I agree with the sentiments expressed in the Glicks’ “Are We Not Embarrassed?” (April 19, 2018) article. There is no excuse for the customer behaviors they described. At the same time, food establishments should be familiar enough with human nature to consider altering their protocol when appropriate. Below are some suggestions for a pizza place opening right after Passover.

A restaurant should:

1) enact a “no phone orders” policy that evening.

2) update the wait time on Facebook or a website, so potential walk-ins can check beforehand.

3) cap each order at a certain number of pizzas (three?), so one group doesn’t order 10 pies at the expense of other families’ ability to enjoy any pizza at all.

4) publicize these policies before the holiday and have an answering machine that repeats them that evening. (Workers should not be fielding phone calls that night.)

Alternatively, if the restaurant knew its hourly capacity and had time to get organized pre-Seders, they could have an online, prepaid form, listed by time slot, completed before the holiday and not accept ANY new orders that evening—though that would seem the hardest to enforce (and I’m not sure how this would work with Passover Chametz-owning legalese.)

Chinese restaurants open on December 25th might want to consider these ideas in reverse: make only phoned in, take-out orders available (no walk-ins), so staff can ignore table waitering and focus on the more complicated kitchen prep.

See you in line next year!

Debbie Marcus

Basking Ridge