Upon entering a restaurant, look for the host stand. The host stand is at the front of the restaurant. If you find the host stand but no one's there, wait patiently. A helpful person will be with you soon. There may only be one host and that host might be seating another party. The host will be right back.
It's rude to other customers to automatically assume you can sit
wherever you want. The table you desire might be reserved for someone
else. There might already be a line of other customers waiting for the
exact same table.
If there appears to be no host stand, if there's a sign that says, "Please seat yourself", or if you're just sick of waiting for a host to show up, you are free to seat yourself wherever you'd like.
It is important to note that while there is no excuse for poor service, there are explanations for it. Seating yourself may place in the section of a server who is already overloaded with tables. Part of a host's job is to evenly distribute customers to the servers so as to best ensure an excellent experience. Tables may remain open during a rush in order to alleviate pressure on the servers, bartenders, and cooks. Should that happen? Probably not, but restaurant managers have to make decisions that will ensure the best experience for everybody.
Most restaurants have employees, called hosts or hostesses whose job it is to seat you. Despite their often young age, they really do know what they're doing. If you let them do their job, it will yield a more positive overall restaurant experience.
