7:58 pm
Forty covers booked. Two waiters on. One laminated menu — still showing last week’s specials.
Every price change means another reprint.
8:31 pm
Table 6 raises a hand. Then waves. Your waiter is three tables away, facing the other direction.
Guests start to feel invisible.
9:05 pm
“Does the risotto have nuts?” Someone walks to the kitchen to check. Again. The pass backs up.
Minutes lost on every allergy question.
10:40 pm
Table 6 pays, smiles politely, and leaves. On the drive home: ★★☆☆☆ “Lovely food, but we were forgotten.”
You find out days later. In public.