Eat and run: Is 90 minutes too little for dinner at a restaurant?

Don’t get too comfortable: those ‘dining window’ 90 minute and two-hour restaurant sittings aren’t going anywhere. Are you a fan? TAKE OUR POLL

Restaurants including Lankan Filling Station, left, and Margaret, right, are among a sea of fine diners which have multiple sittings and timed dining windows. Pictures: Supplied

Is 90 minutes too little time to enjoy dinner? That’s what Sydney diners are asking as more restaurants opt for 90 minute dining windows to help usher more diners through the doors.

Venues including Sugarcane in Coogee, Maybe Frank in Randwick, The Potting Shed in Alexandria, Lankan Filling Station in Darlinghurst and The Boatshed in La Perouse are all venues that have 90 minute time limits for some sittings and advertise this fact when customers make a booking.

Stefano Casino, co-owner of Maybe Frank said the windows were introduced to match dining patterns.

“The 90-minute early dinner booking suits our guests who are going to the cinema or a sports game … then for those who want to make a longer night of it we take bookings at 8.15pm and they’re welcome to stay until close,” he said.

“Like any restaurant, if your table has another reservation then you are required to finish in the booking window you have chosen but if it’s a quieter night you are welcome to stay until your table is required.”

Randwick’s Maybe Frank restaurant. Picture: Supplied

While Lankan Filling Station advises the time limit is due to their small venue and to allow for both reservations and walk-ins.

Sugarcane owner Milan Strbac said the 90-minute dining window for the early sitting allows his business to stay afloat.

“My business relies on doing two sittings a night. With wages, produce and electricity prices all going up there is no way we could survive if we didn’t offer the two sittings,” he said.

‘If guests want to stay longer, we encourage them to book the later sitting.”

Popular Merivale venues like Mr Wongs, Totti’s and Mumu all advise of their two hour dining limit online.

Justin Hemmes explains the reason for the limit is to keep up with demand. “It is used as a guideline only and of course we do our best to be flexible to suit the guests requirements and dining experience,” he said. “People are far more flexible with their dining times now post Covid and dinners now start at 5pm and go until late in the night and in some cases until 2am. It really is such a positive thing for the vitality and culture of our city.”

Other venues with two hour limits include Nomad, Gilda’s and Neil Perry’s Margaret.

Veteran chef Luke Mangan said he wasn’t into pushing time limits, however that comes with the luxury of having restaurants big enough to cater to lots of diners.

“Some smaller restaurants may need to do the push and shove, especially if people just sit on an entree and water in the main restaurant,” he said.

Head of Restaurants and Catering Industry Association Suresh Manickam stated that until the industry has caught up with the staff shortage drain from Covid, dining time limits will continue to exist.

Manickam believes that because venues are still struggling with skilled workers, many venues have shorten their trading hours or days however need to do the same turnover in that time.

“Unless we address the cause for the lack of supply for labour, nothing will change,” he said.

Manickam believes there is still 100 000 staff needed across Australia in the hospitality industry.