This is something many diners often wonder, especially at fine dining properties: Why would a restaurant display that it’s fully booked, even when empty tables are visible inside?
Pradeep Rao, executive chef, Conrad Pune, said it’s not about turning guests away, but “is a mindful choice”. “It is all about ensuring exceptional hospitality is kept for each guest who walks through our doors,” said Rao.
What most people often don’t realise is the orchestration that goes behind the scenes.
“Every plate that leaves my kitchen is carefully choreographed with a balance of time, precision, and craftsmanship. We operate with a mindful capacity and don’t measure by how many chairs we can fill. We take into account the kitchen load, pacing of service, and maintaining a certain ambience,” said Rao.
According to him, a restaurant measures its success by how seamlessly it can deliver an uncompromised, thoughtful service from the first course to the last.
“At times, an empty table you spot might be reserved for later seatings, or intentionally left vacant to give each guest a sense of comfort, space, and privacy because luxury is as much about how you feel as it is about what you consume,” said Rao.
Sometimes, the idea is also to pace the seating to ensure the staff can give every guest the attention they deserve, which is “personal, precise, and unrushed”.
When a restaurant says that it’s ‘full’, it’s most often about ‘delivering the highest standards of service and attention’ to those dining with us. “In hospitality, especially at fine dining restaurants , it’s about upholding the standards we’ve set; no experience has to be compromised in the pursuit of volume,” said Rao.
