Riding the wave with Bourdain & Ripert

Chef Bourdain & Ripert "riding the wave"

"Think about this the next time you reach into your wallet for a tip..." - Anthony Bourdain

This is not a lounge, this is a restaurant!

How long do you think is too long after you have ordered anything other than a water refill before you decide to "give up your table" for the next patron that is on a wait to sit and eat? 10 minutes? I could give you some generosity and maybe even say 20 minutes. But sitting in a 10 seater booth with your friend and ordering one appetizer and water after water after water refill for over 2 hours is inconsiderate to the people waiting for a table and to your server who makes money off of how many people they can serve and how much they can serve in a night.
So, If you ever find yourself sitting in a crowded restaurant on, a say, Friday/Saturday/Sunday football shift... you better be ordering food and drinks. YOUR TAB SHOULD REFLECT THE TIME YOU'VE SPENT IN THE ESTABLISHMENT.
AKA: If you've been there for almost 4 hours, you shouldn't have a $27 bill - BUT if you do, you had better tip well. And when I say well, factor in the server could have turned the table 4 times in 4 hours (so tip for those four tables they didn't get) while you talked about how "much you hate Cindy in accounting"...
But I'm just a waitress... what do I know?