How Close to Closing Time Can I Walk Into a Restaurant?

When I started dating my boyfriend, we were both working hourly jobs — me as a backwaiter at a restaurant and him as a sales associate at the Apple Store. Most of our dates took place after we both got off work after 10 p.m., after scrambling to find a restaurant that would seat us for a late dinner. It was on those nights that I’d notice a discrepancy between us: he would never want to walk into a restaurant within 30 minutes of their closing time while I didn’t mind. “There’s no harm in asking,” I’d say.

It turns out that I might be in the minority on this matter. When I polled my Instagram followers on the latest time they’d consider arriving to a restaurant without a reservation, 60% of the 136 total responders said an hour before closing time, 34% said 30 minutes before, 4% said 15 minutes before, and only 1% (two people total) said they’d arrive at closing time. 

It’s no question that, the later a restaurant seats their last party, the later restaurant staff are able to complete all their closing duties — like taking inventory, putting away ingredients, and mopping the floor — the later they are able to go home.

So was I in the wrong? Have I been unconsciously inconveniencing restaurant staff by requesting a table mere minutes before the restaurant shuts its doors? I reached out to hospitality workers for answers, and it turns out, the “right time” to show up at a restaurant depends on way more than whatever the hours are listed as on their website, Google Maps, or wherever you’re getting your info.

Consider the type of restaurant

Not all restaurants are designed to welcome guests in at the last minute. At the now-closed Lengua Madre, which had a Mexican-inspired tasting menu that lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours, 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro would always be transparent with walk-ins on the later side. She’d explain that, since the meal would last until nearly midnight and that much of the dining room would be empty by then, it might not deliver on their expectations. 

“We’d be like, ‘We’ll seat you if you want, but I don’t want you to have a bad experience,’” Castro says. “More often than not, people would say, ‘You know what? No, that’s not the experience I’m looking for.’”

At her newly opened New Orleans restaurant, Acamaya, the more casual, a la carte menu gives her the flexibility to seat nearly anyone who shows up close to the stated closing time of 9:30 p.m. Though, in order to ensure the guests are able to receive the right amount of food before the kitchen begins their closing responsibilities, Castro asks guests who are seated at 9:30 to put their entire food order in quickly and all at once, excluding dessert.

Fast casual restaurants are another story. Since places like Chipotle and Sweetgreen will have ingredients prepped in advance, showing up right before closing time shouldn’t be a major imposition — but maybe consider getting your order to-go so that the staff can shut the place down as soon as possible. 

Consider the day of the week

Although a Saturday night reservation can sometimes feel impossible to score, it might be a whole lot easier to grab a last minute, late night table. “If it’s a Saturday night, we’re busy, the restaurant is bumping and the energy is high, then sure! Sit! I’ll push the closing time to 10 or 10:15 p.m.,” says Castro. “But if it’s a sleepy Sunday or Monday, sometimes I cut off seatings at 9 p.m.”

Of course, there are always exceptions. San Diego-based chef Claudette Zepeda will seat any guest who arrives before closing, as long as there’s a table available. “Close at 9 p.m. and they come in at 9 p.m., they have a table,” she says. “I don’t know many businesses that are good with turning away income.” 

Consider the type of meal you want to have

A good indication on whether or not your party’s arrival time is inconveniencing a restaurant, is how long you anticipate your meal to take. If you’re popping in for a quick meal after work and maybe even ordering something that takes less than five minutes to prepare like a pasta or soup — then you’re likely going to be in and out of the restaurant in 30 to 45 minutes. A table like that is a low-pressure undertaking for a team of exhausted restaurant workers. 

But if you’re hoping to linger, taking your time to contemplate your food order or even waiting for the rest of your party to arrive to decide what to eat, you might want to consider arriving earlier or going elsewhere — a cocktail bar with late-night snacks, perhaps. 

At Pascual in Washington, D.C., 2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss will always sit a walk-in who arrives close to closing time, as long as they agree to place their order quickly. “The kitchen has a closing time. It’s always 20 minutes after our public closing hours,” she says. “As long as the food order is taken before that, I don’t care how long they take to eat.”

Consider your attitude

If a restaurant is contemplating whether or not it is too late to seat you, the best thing you can do is to be nice to the host. “It’s all about the vibe check,” says Castro. “We’re in the service industry but we’re not here to serve you.” 

Pay attention to context clues. If you arrive at a restaurant and you see front-of-house staff cleaning, that means they’re ready to go home. If a host gives you the impression that they’re doing you a favor by seating you, that’s because they are. Acknowledge that you might be imposing on them. Say that you’ll be quick and stick to your words. And if they ask you to put your order in immediately, don’t insist that you need more time. 

If you’re kind, you’ll stand a better chance of being seated. But if you want an extra level of assurance before being denied, just give the restaurant a call. If no one picks up (or they don’t have a phone number listed), just drop by the restaurant. Like I still always tell my boyfriend, “There’s no harm in asking.”