Well, I'm not sure about loyalty or favorites because I have never eaten in Lavinia's. Just haven't gotten around to it.
As to rudeness, it seems like the situation was explained politely but the explanation was unsatisfactory. They may have seated one group in the "closed" room because they had reservations and a table wasn't ready on time because some other group stayed longer than planned. I don't think it is necessary for a restaurant to explain and validate every nuance of how they organize their dining room.
I have been in the same situation (no reservation, busy restaurant) many times and after waiting to be seated for service was always able to chat with my server to find out even more information. Almost never have I felt the delay was unjustified. Rudeness and impatience goes both ways. I have seen many diners get huffy and indignant and not in the least bit interested in hearing a valid and polite explanation. They just want to be seated, NOW!!!
I just don't think it's fair to ding a restaurant dealing with an common local problem of limited staff and while disappointing, the description of Lavinia's explanation didn't sound rude.
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