Footnote:

Ok this is going to be about the amount of time a party of two will spend on average in a restaurant (I'm going by Ruby Tuesday's happenings)

We'll use a clock too. It will help.

Party of two, seated at 12 pm

Drinks are ordered at 12:05 pm

Drinks arrive at 12:10 pm

Food is ordered at 12:10 pm.

(Food is usually out to a table between 9 and 12 minutes)

Food arrives at 12:22 pm

Food is finished at 12:42 pm

(I'm going to add desserts here and subtract them for different times)

Dessert is ordered at 12:50 pm

Dessert arrives at 12:55 pm

Dessert is finished at 1:10 pm (people savor dessert a ridiculous amount of time)

Check is brought at 1:15 pm.

Check is given back anytime from 5 to 45 minutes or more. This is one of the places where servers get frustrated. Notice here, this table has been taken for more than an hour.

Added up this party of two has been here for about an hour and a 45 minutes on average. If you subtract dessert then that takes out 20-25 minutes, but a table might use that time to chat incessantly. So a party of two could take up a table for about and 1 hour and 20 minutes without dessert.

The servers get very frustrated and its completely understandable. They, and I, the probable host, love when people come in, eat, pay, and leave.

People at Ruby's who decide to get salad bar hang out for awhile. They think its not alot of work if their getting their own food. They also think that means they don't have to tip! Its horrible. The biggest thing a server hates to hear being ordered is Soup & Salad Bar and just Salad Bar. And 80% of the time its with WATER.

A party of two is going to spend about $18 dollars on just the salad bar. With soup added its about $22. But because people are getting their own food at the salad bar (soup comes from the kitchen, along with any other thing a customer is going to ask for) they think it entitles them to leaving a crappy tip. The usual tip on a party of two who order Salad Bar or SB & soup? 3 bucks. That's it.

And alot of days a server will have 6 tables and 3 or 4 of them will order just salad bar. Its atrocious and a big reason I never ever wanted to serve there.

If its a party of four say, easily and hour and 45 minutes. The bill will be higher and there probably won't be 4 "just water please" but you never know how they're gonna tip until you get the book back.

There is that.

So to my mama, I hope you tipped good if you really took up a table for 2 and a half+ hours!