How to Behave in a Restaurant

Over the last few years spent in the food industry, I noticed how rude and unruly some customers can be. Just remember something very simple: show unto others as you would want others to show unto you. It's very easy to understand: if you don't want someone being rude to you, then show them the same common courtesy. The other thing I can not figure out is, if this is how you act in public, I just wonder what you're like at home?

In the restaurant industry, it seems that common courtesy has been forgotten and thrown out the window. For some reason, it doesn't matter if it's a sit-down restaurant or even a fast-food one. One thing that customers forget, is this: although you pay part of a server's paycheck, the server is the one that waits on you.

The next 10 tips are vital in improving a customer's visit to a restaurant and well-being. You don't have to be downright rude to get what you want - the server already is trying to get you whatever you're requesting.

10 TIPS FOR EATING IN A RESTAURANT:

1. Make sure your child stays in their seat. Once, while I was working, a child was standing up and staring over the shoulder of the lady in the next booth. The child continued to watch her eat, until...get ready...actually drooled on the lady's shoulder. Another incident that occurred was that a young child started to actually climb over the booth into the next booth where another couple was sitting. The man at that table was so furious, that he jumped up and commenced to starting a fight until the manager intervened. One other incident involved a child running up and down a restaurant and nearly colliding with a server loaded down with food. If their parent hadn't grabbed the child at the last minute, there would have been a very large mess, and some very unhappy people.

2. Make sure your child isn't playing with things they shouldn't. Although children love to play, there is a time and place for everything. For instance, one child was happily scooping up ranch with a spoon and flinging it at the wall nearest them, with their parent watching and not saying a word. The same went for another incident where a child was tearing open packet after packet of sugar and flinging it all over the place. The worst I saw was that of a child that actually slapped a server's behind and said they liked them.

3. When controlling your child in public, be careful how you approach punishment. There are many ways to reprimand children in public, but when the parent is cursing and being downright rude and cruel, loud enough for the rest of the restaurant to hear, you all but wonder what goes on at home. Child abuse?

4. We're not your mother. Ever heard of the phrase, "I'm not your mother, so I'm not going to pick up after you." Once, at a fast-food restaurant, a family left trays and piles of food all over their table. There is a reason why there is a trash can and a place for returning trays. As for sit-down restaurants, majority of them are not Logan's where you can toss peanut shells on the floor. The same goes for why you can't toss trash on the floor... When servers and other customers are watching your behavior, they wonder how much of a slob you are at home.

5. "Oh, Servant! Oh, Servant!" Yes, servers understand that you may need something and will attend to it immediately. But remember you are not the only customer in the building and not all needs can be met. Snapping your fingers will not make the server move any faster. On a busy night, try to understand that the server has more than one table to attend to and can't be in all places at once. I've had some customers try to change menu prices or order items that we do not carry. We will try to accommodate your needs, but don't take it so far. One incident that I saw was a lady was not ready for her steak when it arrived at the table. The server took the food back, and barely five minutes later, the lady was ready for it. By that time, the food was cold. The lady wanted it recooked. She then became agitated because it couldn't be cooked faster because of the bind the kitchen was in from the Friday night rush. Another incident was a man was upset that a particular restaurant was out of celery. He actually told the server to get in their car and drive to the nearest store and get him his f****** celery. Sorry, you can't always have it your way.

6. "Can I be your pervert today?" Some people simply do not know how to hide the fact that they may like how someone looks. When you stare at a worker's behind, please wait until after the server leaves the table. Also, if you ask for their number, and they kindly tell you 'no,' do not follow them around the restaurant for it. It makes you, the customer, look like a stalker. The worst, is keeping the sex jokes to a minimum. If it's among you and your friends at the table, that's your business. But when you involve the server, that is taking it one step too far.

7. Rudeness doesn't get you what you want. Many people say a smile can make a person's day. That doesn't always work. When you are rude to your server for no particular reason, you may not end up getting great service. The server will not be in a hurry to serve you and will warn others about you. Also, just because your food doesn't taste great, do not take it out on the server. If they got your order right, how does it become their fault that your food doesn't taste great? Or you decided you really didn't want that food after all? Yelling at the server does not solve the solution. The server didn't cook your food.

8. How much do you think you can get for free? There are a few customers that do actually do this on purpose, just to see how much they can get for free. But once you do this over and over, servers and managers do catch on, and finally, you are cut off. Also, if you didn't like your food, let the server know the moment you see them next. Do not eat all of your food and then demand your money back. It doesn't work that way. The customer isn't always right.

9. Communicate, communicate, communicate. If you are in a hurry, let your server know. If it is a special occasion, let the server know (just don't pretend that it is everyone's birthday at the table to get everyone something free). If you need time to look over the menu, that's fine, just don't take twenty minutes. Remember, the server does have other customers to attend to. Also, don't get mad if the server tries to get to know you better or tries to sell you extra. Just remember, the server was trained to do these things to not only make your visit as comfortable for you as possible, but also that they are only doing their job (up-selling, etc.).

10. Tip right, please. Although a customer doesn't ask you for a tip, the customer normally understands that in a sit-down restaurant, a tip is nearly 70% of the server's paycheck. It used to be 10%, but now, even 15% is considered low. If you overspend and can't afford to tip, don't apologize to the server. They already know the situation and don't want to be reminded of that fact, especially if they waited on you for two hours.

Just remember, that if you are a server and you were a rude customer to a server, one day, that server may be your next rude customer.

SOURCES: PERSONAL EXPERIENCE