Hostess staff received our walkup reservation and ...

Hostess staff received our walkup reservation and entered our info. They notified us of a 30 minute wait and that a text would be received when our table was ready. 1 hour later, I inquired for the 3rd time about our table. As I was questioning the hostess about getting seated, a customer known to the hostess walked in an inquired about seating. The hostess informed the customer of the 30 minute wait. The customer asked if she couldn't do better to which the hostess called upstairs to another hostess and voila, up she and her quest went! To say that was a bit discouraging was an understatement. So having witnessed this, I inquired about my unseen, favored treatment. The hostess then expressed dismay over our long wait time and what do you know, up we went. The 2nd floor buffet was crowded but only being served on one side. The new arrangement of food took some getting used to but not a problem. The snow crab legs were warm and in supply. The other food items were in abundance. The taste of the grilled crab cakes is not so good. Clearly these are not Phillip's Seafood #1 cakes. The prime rib was tasty, as were the pork ribs. Service staff are always pleasant and do a good job with drinks and other requests. This was not our best experience at Phillip's 21st St. but I'm sure we will return again next year.