By MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer – Oct. 2, 2007 – 2:03 pm

Jim and Doris Demos stand beside Stephen Lewis' Sept. 23

For those who missed it, Stephen Lewis gave out some invaluable advice in his Sept. 23 “There Ought to a Law” column, but his suggestion for avoiding the wait at Demos’ Steak and Spaghetti House has gotten the most attention.

Jim Demos, owner of famed restaurant, even framed the column and placed it in his lobby for all to see.

“The thing about humor is there’s always an element of truth and we’ve had any number of people to try it,” Demos said.

Many have experienced the situation. Maybe you’re out for a quick lunch and or you’re looking for dinner before a date, either way there is a limited amount of time and all you want is a Demos’ steak or some chicken and rice soup.

And it never fails, there are about 50 people ahead of you in line and you just don’t want to wait.

Lewis advised raising a stink with the hostess to get a table.

“Tell her you’ve been waiting for over an hour and you know you’ve seen others who came in after you get tables … Go into a short rant getting louder as you go,” Lewis wrote. “You’ll be eating Chicken Rice soup and hot rolls before you know it!”

It may be questionable advice, but does it work?

“No one has tried it on me,” said Kateline Ford, a Demos’ hostess, “but it might work. … Whenever somebody says they’ve been here for a while, we put them at the top of the list.”

If you don’t want to wait and aren’t one for making a scene, Ford suggests waiting until about 2 o’clock to eat lunch or make reservations for a weeknight. The restaurant doesn’t take weekend reservations.

In case you’re thinking about trying Lewis’ advice, Demos said tactic won’t work, but the suggestion has gotten a lot of laughter.

“It certainly has garnered a lot of attention. …” Demos said. “It’s been fun for us.”

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.