After I posted my top five restaurant service pet peeves, readers quickly chimed in with their own dining out dislikes. Many took issue with one of my grievances in particular--Waiters who say, "Hello, my name is X, and I'll be your waiter tonight." "What are they supposed to say?" many argued. I'll have more to say on that topic in a post later this week. In the meantime, here are some of your restaurant pet peeves:
--The most annoying thing about restaurants is when they bring you the check and you are still eating. Do you really want to herd us out that quickly? Do you mind if we talk and enjoy ourselves a bit before we leave?
--May I add a # 6 to your April list of things we don't like about restaurants? CELLPHONES! Those next-table conversations can ruin a dinner in a fine restaurant.
--When waiters ask, "ARE YOU STILL WORKIN' ON IT."
--One of my pet peeves when going to a restaurant is that when tables are cleared, the salt and pepper shakers are not cleaned--just rearranged. This is very unsanitary for the next customers eating at that table.
--So many places--even the nicer, fine-dining restaurants--use the STINKIEST soap in the restrooms! No matter how lovely the decor, no matter how spotless the glasses, and no matter how delicious the food, as soon as I smell that horrible, industrial pink hand soap that reminds me of grade-school lavatories and airport restrooms, I've completely written off the experience.
--Servers who don't know the menu. I like to ask the question, "If you could only eat here once in your life what would you order?" Sadly I often get a reply like this, "Everything here is wonderful," or "What do you like? Fish, poultry, beef, or pork?"
--Servers who haven't been trained in wine service.
--Overpriced wine lists.
--Is it so difficult to make it clear to the staff that they should ALWAYS be looking around the room, not focusing on their own stations, to see if a guest is in need of some service.
--The "please keep your fork" issue: Is it so costly for the restaurant to remove a utensil used for one course and replace it with a clean one for subsequent servings?
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