Melbourne radio host slams ‘two-hour’ restaurant rule
Melbourne radio host Jack Charles has taken aim at the increasingly common “two-hour rule” at restaurants, saying he’s fed up with being rushed through a meal.
The 29-year-old, who works on The Chrissie Swan Show on the Nova Network, told news.com.au he dines out around three times a week and is tired of being told there’s a strict time limit on his booking.
“I had dinner at one of my favourite local restaurants tonight and before I could even order a drink or my butt hit the chair, the guy goes, ‘We need the table back by 7.30pm’,” he told news.com.au.
“I get it is hospitality, you’ve got to flip tables, but like, can we just wait until I’ve had at least a sip of my martini before trying to boot the customer out?”
Charles said being put on the clock takes the enjoyment out of dining out, leaving him “on edge” and less likely to settle in for the kind of relaxed night he expects when he books a table. He acknowledged restaurants need to keep turnover high to stay profitable, but said the blunt way some venues deliver the message can sour the experience before service even begins.
Some restaurants now enforce a 2-hour dining window — meaning a 6.30pm reservation could come with an 8.30pm exit time — allowing venues to seat multiple services in a single night. But Charles argued it also removes the option to linger over dessert or an extra drink, which for many diners is part of the appeal.
While he said he doesn’t “commandeer a table all night”, the radio host added he’s “considering” avoiding restaurants that enforce the rule.
“I feel bad for the wait staff having to tell us, but sometimes they’re d**ks about it,” he added.
Charles also questioned why the practice has stuck around since it became more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic, when venues introduced tighter booking limits to manage capacity, hygiene and social distancing.
“Covid is over. Enough now,” he said.
He later took the complaint to TikTok, where diners quickly weighed in — with some backing time limits in principle, but arguing it’s unfair when service runs slow, while others called the rule an “instant turn-off” and said they’d walk out if a venue tried to hurry them along. One person, however, defended the unnamed restaurant, saying at least Charles had been given warning upfront.
Jonathan Jackson, 5th February 2026
