How To Ask For A Different Table At A Restaurant (Without Making Your Waiter Mad)

Sometimes, your restaurant table just isn't right. It's a special occasion, and you were dreaming of that table by the window with a lovely view. You know you'll be ordering a lot of food, and the table you got is teeny-tiny. Maybe it's right under the air conditioner and you're freezing. While it can seem intimidating to ask to move, you also have a right to be comfortable — you're paying for this meal out, after all, and it should be an enjoyable experience. There's a solution, fortunately, and it's pretty simple. According to Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, owner of Cecchi's restaurant in New York City, it's about asking politely.

"Really, just be nice," Cecchi-Azzolina told Tasting Table at this year's New York City Wine & Food Fest, adding that even he occasionally makes this request when dining in other restaurants. "Just say, 'Hey, excuse me ... I don't really care for this table. Is there somewhere else you can put us?' And then a restaurant worth its salt, they will come back to you and say, 'Well, this is what we have available.'" Restaurants want you to be happy and have a good time. They may not be able to accommodate your request if they don't have other free tables, but they won't hold it against you if you ask — as long as you're courteous. In general, being rude to staff is one of the worst restaurant etiquette mistakes you can make.

Believing you're not allowed to request a table change may be one of those outdated dining etiquette rules you can safely forget. In today's restaurant, a little kindness goes a long way. Know when you ask that there simply may not be available tables the staff can move you to, and that this is not the restaurant's fault. Explain the reason you're making the request so your host knows what you do need. Cecchi-Azzolina says he's shown people five different tables they refuse, which makes that patron difficult. Communication avoids this problem. And, accept the outcome — even if it's not what you hoped for — with a thank you. "I've been punched, screamed at, cursed at, and yelled at for not getting a proper table," Cecchi-Azzolina recalls of angry diners at his past maître d' jobs. 

The easiest way for you and the restaurant is if you make your table request ahead of time, like when you make your reservation. But know that this still doesn't guarantee anything, especially at, say, the country's best Michelin-starred restaurants, where reservations are hot commodities and VIPs often get first dibs.

"People request tables all the time and the standard line is, 'The seating is up to the maître d,'" Cecchi-Azzolina says. "We just don't know who's coming in that night. It's a numbers game sometimes ... If you really want a good table, tip the maître d."