How LONG would you WAIT at a RESTAURANT for a FRIEND to show UP??

I probably wouldn't go into the restaurant without them there . I would wait for about five or ten minutes in the car and if they still were not there yet then I would give them a call to see where they were and what the hold up was . If they didn't have a cell then I would probably call around and see if anyone knew where they would . I wouldn't wait more then twenty minutes though .

MOST of the time I won't be seated until I know they are there, unless I'm expecting them any moment. I think the longest I've ever waited was 30 minutes, & part of that is my habitual earliness.

I would probably wait around an hour. 15 minutes is just running late. 30 minutes, the friend is probably caught in traffic. 45 minutes, I would be calling and seeing of the friend was on the way and asking if the friend was okay. 1 hour...I would seriously be looking around and then leaving. But I probably would not wait inside the restaurant. I would wait outside where I would feel more comfortable waiting alone. LOL

I think that this depends on culture and on how long you have been friends with the person you're waiting for. In my case, with my close friends, sometimes I'm the one late and sometimes one of them will be late. We have already gotten used to each other's tardiness that we just order right on while waiting. If the person I'm waiting for isn't close to me, or someone in authority, then I have to wait for him/her before ordering. Culturally, it's okay in the Philippines (the country of my birth) to order food right on if the person being waited on is an acquaintance. The tardy person must have one way or the other informed the other one of the tardiness, so it's okay to eat while waiting. Here in the U.S., I know that being on time is important, so I think culturally, it would be different.

It really depends on the person I'm meeting, my Mom is always late and not uncommon to be waiting a half hour to an hour for her - I wait for her however, out of respect. If it's a "gentleman" and a date - 15 minutes I ask to be seated and order something to drink, by the time I've finished that if he hasn't shown I'm outta there and he had better have a really really good story or he won't get a second chance.

I don't think I would go into the restaurant without them either. I would hate to sit there waiting for someone and have them not show up...I would be really upset! I would be really embaraassed!

i will wait in car till he/she arrive, it is real hard to sit alone in restaurant give explanations.

I would probably wait about 15 minutes for a friend to show up. I would then call her on her cell to see if there is a problem. If I get voice mail, I will tell her I am leaving the resturant and we can meet up another time.

When I was a waitress those were the kind of tables I hated the most. No offense. I'd just get so impatient because that was cutting into my money, and most people don't tip extra because they held up your table. I always try to meet my friends somewhere with a bar. That way if I'm there early, or they're running late I can have a drink and just chill. I don't think I've ever waited more than a half hour though. But I'm not a very patient person when it comes to that kind of stuff.

I'll echo what several others have said about not even going *into* the restaurant without the friend there. I would make sure I had the friend's cell phone number before I left so that I could call if they were running late. That way, I'd know what the hold-up was and have an idea when to expect them.

Thirty (30) minutes is all of my time I can devote to waiting for anyone for anything..People are so rude..mostly...everyone has a phone..but does anyone ever call to say that are running late or whatever the heck is their excuse...I used to sell cars for myself for about 25 years..when I first started I would wait forever for that "customer" that never kept an appointment...finally wised up and adopted the 30 minute rule..after that. I am back on my time....the car would always sell..finally realized if they weren't punctual, they prob weren't customers either...funny thing....the worst ones were from the Asian segment...they have no respect for time or Americans..don't know which, but 30 minutes is a good rule to adopt..Time is the one element you cannot replace...Money..friends...clothes..cars...whatever..they are all replaceable, but once that minute hand has swept by...that time is gone never to be seen again...Think about it!!!!

I would give them no longer than 45 minutes after their specified time before leaving. If I didn't get a call from them telling me they're going to be late - screw it. There are few things that anger me more than friends running late and not bothering to call me to let me know. I'll have a feww drinks while I wait, but if they don't show up within 45 minutes and they haven't called, I pay for my drinks and leave.

I will not order any food without my friend , because in case they did not show up , i will have trouble of finsih up all the food as i do not want to leave the food uneaten. In ofder not to let it happen, i seldom meet my friend in a restuarant, i will meet them before dinenr ,like go to movies then have dinner together.

It's good that you try not to be upset when your friends arrive late. Many people are never on time and do not value other people's time. I would order some snacks and wait for not more than half hour at the most. After all a friend should know the value of time. For some business people, time is money. They cannot waste time by waiting for people, be it restaurants, clubs, meetings.

well let me think..First off before i leave my house I would call and make sure they are still coming lol..then when i got there i would wait in my car for about 15 mins..then i would go in the restaurant..have a seat.wait about another 15 mins. then order..heck if i dine alone who cares..i dont mind..I do it all the time lol..so if they dont show....theres goo dreason..my friends wouldnt do that to me..but i still had a great meal anyways lol..

I would probably wait about 15-30 minutes. If they haven't shown up yet, I would probably do the same as you - order an appetizer and give them a little more time. If they haven't shown up or called by the time I finish my appetizer I would either order dinner or leave. If someone is running late, I think they should at least call. I think it's rude if they don't. If an hour or more has gone by and they still aren't there, then I'm wondering if they were in an accident or something happened. If it turns out that neither was the case and they were just late and didn't have a good reason, I don't think I'd be meeting that friend for dinner again anytime soon!

i would probably just go and order an drink and apertizer and if they are not there by that time or at least tried calling me, i would go and order my food and if they show up late then that is their problem, but i am not going to wait around forever.

If I am on time I expect my friends to be on time as well. If our appointed time was noon. I would be there at ten till 12. I would wait for them till 15 after (in case of traffic or something) Then I would order my meal. When they showed up they could order theirs. I will not be inconvenienced for someone who is late when I am on time.

There are a few friends whom I know will almost inevitably be late, so I've occasionally waited for 30 minutes or so in the bar area. And that's an important point there-- the people I know who are "timing challenged" I will ONLY meet in restaurants that have a separate seating/bar area for waiting. On a more general sort of level, I'll give someone about 20 minutes before trying to call them. If someone is a no-show, I will usually end up choosing to eat by myself-- I've generally not had a problem with that. Heck, I'm "all dressed up" so why shouldn't I have a good meal?

I would probably wait 30 minutes to an hour. I always call people if they dont come to a restaurant that they say they will come to.