Glossary

Four-top

What is a four-top?

A four-top is a table that seats four; the pattern extends to two-top, six-top, eight-top. The "top" counts seats, not guests: a couple seated at a four-top is two covers occupying a four-top, which is exactly the inefficiency hosts fight all night. Table mix (how many deuces, four-tops and big tables the floor holds) determines which reservations fit where, and smart seating matches party size to the tightest table that fits, keeping four-tops free for actual fours. When hosts and reservation systems assign tables, they are solving this puzzle: every four-top burned on a deuce at 7 PM is two covers you could not seat at 7:15.