“Do not overstay your welcome,” is a popular saying in hospitality. Hoteliers in Bengaluru have the same request for their customers now. With some patrons spending hours in the hotels while only ordering the bare minimum, the hoteliers are losing out on business, which has led them to make this request.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers’ Association (BBHA) is planning to put up boards in their restaurants asking people to vacate the space after having their meal. The hotel owners will also ask their captains in the service hall to politely request people who have finished their meals to leave. The members said that this is their way to try to educate their customers to accommodate others, especially during peak hours.
“This is not a rule that we will enforce, but it is a request we will make to our customers to maintain minimum time. We want them to spend as much time as they want on food, but sometimes they do not leave after their meals even if there is rush outside,” said P.C. Rao, president, BBHA.
Time-consuming customers
The hoteliers said that there are three kinds of conversations that take up too much time in their restaurants: real estate, matrimonial and business discussions. “Apart from this, we also see lawyers spend a long time discussing cases and even some job interviews are conducted over a cup of coffee, which lasts for hours,” Mr. Rao said.
These new guidelines will only be applied in service halls and not darshinis where there is usually a floating crowd. “When the seats at the service hall are occupied, the parking space is also occupied. The fresh customers see both these spaces being occupied and decide to skip the hotel. We neither get business from them nor the customers who are sitting inside without ordering anything,” Mr. Rao noted.
Mixed reaction
Customers were divided about this development. Some said that these guidelines would be helpful for everyone. “I have had my share of frustrating experiences at hotels after going there for a good meal, only to find that there are no empty tables because they have been occupied by people who are neither eating nor drinking. While I understand this has been going on for generations, it is high time the hoteliers do something about this and bring in a change,” said Sriharsha Muktesh, a resident of Jayanagar, who usually eats out during breakfast and lunch time.
Some others felt that these restrictions can affect their experience at the restaurants. “As long as customers provide business for the restaurants, they should not be imposing such rules. The priority of restaurants should be making it a customer-friendly space,” said Samhitha Vinod, a lawyer from Katthriguppe.
