DEAR ABBY: I'm writing about the letter from the diner who entered a Chinese restaurant 15 minutes before the posted closing time and was rushed through dinner.
Abby, in some restaurants the posted closing time means that is the time the kitchen closes; in others, the kitchen closes 15 to 30 minutes before the restaurant closes.
I paid my way through beauty school by working in restaurants, and every one of them meant something different by the sign on the door. I now run a hair salon, and our hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. That means we take our first appointment at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 5:15 (but an appointment that late must be a simple, quick procedure such as a comb-out). I understand that clients want to know when they can come, not when I go home. However, the salon down the street posts a sign that closing time is 5:30 p.m., and they mean they want to get out the door at 5:30.
The best one can do in this crazy world is to ask what the hours mean. -- JOAN IN TUCSON
DEAR JOAN: Thanks. Once again, the sage counsel is one we've all heard a million times. When in doubt, ASK!