Outback Steakhouse's Employees Are Begging You To Stop Making This Reservation Mistake

While many popular steakhouse chain restaurants allow large parties to make reservations ahead of time, Outback is one of the exceptions. Rather than reservations, Outback Steakhouse offers something called Click Thru Seating (or the traditional call-ahead), which allows diners to put their names on a waiting list before arriving to the restaurant. However, many customers don't quite understand the concept.

One of the most important facts that you should know about Outback Steakhouse is that the restaurant chain considers a call-ahead — when you phone your local restaurant to let them know how many are in your party and when you will be arriving — as something very different than making a reservation. This has prompted many an Outback employee to take to the restaurant's subreddit, r/OutbackSteakhouse, to plead with customers to not confuse this concept with a reservation. 

In a Reddit post, titled "It's a call-ahead, not a reservation," an Outback employee urges, "Stop making call-ahead seating calls and getting mad when we don't immediately have enough room to sit your party of 20 or something, we make it very clear that it is not a reservation." On Outback Steakhouse's website, the restaurant also makes this distinction clear, noting "This is not a reservation. You will be added to the current waitlist. You may have a short wait once you arrive while we prepare your table."

A restaurant reservation can be made online or over the phone and guarantees you and your party a table at a certain time and with a limited (or zero) waiting period. A waitlist, however, is a system used by high-volume eateries to track diner traffic, manage table availability, and offer an estimated wait time. Like other restaurants that don't take reservations despite being busy, Outback uses a waiting list to better understand the restaurant's staffing and supply needs as well as manage table turnover, rather than guaranteeing diners a spot at a specific time.

While Outback recommends that parties of seven or more call ahead, and offers guests the option to get on the waiting list by signing up online or through its mobile app, this is not the same as booking a no-wait reservation. Instead, your name will be added to the restaurant's existing waitlist, meaning that when you arrive you might have to wait (albeit briefly) as the staff prepares your table. So, the next time you're craving one of Outback Steakhouse's most popular menu items, use the call-ahead process, the app, or the website to get on the waitlist — just don't be surprised if you aren't seated immediately upon arrival.