How long would you wait in line for your meal?

I went to Phillipe's in Los Angeles today.
 
Got there and in line at 2:30PM.  The place was packed!
 

 
A "cough" gentleman behind me in line was inching his way in front of me as if I didn't notice it.  It wasn't worth a scene even though I was thinking bad things.
 
After 20 minutes in line he gave up for another line.  I figured I was committed to the line that I was in so that's where I stayed. I've always had bad luck when changing lines.
 
The creep was all of a sudden in front of me.  Then he was at the counter and I was still several people back.  At fifty-five minutes I reached the counter.  He was probably finished and on his way to cutting in front of someone else.
 
The counter person started my order and all of a sudden left to help someone in the back of my line!  I waited for her return which was almost immediate.  No reason to get steamed now.
 
My order:
 

Pork dip, cole slaw, pickle and a pickled egg.  The sandwich does not come  with the cole slaw inside.  It's just bread and your meat of choice.  I also added some of their sinus clearing mustard.
 
Anyway, I waited for fifty-five minutes!  My mother waited on a hard wooden stool for that fifty-five minutes.  Was I crazy?  Would I do it again?
 
On the way home we passed by Pink's.  The line wrapped around the building.
 
For Phillipe's I'd wait.  For Pink's?  No way!
 
What is your wait patience breaking point?
 
I always figured that if I figure in the amount of time it would take to get to another place, my meal probably would already have been finished.

I forgot to mention that as soon as I got to the counter, all lines seemed to disappear.
 
So...  get there at 3:30PM if going to Phillipe's on a Sunday afternoon.

I guess it would depend on how much time I had, how hungry I was, and whether or not I knew the food was that good. But as a rule, if it's going to take me more than 20 minutes just to order, and who knows how long after that to get my food...nope. My business is lost.

Phillipe's is usally worth it because you can't get the same thing elsewhere. 
 
It was our destination as my mother loves it.  (I do, as well)
 
Just a side note...  coffee is still 9¢ a cup... no free refills.
 
My pork sandwich was $6.00 and my mother's lamb sandwich was $7.50.

NO   .... never have .... there's too many other places with Good Food to eat

If I'm with people and we get a table right away I can live with waiting 55 minutes from the time I walk in the order to the time I take the first bite, but stand in line that long just to order?  No <your adjective of choice> way.  If that's the case I'll move along but make a mental note to return another day at a different time.
 
Brad

If the wait for a table or the line to order is more than 15-20 minutes, I'll generally go somewhere else. However, I also don't mind waiting a little longer for the food if I'm seated quickly, as long as the wait staff pay attention to our table, drinks filled, etc.
 
And don't even get me started on crowded bars.

Since I have two small kids with me almost any time I dine out, 15 minutes is about the tops I would wait, and even that is a stretch.

There once was a tourists trap in St Petersburg, Fl called the Kapok Tree. We, 70 somethings grandma and grandpa, 30 somethings me and wife ,and two young boys arrived to a busy scene and were assured of a 15 minute wait. Two-and-a-half-hours later, having long since lost our appetites, we were seated in a filthy dark dining pavillion and served cold chewy steaks and greasy fries. I'll never understand why we allowed ourselves to suffer thru that evening, but it was the last time I've ever stood in line for more than a few minutes for anything. If I see a line I'm gone off to look for a better place to eat.
 
Cheers, John 

HI Mar, I would do as you advise, go at 3:30 when the lines are shorter. If I was with you, I would have taken Mom down the street for a few Taquitos.........thats what friends are for.............pnwc

Ah, the Kapok Tree. I remember being taken there by my wife sometime back in the '70s. It was her folks' favorite place. We pulled into the parking lot and there must have been 50 people -- men with white hair and women with blue hair -- waiting to get in. I think we went to Lum's after we left the parking lot.

Two of those folks were probably my mother-in-law-and father-in-law - (Mom had blue hair and Dad's was white)  they thought the place was great until that fiasco of an evening.
After that they used to drag us to a big place in the Pasadena area - Johnny something-or-other(?) that served up very popular bland comfortable dishes to warm the  old folks heart.
 
Cheers, John 
 
 

 
 

Two of those folks were probably my mother-in-law-and father-in-law - (Mom had blue hair and Dad's was white)  they thought the place was great until that fiasco of an evening.
After that they used to drag us to a big place in the Pasadena area - Johnny something-or-other(?) that served up very popular bland comfortable dishes to warm the  old folks heart.
 
Cheers, John 
 
 

You're repeating your self again, John  ........

It's not how long I'd wait in line, it's how long I'd make my Mother wait in line!

It was my mother who wanted to eat there.  I would have been happy to go elsewhere even though I love Phillipe's.
 
Clifton's might be a second choice next time.
 
 

I don't like waiting in lines for anything. Since food is discretionary, I always avoid lines when going out to eat. It's the main reason why I've never been to Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge.
 
Just last month my wife and I (native Brooklynites, 25 years in NJ) decided to walk across the Brooklyn bridge for our first time. The destination at the end was Grimaldi's. This was about our 4th attempt to eat there. We finished our walk at 11:30 AM and the place was just opening, only problem was the line was already 45 minutes long. This is Brooklyn, there's like a million places to eat, including quite a nice selection of outdoor carts in Brooklyn Bridge Park, about 1/2 block away. Problem solved:
http://www.brooklynbridgeparknyc.org/visit/concessions-restaurants
 

My all time high was waiting 2 hours at Joe's Stone Crab in Miami. I have been known to leave and get a snack and come back if the place is worth the wait.
Johnny

It's diffferent if a bar is involved.

Life's too short to wait in line at a restaurant and easy enough to find a good place that's close by.

i trained myself to go to the good busy places durring off hours so we can enjoy ourselves

seafarer john

There once was a tourists trap in St Petersburg, Fl called the Kapok Tree. We, 70 somethings grandma and grandpa, 30 somethings me and wife ,and two young boys arrived to a busy scene and were assured of a 15 minute wait. Two-and-a-half-hours later, having long since lost our appetites, we were seated in a filthy dark dining pavillion and served cold chewy steaks and greasy fries. I'll never understand why we allowed ourselves to suffer thru that evening, but it was the last time I've ever stood in line for more than a few minutes for anything. If I see a line I'm gone off to look for a better place to eat.
Cheers, John 

Kapok Tree??? Brought back memories of being there in the 70's. Is it still open?

I would wait in line at Phillipes, as I have never been there and have heard from all of you that it is great.I would wait in line for a good philly cheesesteak on the east coast. I will not,however, wait in line at a local restaurant-if I havent made a reservation, and its more than 20 minutes, Its a no go.

Waited in enough chow lines in the military. So I guess my time line is about 10 minutes. Unless of course they can get me to a seat in the bar, so I can have an overpriced libation or two.

Kapok Tree is long gone and not al all missed...
 
Cheers, john 

ann peeples


I would wait in line at Phillipes, as I have never been there and have heard from all of you that it is great.I would wait in line for a good philly cheesesteak on the east coast. I will not,however, wait in line at a local restaurant-if I havent made a reservation, and its more than 20 minutes, Its a no go.

I'll wait in line with you, Ann.  It's easier if you have someone to complain to.

Absolutely, Mar!!

Deal!

I don't have much patience for waiting in lines. A famous place that I really wanted to go would probably equal 20 min of patience.
PS. There was also a Kapok Tree in Ft. Lauderdale for many years owned by the same people I understand. My wife used to go there long before I knew her. Said it was the place of choice for prom dates and or fancy drinks back in the 70's.