There are many different opinions on whether restaurants should stay open past 9 p.m. Some believe it’s convenient for those who work late, while others argue it places unnecessary strain on restaurant staff.
Employees express frustration at accommodating customers when they are preparing to close, as it can add extra pressure, especially after completing their tasks. On the contrary, some argue that it is the responsibility of the staff to assist customers within the establishment’s operating hours, a valid point to consider. With all these opinions, it’s hard to say whether restaurants should be open later.
The reason why restaurants are closing before 9 p.m. is that people are eating at home more often than dining in a restaurant. Most restaurants are on food delivery apps so that people can eat in the comfort of their own homes. However, the downside to ordering online is that the food might be late or cold, and the person who ordered it will be disappointed. Wouldn’t it be better to dine at the restaurant without the risk of waiting a long time or having one’s food get cold? Ordering online can have more drawbacks than dining in a restaurant.
Many people do not want to go out past 9 PM to eat, but the rising demand, better unit economics, and an improving labor picture are why restaurants are open past 9 p.m. Even if some people have a problem with it, the restaurant would likely have the same or more hours in the future because they believe it benefits their company more. If they were closed before 9 p.m., those benefits would decrease or disappear completely, which the company frowns upon. It’s very likely that if the company was making more, the employees would be paid more, benefiting the entire restaurant by being open later.
If one wants to go the more extreme way, restaurants would benefit more from being open 24 hours a day, which in the long run would have both positive and negative consequences for the company because no matter what the company chooses to do, the customers will still complain. But, if most restaurants were open 24 hours a day, people could come in whenever they wanted to and there would be fewer people complaining about the hours not fitting into their schedule. 24-hour gas stations are very beneficial to people when they want a snack or a drink, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem if restaurants do the same thing.
But then again, people will complain no matter what companies choose to do. There is always someone out there who will say something. Overall, it would be more beneficial if restaurants were open 24/7 so people can come in whenever they want to without worrying about whether it fits into their schedule or not.
