cafe lou lou reservations

I told my brother in law about this, and he thought it was quite rude, so I thought I'd ask for an opinion here.

I eat dinner fairly early, around 5:00 p.m. The past two or three times I've been to Cafe Lou Lou in St. Matthews, I have gone to the host station and presented myself as a party of one. They have said, "We have a table, but we have a reservation on it. Do you think you'll be done in an hour?"

Is this normal?

Ellen, hi - I work at Cafe Lou Lou as the pastry chef, and I'm usually (almost ALWAYS) gone by the time dinner service rolls around, but here's what I'm guessing is happening:

We have two "dinner" crowds at Lou Lou St. Matthews - a demographic that eats very early in the evening like yourself, and another demographic that makes reservations for the 6:00-7:30 hour. We strive in every way to make sure tables that have been reserved in advance will be available when the party arrives, so that they don't have to wait - but we're also very very sensitive to single diners. It's our policy not to make them feel like they have to sit at the bar so they don't "take up" a table that's reserved for later. So many places alienate single diners and treat them as second class citizens by shuffling them off to a bad seat, or pressuring them to sit at the bar when they might rather not. Chances are good that you've chosen to dine with us on a night when tables were pretty heavily reserved, and the host or hostess is attempting to give you a choice of seats rather than force you to dine solo at the bar or at a bar table - especially if you're not planning on lingering more than an hour.

I apologize if it's seemed rude - I can just about guarantee they were attempting the opposite; trying to give you as many seating options as possible. Folks get grumpy when we seat them at the bar and then while they eat, they have to stare at all the empty tables that are reserved for 6:00 - especially if they pay and leave before anyone ever sits there!

There is one great way to avoid this whole situation - just call and make a reservation for one. Matter of fact, next time you plan to eat at Lou Lou, please contact me via PM through this forum, and I'll make the reservation for you myself - and dessert will be on me!

Edited to add: I should have said, I apologize THAT it seemed rude, not "if". One of my pet peeves is when folks apologize "IF anyone took offense", etc. Obviously you took offense, or you wouldn't have posted the question. So, just make that an unconditional apology.

I'm not in the industry, but I think Marsha's explanation is accurate. I've had three similar experiences at Jack Fry's. We would go to the track in the afternoon, and then decide we wanted to eat at Jack Fry's after. We were negligent in not making reservations in advance, but after a few hours at the track Jack Fry's is the perfect after-party. So, I'd call them around 2 or 3:00 from the track to get in around 5 (straigth from the track to JF's), and they would tell us we could be seated then, but would have to be out in an hour or hour and a half.

The first time this happened, I thought it was very rude. However, upon reconsideration, I was wrong. Other diners had made reservations days in advance for that 6:30 range, and with the restaurant's size, there aren't a lot of "shuffling" options. I realized that I would have been very upset had I made a reservation in advance for 6:30, but had to wait on my table because some post-track ruffians were enjoying their bourbon too much. JF's could have done two other things: (1) tell us they couldnt' get us in at all; or (2) not give advance warning of the time issue, but rush us through everything. I'd much rather prefer being told - "yes, we're happy to have you, but there is a time issue."

[Robin Garr]

Ellen, hi - I work at Cafe Lou Lou as the pastry chef, and I'm usually (almost ALWAYS) gone by the time dinner service rolls around, but here's what I'm guessing is happening:

Very classy response, Marsha. That's the kind of thing that makes Cafe Lou Lou so popular.

Hey! Watch for a PM!

Rude??? Cafe Loulou was trying to meet both your needs and those of the diners, who made reservations. We had a similar situation in Chicago at Shaw's Crab House. We took a chance as the restaurant was "slammed" and we did not expect to be seated. When the maitre' d inquired if we could finish within an hour, if we were given expedited service, we were thrilled.

I have used this same method many times working the doors in busy restaurants. I've always felt that it is a choice that might work for some if they really want to eat at a particular place, and if they choose to move on, well, at least I tried to accomodate their needs.
It works the other way too, I've been seated in places that were booked for the night when I mentioned that I wouldnt be staying long. It really is a win-win IMHO.

My original post wasn't actually asking for commisseration, but just for comments. Like I said, I originally told my brother-in-law, and he was pretty shocked. He then told my sister, who was also surprised. Both said that, if they went into a restaurant and were told that there was a table with a reservation and asked if they thought they would be finished in an hour, they would not stay.
My question had nothing to do with being a single diner. I would not have minded sitting at a bar table at all, but it was never offered. I dine alone all the time and it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I would probably have rather that they offered me an either/or option: Would you rather sit at this table where there's a time limit, or would you rather sit at a bar table?
As for calling in advance for reservations, I guess I may have underestimated Cafe Lou Lou's popularity (although I don't know why, with a good atmosphere and good food, and not many other "funky" options in St. Matthews). It is usually a whim for me to stop by there on the way home.