stools in order to eat, always worry a little about getting back down gracefully. The noise level is an on-going peeve. We're going out tonight to celebrate our birthday--to a really lovely restaurant. Last time I was there, we were with an out of town friend who has a very soft voice. Even though I was right next to him, I couldn't catch all of his conversation. So frustrating! I like Emily's story about restaurant noise abatement and wish more places would think about this issue.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to you and Margaret, Gillian!
DeleteHappy Birthday! I'm happy that most restaurants now eschew bringing out dessert with a candle and singing...
DeleteHappy birthday to Gillian and Margaret!
DeleteHappy Birthday Gillian. Portland is another city with great restaurants.
DeleteHappy birthday, Gillian and Margaret!! — Pat S
DeleteHappy Birthday, Gillian!
DeleteI refuse to sit at a high top table. Very uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Texas Roadhouse in Morgantown, West Virginia: the place was jumping a few days before Thanksgiving. The wait staff took a five minute break and organized a line dance in the aisles of the cavernous restaurant. We all sang along and clapped.
Oooh, that sounds like SO MUCH FUN!
DeleteI thought it was just me getting shorter in my mature years. Granted, I have lost about 3" to maturity gnawing away on my spine so that might be part of it. Still, it is is very annoying and I find I worry about what my elbows might be doing to a seat mate when we're in a booth. I don't like to be very conscious of every body part while eating. Kinda kills the joy of going out for a meal.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started on wooden chair seating. I'm a very slender woman who has no behind to speak of and wooden chairs are like crunching from one hip bone to the other. Definitely takes a lot out of a good meal.
When I dine with my friend who wears hearing aids, she spends the entire meal with a puzzled look and I end up shouting over the din so she can at least get an inkling of what we're conversing about. So, no Hallie, you are not alone. You make very valid points, especially for mature folks. -- Victoria
Victoria, kindred spirit!
DeleteI'm glad I'm not alone in feeling this way! It's like diner tables are designed by people with incredibly long torsos. Since we're venting here, can I add my pet peeve of having an incredibly bright light over the table? I guess it's police interrogation room chic.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting! Because what I've noticed is that sometimes the light is so dim you can't read the menu...
DeleteYes, I don't understand the ultra bright lights and the dark dim lights. Either way it is so annoying.
DeleteHallie, we went to a nice restaurant with John's sisters. The smallest of them did ask for an extra cushion and it was delivered:)
ReplyDeleteThere's hope!
DeleteI have not noticed the chair height thing, but then again I eat at places that were built 30 years ago and haven't updated their decor (not always a bad thing).
ReplyDeleteAs for noise, I'm with you. I love live music, but I won't eat at a place where the music and the food are in the same space - for exactly the reason you list. I like to be able to hear my dining companion.
Good to hear that... I always feel like a grumpy gus complaining so I don't.
DeleteI was at a coffee shop the other day and even though I was the only one there (other than the staff) the music was blasting. I know young people (the staff) probably figured before I came in no one was there (maybe that's why), but coffee shops are for reading, working on your laptop, chatting with friends. I took the plunge and did something I'm normally not comfortable doing - but I asked them to turn the MUSIC DOWN!! Please.
DeleteI am grumping right along with you, Hallie, and I am considerably shorter. I'm coming off five days of eating out at Left Coast Crime. Yes, thank you San Francisco for delicious food of all Asian stripes (plus John's Grill, Dashiell Hammett's favorite eatery), but the noise and the seating? Yikes.
ReplyDeleteIf my party is seated at a tall table (sometimes the only option), I'd rather just stand. And as a person with cranky hips, hard seats or ones tilted toward the back basically cripple me from standing gracefully and walking with ease after the meal is over. As for eating (that is, hearing) in background noise, I actually tried out my cousin's hearing aids at one restaurant, and I'm now convinced more than ever that I need to acquire some.
