Experts Have Found A Link Between Where You Live & How Late You Are For Dinner Dates

How's your time keeping? Would you consider yourself an excellent person to rely on, always on time? Early even? Or are you more along the lines of the white rabbit in Alice In Wonderland, running around shouting "I'm late! I'm late!" Time keeping is and always has been an issue for many. Well, guys, new research has shown which areas of the the UK are late to dinner reservations most often, and the results may surprise you.

The research was done by online reservation service Open Table, who looked at the stats from the UK and came back with some seriously interesting — and very surprising — results. Especially regarding the worst offenders. Because I'm sure you went in assuming that London was about to be the latest, right? Well, in actual fact, that's not the case. London doesn't even make the top ten for latest diners.

The worst of all was Berkshire. Yes, residents in Berkshire are the most likely to turn up late to a reservation, with a shocking 11% turning up 30+ minutes late. Ugh, now let me tell you, as somebody who has worked in hospitality, even reading that makes me feel anxious. And as somebody who loves their grub, you can add another whole layer of "oh hell no" to that.

Following Berkshire was Oxford, Kent, and Hampshire in joint second place, with 9% of residents in each place turning up 30+ minutes late. Come on, guys! Next up was Cornwall/Devon, Bath/Somerset, Hertfordshire, and Essex, at 8%.

But, hey, it's important to not only call out the naughtier people in this world but also to celebrate those who are often on their best behaviour. And luckily the research also flagged all of those most likely to turn up early to a reservation. And all of the following are getting gold stars on their star chart.

I would like Brighton to take the floor with an absolutely remarkable 65% of residents turning up on time or early for their reservations. I stan. After that we have Birmingham/The West Midlands in at 64%, Norfolk/Suffolk and Glasgow/Lanarkshire at 63%, and Newcastle/Northumberland in at 62%.

Adrian Valeriano, the VP EMEA at Open Table, commented on the whole situation, pointing out that, of course, there are logistical issues that can contribute to timeliness. However, it's important to be considerate of the businesses you are visiting and how much lateness can mess up the efficacy of their service. "It's important to be considerate of how your booking behaviours can impact businesses as it can disrupt the restaurant's service and could prevent other diners from booking the table that you may not be able to use," Valeriano says.

So next time, check the traffic, set an alarm, or walk a little bit faster, as it could make a big difference to the people waiting for you.