Even If There Are Open Tables At A Restaurant, Never Seat Yourself. Here's Why

Have you ever walked into what looked like a nearly empty restaurant with an equally empty host stand? You may have been tempted to do the restaurant staff a favor and just seat yourself. After all, that just saves them a step, right? Your heart may be in the right place, but as someone who has worked in the restaurant business for over a decade, I can confirm that seating yourself is the quickest way to start your dining experience off on the wrong foot.

Not only is it unspoken restaurant etiquette to never seat yourself, doing so can actually cause major issues for both you and the entire restaurant's flow of service. To understand why, you need to first understand what a restaurant host actually does. In most restaurants with a host position, that person is responsible for the seating strategy of the entire establishment. When you make a reservation someplace, it's the host who will review the night's lineup and carefully plot out where each table will sit and when. This helps ensure that each server gets a comparable number of tables; drink and food service flows nicely; and that each table's party size, special requests, and preferences can be accommodated as much as possible.

If you walk in and plop yourself at a table of your own choosing, you may disrupt the restaurant staff's entire evening — not to mention your own. The biggest risk of seating yourself is simply not being served. After all, it can be hard to spot a new table in the midst of a packed dinner service, and if the host doesn't know to inform your server about your unannounced arrival, you'll likely be stuck waiting at your table longer than you would have up front.

If you're still not convinced that seating yourself is a major dining etiquette mistake that should be avoided, then I invite you to consider the hygiene element of it all. You never know what happened to a table before you got there, but the staff sure do. Customers vomit on tables, children make messes, and countless other problems occur at restaurants that may call for a table to be wiped down and thoroughly sanitized. Impatiently seating yourself could mean snagging a table you probably don't want to know the story of.

Sometimes, you might find yourself waiting to be greeted by a host for longer than can be considered reasonable. In this case, seating yourself is still not the best option. If the restaurant has a bar, try checking in with the bartender and letting them know you're looking for the host. If there's no bar or bartender in sight either, then flagging down another staff member and asking for help is your best bet.

Ultimately, being courteous and respectful will be your greatest asset when enjoying a dinner out. Restaurant staff are there to make sure you have a good time, so do your part to fall into the natural flow and ecosystem. Unless there is a sign that explicitly states that you can seat yourself, waiting for the host to seat you is the first step in a pleasant dining experience.