We eat out more than ever before, restaurants and eateries are more varied too. There’s a place for every palate and eating out will continue growing as a trend. In the same way, we’ve rapidly developed a sense to identify the right places to eat, people working at restaurants have a keen eye for lousy patrons.
Restaurant etiquette is more than wiping your mouth discreetly with a neatly folded cotton serviette; it’s about behaving and not disturbing neither other customers nor your servers. This is all you need to avoid when eating at a restaurant.
#15 – Don’t sit wherever you like
This might not apply to every restaurant, but many places assign tables based on how busy servers are, or how many reservations they got. You might not know it, and perhaps the hostess will never tell you, but sitting wherever you want might ruin the whole layout for the night. Wait to be seated, please!
#14 – Don’t be late for your reservation
Here’s the thing, unless a restaurant is having a slow night, they count on you arriving at least a few minutes before your reservation. They’re called reservations because they already have a table reserved for you.
Not arriving on time can be troublesome, especially if you’re part of a large group. You’re not only preventing other people from having dinner; you might delay the whole restaurant’s operation.
If your plans change, call and cancel your reservation as soon as possible.
#13 – Don’t arrive five minutes before closing time
Working hours exist for a reason, and although you’re entitled to arrive at a restaurant one minute before closing time, that doesn’t mean that you should.
People working in restaurants have places to go too, and although they know fully that their nights can be long, it’s nice for them to end the night early occasionally.
#12 – Don’t order the starters and mains at different times
Restaurants run complex operations. When you order your starters and your mains at the same time, the chef can time your food with precision. If you order the starters and wait until you’re done with them to order your main courses, you might have to wait more than you’d like to. Make sure you enjoy a smooth dinner by ordering everything from the start.
#11 – Don’t order a dish you’re not familiar with without asking
Menu items can confuse us; foreign foods and exotic ingredients fill restaurant menus. Ask your server all there is about a dish before ordering it and avoid unpleasant surprises. Please don’t act as you know it all; no one does.
#10 – Don’t let the kids run around
This should be obvious, but we can’t let this rule out of our list. Kids running around at a restaurant are not only in danger, but can, and will ruin other customers’ dinner. If you can’t control your kids, have dinner at restaurants with spaces designed for them, or stay home and order pizza.
#9 – Don’t switch places
You might not know that the moment you sit on a table, your server assigns you and your guests a number. That number goes straight to your food and drinks order and helps your server deliver your dishes mistake-free. It can be worst; if patron number three has a peanut allergy and changes seats, he might be in for an unpleasant surprise.
#8 – Don’t snap your fingers or raise your voice to get attention
Avoid snapping your fingers or yelling at your server for attention; you’re not only going to get a sharp stare from your server; he or she might just ignore you for being rude.
Servers often know what they’re doing, and if you’re having dinner at a respectable place, your server will come to you if you raise your hand or call their attention with a nod. They’re taking care of other customers, too, so be patient.
#7 – Don’t season your food without tasting it first
Cooks do their best to take out tasty food that needs no correction on your side. Chefs will often taste every sauce and every vegetable before letting servers take the dishes. Try your food before seasoning it unnecessarily with salt and pepper, if you still think you can bring it up a notch by all means, do so.
#6 – Don’t return a dish just because you don’t like it
Returning food is a big deal at restaurants. Any good restaurant will take back your food if it’s undercooked or cold, they’ll take it off the check if you don’t like it too, but that doesn’t mean that the mistake was on their side.
If you order something and you don’t like it, think first if it’s served as intended; more often than not, you misread the menu or thought you were ordering something else.
#5 – Don’t assume the chef knows how you like your food
If you like your steak raw, say so, if you don’t like mayo, please tell your server as you order, if you don’t eat broccoli, then let the staff know. Communication is key here; never assume that the staff knows how you like your food. Be clear and ask questions; what’s tasty for you is not for everyone else.
#4 – Don’t lie about having allergies
It’s OK if you don’t like certain ingredients, and it’s OK to ask your server to leave them out of your food, but don’t think to lie about allergies is the best way to go.
Don’t say you’re allergic to garlic just because you’re on a hot date; conducts like these complicate people with real food allergies as chefs can’t tell if they’re putting someone in danger or not.
#3 – Don’t ask your waiter to change the music
Don’t ask your waiter to play your favorite artist, lower the volume or turn off the AC just because you’re feeling chilly. Other people in the dining room that might enjoy the music or the room temperature. You wouldn’t like it if they started playing country music just because some lonely cowboy at the bar is brokenhearted.
#2 – Don’t drink too much
There’s a time for everything, but dining out is not the time to lose your cool. Sure, another bottle of wine always sounds like a good idea, but you might end up looking bad in front of people you care about, so drink responsibly.
#1 – Don’t be cheap, and tip
Unless you’re having dinner at a country where tipping is not customary, tip, and tip well. Servers rely on tips, and they often work their best for to you have an excellent time, so there’s no excuse for not tipping, even if your meal came out cold, or they ran out of your favorite dish.
How well did you do?
How many of the rules above sound like someone you know? None of us are perfect patrons, so it’s always good to revisit what makes us good customers, ones that get all the attention and special treatment from chefs and servers.
Are you hungry yet? Try out our list and have an incident-free dinner.
