My favorite Austin hangout, Hyde Park Bar and Grill, doesn't take reservations, which often means a backup on weekends for brunch and after UT football games. But the food is so delicious and the drinks so reasonably priced that it's no hardship to sit and chat with friends while waiting for a table.

Yes. I've never been to a restaurant that does take reservations. I tend to go to small restaurants around town, they have awesome food and not a lot of wait time.

No, I won't wait more than a few minutes for a table. If a place is that good that is has a big line, I'll go at an off time like a week day afternoon.

I would wait no more then 30 minutes but that is because I have a child who wouldn't wait and if we were on date night that is a longer night and that wait is costing us more with the sitter!
I usually go earlier or arrange for take out.

I do especially if I'm going to Max Brenner!

I can't think of many places with food good enough to justify more than a half hour wait. I have many better things to do with my time.

Only with groups of 4 or less! I also hate it when they won't seat your party until everyone is there! Can't tell you how many times I've lost a table at my fave brunch spot that won't seat until everyone is there. So frustrating!

Depends on the place. If i know its good and I'm willing to wait, then sure, but otherwise, there's always other options. Good time to explore other eateries that you wouldn't have noticed if your "unreservation" place wasn't full.

Depends on the place and the wait time.

So the bad thing about this is after waiting for 45 minutes, they said our table would be ready in ten minutes. Then the party of 7 that was before us on the chalkboard — whose name they called twice, but no one was there —  showed up right as "our" table emptied up. They had to give it to them and we had to wait another hour.

Depends on the restaurant. PartySister is right — groups shouldn't be too large. Which makes me nervous, since tonight I am going to a restaurant that doesn't take reservations with a semi-large group of people (I didn't pick the resto). Yikes!

I will never wait for a table in New York; just walk across the street. There are too many fantastic restaurants to waste my time.

There are not many restaurants that i go to that take reservations. I don't mind waiting for a little while. I do like how like The Outback Steakhouse has call ahead seating, i have still had to wait a few minutes sometimes but now as long as the people that walk in.

Haha, wow. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant where it is standard practice to make reservations.

there is this amazing sushi place that just opened near me. It is hands down one of the best in the city and they don't take reservations. the wait is always 45-1 hour or even more and I've done it because it is that good.

It depends on the restaurant. I'll wait up to about 30 minutes; if it's going to be much longer than that, I'll go somewhere else. I can't stand it when the host/hostess tells you it's only going to be a 15 minute wait and it ends up being like, 45 minutes before you get seated.

Do so many people eat in restaurants that you need to make reservations in order to eat? On another note, I would rather just go into a restaurant and sit at any place that I fancy, rather than ask 'can you get us a table for two' etc.