There are times I enter a restaurant at the beginning of service and the floor director is putting the finishing touches on their pre-shift team meeting. Personally, I don't like this. You're aware of opening times and should finish this exercise before a guest walks through the door. The guest wants to be "transported" and this is not a good first impression.
Recently, I experienced something much more obnoxious. A team meeting five feet from my table in the MIDDLE OF SERVICE. This included a lecture on flatware placement, a quiz on the drink special (a bacon old fashioned) and how many pounds the restaurant grossed the previous day.
I enquired of my server why this was taking place in full view while I was dining and the response I got was, "We don't have any other time or place to do it."
I responded, "Are you hiring, because now I know how to work your floor?"
So the next time you're dining at the Intercontinental Park Lane London, feel free to jump in and help out the staff because you're truly a member of the team. Maybe they'll invite me to family meal next time.