What is Algonquin Roundtable?
1.
A phenomenon that occurs in restaurants, most frequently at midmorning on a Sunday. A typical Algonquin Roundtable will consist of at least 3 elderly couples, preferably 5 or more. They will be seated as follows: all men on one side of the table, all women on the other side, each person facing his or her spouse. They will have all just come from church services, and will be dressed in their (often very loud) Sunday best. In addition, one of them, almost always a man, will be speaking so loudly and authoritatively that he dominates all conversation, not only at the table, but in the entire room.
We had to wait awhile for a table at IHOP because an Algonquin Roundtable was in progress.
See