There comes a point where we ALL need hearing aids... supposedly you can tune them to tone down ambient noise. Supposedly.
DeletePerhaps we could try a restaurant owned by Deaf people? There is a food truck, Mozzeria, which serves pizza, and it is owned by Deaf people.
DeleteMy husband lost the hearing in his right ear in his 20's, and he has hated going out for 50 years, because so many places are noisy. We tend to gravitate to places that have actually tried to tamp down the noise. Did you know, per the ADA, hearing impaired diners can ask to have music turned down? It isn't always possible, though.
ReplyDeleteMy friend group went out the other night for our regular friend birthday meal. Four of the six of us wear hearing aids, so we specified a quiet table. But the service was so uneven, with long delays, everyone was grumbling. And man, it was expensive. I try to host everyone a couple times a year, because at least at home everyone can participate in conversation.
Then Steve and I went out for our anniversary the other night, to a fairly nice restaurant that is nationally known. My entree and mashed potato was nearly cold, and the vegetable, bok choy, was inedible. We could have had a better meal at home, honestly. Also, our booth was on a raised platform, something I have fallen out of in the past (poor depth perception). I guess it looks nice, but why is that even a thing?
Nowadays, whenever we feel the urge to go out to dinner, we ask ourselves, "could we make something better at home and save one-hundred bucks?". Other than sushi, and some Italian food, the answer is usually yes. We do have a few special places who still put a lot of love into their cooking nearby, but we save those for special occasions...
DeleteKaren in Ohio, thank you for sharing your stories. A relative's husband is deaf in one ear (Meniere's) and I remember the server would talk to him on his deaf side! I tried to come up with solutions like wearing the type of mirror that a cyclist would wear on their helmet or a little mirror on the table. I feel the same way as your husband does, though I used to love going out to restaurants growing up. Have you noticed if the restaurants have changed since the pandemic? These days, I am NOT a fan of restaurants. If I may ask, have you and a friend tried a "dry run" in terms of going to a certain restaurant at a certain day at a certain time to see what the restaurant is like Before making plans to have a regular friend birthday meal?
DeleteThat's so sad! I can tolerate high tops and low seats if the food is good. But if it's cold and not tasty AND expensive... bummer.
DeleteHallie, it is not too much to ask. During my first two years of hearing with cochlear implants, it was quite challenging for me to hear in noisy restaurants. Sometimes the software mapping adjustments made it possible for me to hear words. I recall there were three different programs at that time - a program to hear despite noisy setting, a program for quieter environment and a program for music. That darn CI company is always "upgrading", not always for the better. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteMy restaurant pet peeves are rude customers. I would be sitting at a table with my family when someone walks by and shoves my chair! I have told my relatives and friends that if we go to a restaurant, I want a seat with the WALL behind me (no one can walk behind and hit me!). Since the pandemic, I think more people have become rude. Perhaps it is just me? I rarely eat out at restaurants since the pandemic, and when I do, I prefer to eat outside. A bonus is having the wall behind me.
I have also had the same thought about rudeness since the pandemic. On the roads (driving) and in lots of public spaces. People just seem very unhappy and miserable (in general) out there in public... which is sad! And I live in a relatively quiet, small community. I am trying to ignore the negativity and continue to go about my business, project friendliness, and smile (not creepily) when appropriate. This is fairly new for me though, check back in a month and see if I am still keeping up with it!
DeleteStacia, thank you for sharing. The best thing we can do is TRY to be kind to each other. I am ALWAYS aware of the negativity and I chose not to respond, which is easier said than done!
DeleteGangsters used to sit at a table against the corner wall... for different reasons. Sorry, that's the mystery writer in me coming out.
DeleteHallie, thanks for the chuckle!
DeleteMy Indiana police chief always picks the back corner table in Robbie's restaurant so he can keep an eye on everyone who comes in.
DeleteI have read many mysteries where the law enforcement people sit that way. Do they in real life?
