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What's Wrong For Dinner

I know I have written previously about dining etiquette. It is just a huge pet peeve of mine. Several things happened this weekend that I just felt the compelling need to voice my opinion over. So instead of straight bitching, which is my norm, I have decided to make a list of Dining Do's and Do Not's.

I will start with the Do Not's. For they are usually more interesting.

Do Not!!

1. Yell at someone who is not your server "Hey! Hey You! I want my check now dammit!" (Servers do not close out other tables. If I didn't wait on you, and you want your check, please ask me politely to get your server.)

2. When your steak is prepared wrong and needs to be refired and brought up to temperature, do not write a note saying, "Because my steak is cooked wrong, you get no tip!" (Yes, this happened tonight. Not to me. Your server does not cook your food. That would be the "Cook". If the only thing that went wrong with your dining experience was the temperature of your steak. Don't take it out on your server. She or he did nothing wrong.)

3. If you spend $113.00 on a meal, do NOT give your server $120.00 and tell her to keep the change and that she did an excellent job. (This makes you look like an Ass. A cheap one at that. I will say it again. If you cannot afford to tip correctly, Mc Donald's will happily take your money.)

4. If you come into a restaurant and are told there will be a 45 minute wait. Do not start bitching at the hostess 30 minutes later. Forty-five minutes is fifteen minutes away. (The hostess can not seat you, no matter how much you wish to be seated, if there isn't a table to dine at, unless of course you would like to eat in the bathroom on the toilet. I am sure we can find you seats in there for your trashy attitude.)

5. Do Not ask for half sweet tea and half regular. (That makes you look too damn lazy to add sugar to your tea. If you want sweet tea order it. You are making your server take two trips for each of your refills. This too makes you look like an Ass.)

6. Half Diet and half regular Coke. ( Get a clue, you are not saving any calories this way. Just pick a damn drink.)

7. Don't just leave fifty cents on the table, because you spent too much to tip or are just too cheap. (This is an insult. Do you like to be insulted? I don't think so. When you do that, all we really want to do is chase you out the door and throw the money at your cheap ass head.)

8. Do not, while speaking a foreign language, take pictures of your servers breasts then tell jokes in your home language. (This actually happened. Personally if I was management, I would have asked them to leave. If I was the server, they would have been wearing their food.)

9. Do not act like your server is an inconvenience. (If you didn't want someone to wait on you, why are you at a sit down restaurant. There are millions of crappy buffets everywhere. )

10. Do not knocked 70 freshly rolled silverware set-ups out of a servers hand and onto the floor then stand there laughing and pointing at said server. (Rolling silverware is a bitch. That silverware you just knocked out of his/her hand has to now be washed again twice, separated and polished, then rolled again. You just made that person have to stay at least another half an hour longer at work. It is not funny.)

Those are just some of the "Fun" things that happened this weekend alone. Now for the Do's

1. Manners! The words are Please, Thank You, Your Welcome, May I? and Would you mind? (Whether we mind or not is not the point, it is our job we will get it for you. Though we would rather do it happily. Manners used are manners given.)

2. Do write nice things. (Believe it or not, even a thank you written on the receipt will make your server smile. It is thoughtful and not in the least bit old fashioned.)

3. Do try to keep your child's mess contained. (We as servers understand that children are messy. But mashed potatoes smeared on the wall is uncalled for at all times.)

4. Do try to hold at least a three minute conversation with your server. (Don't keep them long. But this shows them that you think they are human. You might get a witty conversation and better service. We like to build regular guests that are just our own. I have made many a good friend this way.)

5. Do let your child have something other then water to drink. Even if it is just milk. (Dining out should be a treat to children. They sit there and get antsy. Letting them have something other then water makes it a more special occasion.)

6. Do give compliments. Genuine ones. (Stopping the manager and telling him you had a great experience helps to brighten his mood as well as your servers. Serving is highly stressful, a compliment is another smile given.)

7. Enjoy yourself. Laugh and have fun! Dining out should be fun not a hassle.

8. If you are going to go outside and have a cigarette. Let your server know. (That way we can insure that your table doesn't get bussed.)

9. Do ask for anything extra you require at the same time. (Asking your server for extra stuff, every time she brings the last item you requested is annoying and rude. In having us make ten trips for ten different items, you have then made us fall behind with the other four tables we are waiting on. In turn, not only inconveniencing your server, but your fellow dining guests as well.)

10. Tip accordingly. Fifteen percent is standard. Twenty percent is preferred. If you Tip less then ten percent, that is offensive.

Those are just my top ten. Believe me when I say I have more pet peeves. Most of them have to do with co-workers. But I will leave that for another time.

Happy Dining and Blogging to you!
Posted by Adventures In Waitressing at 12:35 AM ZoeyBella said...

While I've never worked in a restaurant, I did/do have plans to one day co-own one. (My somewhat little secret!) I totally agree with you on everything you said. There's nothing worse than a rude (or in some cases) stupid, customer!

Sunday, June 17, 2007 11:39:00 PM 
Zoey, I love that you have a secret to wanting to own a restaurant. Now I have a secret for you, I plan on going to culinary school in less then two years. I yearn to be a real chef. Good luck on your secret.


Monday, June 18, 2007 12:39:00 AM cathouse teri said...

Honey, find a job at a decent restaurant! I'm sure you are a great server (based on what I've read) and you need to work in a place with a BETTER clientele!

Now move it! :)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 10:52:00 AM 
I just had to come back again and re-read what you wrote about customers who are total a-holes. So at what point do you end up wanting to run into the kicthen and start throwing dishes around? LOL

Good luck with the culinary school. I know you'll make it work for you big time!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 5:09:00 PM NML said...

I am howling with laughter. I've waitressed in the US so I do empathise although you'd get a rude awakening if you had to waitress here in the UK or most places in Europe. It's only the US that's a tipping nation! I used to get pissy when people would order a the burger with everything on it and then proceed to demand that I hold pretty much everything. Made me wonder why they didn't just ask for a plain burger and be done with it...

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 5:20:00 PM 
Zoey..it really depends on the number of offenses and the level of the offense. The one that makes me want to throw dishes the most are the lazy co-workers and the rude men that act like their women are stupid. I can't believe there are still women out there that let a man dictate their actions. Scarey.

NML.. LOL.. I understand that about European countries, yet if I visited, I still would tip. In my nature. As for the plain burger, I couldn't agree more. Aggravates me no end to stand there and listen to someone say.. "No pickle, no lettuce, no tomatoe, no onion.. yada yada" Why couldn't they just say Mustard only??? LOL

Thursday, June 21, 2007 2:46:00 AM 
Some good points there; very funny ones as well.

I agree with nml. I live in Britain, and though we tip, it would never be so much as the US, We tip for good service, not automatically.

Thanks for visiting my Journal.

Saturday, June 23, 2007 6:11:00 AM