What Birds Don’t Fly On Friday?
by John Weckerle
Pelicans.
Or, more correctly, Pelican’s (with an apostrophe), which is the name of a steak and seafood restaurant in Albuquerque. The denizens of New Mexico Central have dined there many times in the past, although less frequently in recent years after a hike in prices some years back. We were in the neighborhood, though, felt like having some seafood, and stopped in.
We arrived at 5:15, and the place was already packed. We put our names in for a table, and were told that the wait was about 30 minutes – about what one would expect for that time on a Friday. All the bar tables were taken, so we began watching for one to open up. One eventually did, and we were told that it was “reserved.”
After 30 minutes, your editor checked to see how much longer the wait would be, and was unable to get a firm answer – the only response the hostess had was “we’re waiting for people to leave the tables.” I noticed at that time that very few names had been crossed off the list. We attempted to get another table in the bar, and were told that one was reserved as well. A few minutes later, we heard the hostess telling people that the bar was “open seating.”
After 50 minutes of waiting, I checked back again. No additional names had been crossed off the list, although a number of people had been seated (there is apparently a separate list for reservations). At this point they couldn’t be sure, but threw out 15 minutes as a guess, saying that it was “beyond their control.” At this point, both the people in our party had had enough, and since the manager was nowhere to be seen, we left. We saw the manager on the way out, standing outside and watching the traffic in the parking lot, but since there was no way we were going back in, we decided not to interrupt his reverie. We continued on our way to Los Cuates, where we were told it would take 25 minutes, were seated in 10, and had our food far more quickly than would likely have been the case if we’d stuck with Pelican’s – and probably spent half as much.
Now, we don’t have a big problem with waiting a bit for a table on a Friday night. Neither do we have an issue with things taking a few extra minutes. However, we do feel that establishments have a responsibility to reasonably estimate wait times. Saying it will take 30 minutes and having it take 40 is annoying but not too much so. Having it go over an hour is another story. People make decisions based on these estimates, and some of these may have health implications. We’ve been out to dinner – at Pelican’s, a few years back, actually – where this became an issue with respect to a friend’s diabetes.
Put simply, Pelican’s needs to learn how to manage its customer flow better. The restaurant was clearly over-booked with reservations, leaving no leeway for walk-ins, and while we understand that people with reservations deserve to be seated on time, those who come in spontaneously should be given honest wait time estimates rather than being treated like standby passengers at an airport. The bar should not be used as a de facto second dining room, especially given that the establishment’s web site specifically markets happy hour. Nobody makes happy hour reservations.
Will we return to Pelican’s? Possibly, though probably not any time soon. We tend to be a little spontaneous in our dinner choices, and we’re not typically interested in hanging around in restaurants and not eating. There are other seafood choices in Albuquerque, and plenty of restaurants equal to or surpassing Pelican’s in terms of food quality and value – and as our readers know, we do enjoy a good meal!