DeleteIt really does seem like (most) restaurants (at least here in the US) have completely lost track of customer comfort... I have a small/foldable cushion that I take in my tote bag to sit on. I am super short and usually wad up my coat on top of my cushion in most restaurants. But this is a good reminder for us to make another trip to Key West. It really is a special place!
ReplyDeleteYou are so resourceful, Stacia! Great idea.
DeleteYes, yes, yes Hallie! I may start bringing my own seat cushion when I go out to dinner! And the noise levels! Especially the music! Oy! Loud music in restaurants has been bothering me since I was in my 30s. Which was some recap ago. Sigh. And why do there have to be loud TVs everywhere?
ReplyDeleteI do try to avoid any restaurant that calls itself a "sports bar" - you can be sure there will be several TVs blaring and no closed captions.
DeleteWe used to enjoy trying out new restaurants in our town but as we've gotten older we only go to those restaurants we know and like. We're down to only about 5 or 6. Fortunately they are all excellent choices, and we know there won't be any unpleasant surprises.
DeleteBut we did try a new Mexican restaurant that looked promising. The waiter was super nice and helpful, lighting was great, no music but the PRICES (high) and the portions (small). I mean one very small taco was $15. And you'd need to order 2 or 3 for a full meal.
Prices are out of control at most places. But I noticed an interesting thing yesterday - I go to two cafes (which are directly across the street from each other). I noticed one cafe sells croissants for $3.25 and the other charges $7.00. Both are very good - but obviously I get the cheaper one!
It's been about 10 + years since I was in Key West, but I remember the food was excellent and loved the Key Lime Pies. I know Hayley Snow has researched all the Key Lime Pie Shops in Key West. Fortunately, when we were there no Key Lime Crime for us!
ReplyDeleteGuess you "dodged the bullet"...
DeleteGlad you didn't succumb to a poisoned pie!!
DeleteIn another life I worked as secretary to the Franchise Director for Tony Roma's Restaurants. One of the biggest discussions I remember was about chairs. Are they comfortable enough for patrons to enjoy the meal, but not so comfortable that they linger. As gracious as servers are, the money comes from turning those tables. Yep - it's a plot!
ReplyDeleteKey West has fabulous food and I hope you were able to enjoy one of my all time favorites. Yellowtail snapper. Yum. Did you make it to Hogfish Grill on Stock Island? Hope so.
Kait, that makes so much sense, because I've noticed the comfiest chairs are always in the bar/lounge. Presumably, you don't want turnover there, you want customers ordering lots of (highly profitable) drinks!
DeleteWe DID make it to Hogfish Grill on Stock Island... And my kids ate there, too. Fantastic tacos.
DeleteI meet my friends for lunch almost every week and I am no longer hesitant to ask for the music to be turned down. I also try to make a point of thanking my server for taking care of us as well as leaving a good tip; it’s a hard job and I appreciate good service. I agree with so many of you - I hate high tops! I am not tall and I do not find them “user friendly.” (I often ask for iced tea to go, it’s hot here in Florida!)
ReplyDeleteANON: Thanking and tipping, it goes a long way. The server didn't design the furniture.
DeleteI cannot understand why restaurants need to play music. Very soft background music is okay but thump thump while I’m eating drives me cra zy. I’ve also noticed that service has gone downhill since Covid. Reaching across to hand me my plate. Not listening to requests. Etc
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that often servers are taking care of more tables than seem humanly possible. And being run ragged.
DeleteOh, Hallie, I'm with you on the noise levels in restaurants. Sometimes I think the level of background music is set by the line cooks and servers - they're working, not chatting, and it's always nice to have some upbeat tunes while you're going about your job.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the customers are there to meet and talk, and it drives me MAD when I have to lean across the table to hear what my lunch or dinner partner is saying. It's not just an old people issue either; I've heard my 30-something daughter complain of the same thing. (Of course, for the next five years or more, the only restaurants she goes to will have families and paper place mats kids can color on, and that's a whole different noise issue...)
