It's hard being a waiter. The pay can be low, the hours are long and certain customers can be especially irritating. On the flip side, for those customers that are actually polite and pleasant, having an annoying waiter can ruin the dining experience.
First We Feast has put together a good compilation of the annoyances customers have when dealing with restaurant staff. Take a look -- we're guessing you can relate to several (all text courtesy of First We Feast).
Annoying Things Servers Do At Restaurants
Introduce Themselves By Name(01 of12)
“Hi, my name’s Glenn and I’ll be your server tonight!” Does anything induce more eye rolls at the table than this sort of chipper opening gambit? We’re going to be in each others’ company for at most a few hours, and preferably about 30 minutes if the meal goes according to plan. This sort of feigned intimacy is just annoying, and always feels a little like a ploy to actually say, “Remember that I am a human being with a name and a family…so don’t stiff me on the tip, you dick!”Also See: 20 Things Everyone Thinks About Food But No One Will Say
Touch You And Think It's Friendly(02 of12)
I don’t need a shoulder rub while you recite the specials, or a playful tap on the arm to show that we’re hitting it off. It’s already distressing enough that you are touching the plate that I’m going to eat off of—let’s not allow the intimacy to get out of control!Also See: 10 Ways To Make Your Server Hate You At A Restaurant (credit:Shutterstock)
Say Everything That You Inquire About On The Menu Is 'Really Amazing'(03 of12)
Listen here, homie: You should be an enthusiastic booster of the restaurant, sure, but you are not the chef’s personal hype man. Put down the imaginary Flavor Flav clock and chill. We’re already at the restaurant, so presumably we came here because we thought maybe there would be some good food to eat. The sale has been made—now is your time to do your actual, non-shilling job and help us navigate the menu.Also See: 15 Great Food Moments In Music Video History (credit:@KelloggsUK)
Wait Forever To Take Your Drink Order, Bring Menus Or Offer Water(04 of12)
The lag time between sitting down and getting started with the actual process of eating dinner is one that could easily be stricken from the restaurant experience entirely. Water and menus should just be there at the beginning. And while you might need some time to get acquainted with drinks list, this is not a 20 minute activity. Everyone is a lot more forgiving with a cocktail in hand, so let's cut to the chase and get things cracking. (Some bread would be nice too. Take a cue from Tex-Mex restaurants that have chips and salsa on the table at all times.)Also See: 20 Foods You Secretly Can't Explain (credit:Shutterstock)
Ask If You've Dined There Before And If You 'Know How The Restaurant Works'(05 of12)
Usually this is code for, “Do you know that we came up with our own bootleg version of tapas so that you can spend as much money as possible?” If the restaurant requires an instruction manual, something is probably wrong.Also See: The 10 Best Bachelor Trips For Food Lovers (credit:Alamy)
Tell You To Wait For 'Your Waiter' When You Ask For Something(06 of12)
This phenomenon is perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of a gratuity-based system, in which no one actually cares about you unless they are going to get a tip out of it. At the finest restaurants, the staff is one cohesive organism of hospitality excellence, designed to ensure that you have the best time possible. At others, you are treated like a minor nuisance by anyone not directly involved in the extraction of money from your wallet. Oh, I need to wait for my “waiter” to get the cutlery that my “waiter” failed to bring me in the first place? That mentality is a real turn-off, and it is cause to reconsider a return visit.Also See: Eddie Huang Crowns The Top 10 Fictional Chefs Of All Time (credit:Alamy)
Squat, Take A Knee Or Sit Down At Your Table(07 of12)
Unless you are at Rao's, or some other restaurant where this move is part of the historic fabric of the place, there’s no reason to get down to eye level to take an order. In fact, it is incredibly weird and kind of makes everyone feel like maybe they are receiving a pep talk from their Little League coach. Ironically, the squat maneuver is particularly creepy when executed on small children.Also See: 10 Essential LA Tacos (credit:Alamy)
Go Straight For The Upsell(08 of12)
The lobster mac and cheese is way better than the regular one, huh? And that cabernet sauvignon is a steal at just eight times its retail value? It is so blatantly obvious—and upsetting to everyone at the table—when servers try to play you for a fool and recommend only the most expensive dishes and wines on the menu. People who are having fun and feeling like they are not being pushed and prodded tend to spend more in the long run anyway.Also See: Is Salt Lake City The Best Cheap Burger Town In America? (credit:Dom Perignon)
Make You Feel Like A Criminal Because You Just Ordered Drinks, Or Just Dinner, Instead Of Seven Courses And Four Bottles Of Wine(09 of12)
Yes, the restaurant business is tough, and if the servers don’t turn those tables the boss will not be happy. But that is ultimately not the diner’s problem. There are egregious acts of lingering, sure, and those people who come in for a sparkling water and start reading War and Peace are clearly asshole. However, just because I am eating light today, or not ordering the requisite amount of small plates that is deemed “appropriate for a party of this size,” shouldn’t mean that I get treated like a problem. Too few restaurants these days think about fostering regulars. Treat me equally well when I spend $10 and when I spend $500, and things will probably work out for everyone in the long run.Also See: The 20 Most Influential Beers Of All Time (credit:Seinfeld)
Ask If You Need Change(10 of12)
In the event that I don’t want change, and I’ve rounded up the precise number of sheckles I’d like to hand over for the bill and the tip, it is my duty to let you know that. (I promise not to say, "Keep the change, you filthy animal," even though it is tempting.) Otherwise, it is presumptuous to assume that I wouldn’t want the change. Whether you get the tip I was planning to leave now or in five minutes shouldn’t matter.Also See: This Is The Remix: 5 Fantasy Food-Rap Books (credit:Shutterstock)
Talk About Specials Without Telling You The Price(11 of12)
Why would it be that just because something is a “special,” it is no longer important to follow the rules of the rest of the menu (i.e., disclosing the price)? We’re already wary enough that the special items are really just invented willy-nilly to get rid of excess ingredients. But even when they are legit, we want to know the price. Don’t make us ask in front of everyone and look like misers—just work that info into your five-minute spiel about how amazing the striped bass is.Also See: Beer Cranked To 11: A Field Guide To Music-Inspired Views (credit:Alamy)
More Annoying Things Servers Do At Restaurants(12 of12)
See More Annoying Things Servers Do At Restaurants (credit:Shutterstock)
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