Why Is My Server Making Me Order All My Food at Once?

With every restaurant guest interaction, there are always going to be moments when a server holds their breath, bracing themselves for complaints. It happens when they share the unfortunate news that the kitchen is out of that one special the guest was excited to try. It might happen again when the server says they can’t split the bill over more than four credit cards. But nothing compares to when a server has to say, “We ask that you order all your dishes at once.”

At buzzy restaurants around the country, especially in big cities, it’s increasingly common practice to require guests to put all their food orders in at one time — often with the exception of dessert. This means that if you’re the kind of person who wants to get the meal rolling with some appetizers before you even think about what you want for an entree, or if you’d like to start with a couple dishes and add more on based on how hungry you are, you may be out of luck. 

“It’s a funny thing because when I come to New York, it feels like a universal standard of service,” says chef Laine Myers, founder of the pasta pop-up Oro in Richmond, Virginia. “In Richmond, this is not the universal standard. In fact, it’s hardly practiced outside of much nicer [restaurants].” 

Myers implemented this policy when she was executive chef at Note Bene (which shuttered at the height of the pandemic), and she was met with resistance from not only guests, but also the servers. “Servers are afraid that the guest will balk back. But I would always tell them to deliver that info when you greet the table, set the expectation early on, and do it confidently,” she says. “Tell them to trust that this is actually the best way to do it for both us and them.” 

Here are some common reasons why the “please order everything at once” policy exists.

To ensure a table is getting the best possible food order

Although a guest usually would be able to add on a dish or two — especially if they’re still hungry — this policy is designed to completely prevent that situation from happening. When a guest does order all of their dishes together, the server is able to evaluate whether or not it’s the right distribution of food. Is there a good balance between meat and vegetables? Are they getting something to cut the heat of that really spicy curry? Did they order rice or bread to complement the proteins? And most importantly, is it enough food? 

If something feels off about the combination of dishes the guests ordered, the server can give them some recommendations, like, “If you’re hungry, you might want to consider ordering one or two more dishes,” or, “I’d recommend ordering [insert dish here] — I think it pairs perfectly with everything else you’re getting.” Sure, sometimes this is a scheme to upsell the guest, but in most cases, the server is just aiming to give them the best experience possible.

You, as the guest, are never obligated to take the server’s advice. Unless the restaurant is slammed (and as long as you ask nicely), the server will probably still accept your additional food orders. “I don’t criminalize servers ringing in an add-on or two down the road if someone is hungrier than they thought they’d be and accidentally under-ordered,” says Myers. “But a good server will also help guide their table correctly.”

To properly pace out the meal

When all the food orders get placed at once, both the server and the kitchen can properly space out every dish. A server will fire a dish (a message that signals the kitchen to begin preparing a dish) in the order that makes the most natural sense. For instance, small plates or appetizers that take a few minutes to make will come first, giving the kitchen ample time to prepare the entrees which might come 10 to 15 minutes after the guests finish their first course. 

“Having one ticket with table and seat numbers, with all of the needed information (sans dessert), is the best possible way to focus on one table’s experience,” says Myers. “I can cross off apps as they walk. Then when the server comes up to the kitchen and fires mains, I can note that fire time on the ticket and track the progress of the food a lot easier.”

At restaurants where entrees are just as fast, if not faster to prepare than appetizers, this policy isn’t as necessary. That is the case at Hanoi House in New York City, where the beef pho — the most ordered entree on their menu — can be plated up more quickly than their sautéed clams or crispy spring roll appetizers. 

“I’d rather get the apps in the kitchen and working — hitting the table sooner than waiting for [the guests] to figure out the whole order — then have the servers go back before any food is served to ask about their entrees,” says Hanoi House co-owner Ben Lowell. “But our menu is designed with fast fire times.”

To turn tables at a faster rate

This tends to be the point that bugs diners the most. When a server explains the “order all at once” policy, they’re often met with a response of, “You trying to get us out of here already?” But while getting all a guest’s food orders in at one time does make the dining process more efficient, it’s not supposed to make anyone feel like they’re being pushed out. 

“I think there’s this misconception of being ‘rushed’ by collecting the whole order at once,” says Myers, explaining that when guests order appetizers and entrees separately, the entrees are typically decided on less than 10 minutes after the apps. “That’s really not much of a time discrepancy between collecting the full order at once versus not.”

What the “order all at once” policy does prevent is guests camping out at the table — feeling obligated to hold their spot because they continue to order small dish after small dish, when really, it’s more profitable for a restaurant to turn the table over to a new party. “I think there’s such a thing as being hospitable to a fault and letting your table dictate your own processes and procedures,” says Myers. “But these are the rules because they work.”