Oh, Julia, tell your daughter not to succumb to the crayons and coloring placemats. Especially if her child has an “adventurous” plate. Grandson aged barely 2, tried a steamed mussel at home. (His dad said “here have this while we finishing cooking dinner”) He loved it and steamed mussels have been his “go to” dinner. Waiters and neighboring dinners have, seven years later, stopped staring! Elisabeth
DeleteI agree do not take children to restaurants that cater to the family crowd. They are over priced and the food is terrible. Well raised children who like food are always welcome at the good restaurants.
Delete...except when the kids are free range and speed around the restaurant tripping wait staff
DeleteAs a short woman with hearing aids, I always ask to sit by a wall, usually a banquette and DH gets the chair, which he prefers being 10 inches taller. Noise levels have restricted our eating out and parking is also a consideration. But when dinner out easily runs $150+ for 2, home is where the dinner is- he often goes out for lunch while I eat leftovers in the takeout boxes!
ReplyDeleteThat's the nice thing about those 150+ dinners, they often yield several next-day dinners.
DeleteI agree with the noise level issues. I have always had very good hearing and it actually hurts my ears when there is loud music or even loud people who tend to shriek rather than talk at a conversational level. Music tends to be prevalent everywhere and it certainly isn’t for the enjoyment of those who are forced to listen without having input in the type or volume.
ReplyDeleteI have read that the loud music is deliberate to make the atmosphere draw in patrons who might think it as more lively.
Getting away from the restaurant music, I don’t appreciate it when you are waiting on the phone either, you are a captive audience.
I am relatively tall and have never understood the high top tables. The chairs are not comfortable, they are hard to climb up on or get down from or adjust if you need to move the chair.
The only reason I can think of for their existence is that they are relatively small and the restaurants can cram more seating in areas where a larger table wouldn’t fit.
One more aside, how about televisions in doctors’ offices or other public places?
Anon, if I'm alone in the waiting room at the doctor, I walk up to the TV and find the power button!
DeleteAwhile back I was in the dr's office and Dr. Oz was on the TV peddling some kind of supplement... seemed wildly inappropriate.
DeleteLoud music. Lights so dim you can't read the menu. Those are my pet peeves.
ReplyDeleteBing Bing Bing
DeleteI do think loud music makes a restaurant FEEL fuller than it actually is, as someone mentioned earlier. A restaurant with little noise can feel deserted. Up to a point I appreciate some noise to make it feel as if neighbors can't hear my conversations.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to make anyone jealous, but most of Bern's restaurants have seats that aren't too low or too high and don't have loud music in the background. People talk softly because they are Swiss Germans and somewhat repressed, and the lighting is not so low that you can't read the menu. Tables are often close, because space is limited, but I rarely think anyone is eavesdropping. I know what all of you are talking about, though--all I have to do is go out to eat in New York City. LOUD!!!
ReplyDeleteWE'RE ON OUR WAY!!
DeleteGood point, Kim. Having traveled broadly, I think the loud music issue, in particular, is a mostly American thing. The pubs we went to in England, even if there were TVs in the bar, were still silent.
DeleteThe only time we heard music while dining in Greece last fall was at an outdoor table in Athens at the edge of a square. A musician was playing lively tunes nearby. Steve and I danced for a few minutes on our way home after our meal.
Hallie, your two biggest peeves are mine, too. I'm only 5' 2" and sometimes I feel like I can barely see over the table. And, as I'm partially deaf, the high ambient noise levels make me miserable. I know restaurants are designed this way on purpose and it is so annoying.
ReplyDeleteI think it might be interpreted as passive aggressive... design to annoy a certain segment of their clientele.
DeleteI’m under five feet, and there is one otherwise fine restaurant near me with 90% high top seating, so high top I can’t climb up onto the stools. I no longer go there.
ReplyDelete