A fine-dining restaurant is open two days a week, Friday and Saturday, from 5 PM to 9 PM. Nearly all seating is by reservation. They've always unlocked the door at 5 PM sharp. It's been proposed to unlock the door 5 or 10 minutes before 5 PM so early arrivers can come in. Staff is sharply divided on this question. Owners are also divided.
So I thought I'd get some opinions from people who are not personally involved. Feel free to express your opinion / boost. I'm looking for input.
If you were a customer with a 5 PM reservation, would you expect the door to be unlocked:
@shuttersparks What’s the expectation for customers with other reservation times? I.e., do they arrive early? Right on time? Consistently late?
That answer might point the way towards a reasonable opening time?
@matt Good question. Our customers are almost always right on time. If the reservation is for 6:45 PM, they're usually there on the dot. They sometimes call while en-route to let us know.
More than half of our customers are "regulars" and order hot appetizers to be on the table when they walk in. So timing is pretty precise.
