For me, I would be really bored to hang out a couple of hours after dinner. An hour is ok but more than that, am ready to leave. Unless it is a business dinner.
Where I live, when you have the table it is yours, for the whole evening. Only one restaurant if you reserve for the 7:30 table they let you know that they need it by 9:30. And once we didn't have time to have dessert.
What really disturbs me in the US is how quickly they give you the check. It bugs the daylight out of me. Normally I tell the over exuberant server that we really aren't ready, or order a coffee or tell them I would add extra to the already generous tip but please leave us a few more minutes.
I really feel that customers are like herd, in and out. At times, it just doesn't make sense to me to eat out in the US unless it is fine dinning.
The noise level, the over intrusion of the servers, the empty plates that are taken when not the whole table is done. I always tell the server to keep the empty plates because it is makes the ones who didn't finish rush with their food.