How to Make Your Waiter Regret Taking Your Table
Going out to eat should be enjoyable for everyone involved—including the person bringing your food. But that’s not always how every diner sees it, and unfortunately, plenty of customers have a special talent for making the waiter wish they’d never come to work! From questionable manners to downright disrespectful habits, here are 20 ways you can quickly become the customer your waiter wishes had stayed home.
1. You Touch Your Waiter to Get Their Attention
Grabbing someone's arm because you need another drink is a great way to make them uncomfortable. We know it seems innocent, but not everyone wants a stranger’s hands on them, especially if you grab their sleeves or tug them. A polite excuse me or a raised hand is usually all that's necessary to get someone's attention without invading their personal space.
2. You Let Your Kids Treat the Space Like a Playground
There's a difference between bringing kids out for dinner and allowing them to run amok. Waiters shouldn't have to worry about tripping over a child who's crawling beneath chairs or chasing their sibling through the dining room. Not to mention, allowing kids to gallivant through the space is an excellent way to cause a hazard.
3. You Make Inappropriate Comments
A waiter is there to take your order, not entertain unsolicited opinions about their attractiveness. But sure enough, some customers think they're being charming when they make suggestive remarks about an employee's appearance. Even seemingly harmless jokes can become uncomfortable, so you might as well hold your tongue.
4. You Refuse to Move Your Belongings
Placing your handbag on the only available chair might make sense in your mind, but chairs are for everyone! If someone politely asks you to move a jacket or backpack, be prepared to make space. Better yet, keeping your belongings beneath your table makes everyone's evening way easier.
5. You Hide a Disgusting Surprise in Your Napkin
Waiters aren’t there to handle your chewing gum, chicken bones, and half-eaten food. The last thing you should do is stick those disgusting surprises inside a neatly folded cloth napkin. The employee clearing your table might unknowingly grab something unpleasant while collecting the dishes.
6. You Completely Ignore Them
Imagine asking a table whether they're ready to order, only to have everyone continue their conversation without acknowledging you. It’s just as rude as you think it is, but it happens surprisingly often. When the waiter’s there, pay attention. They don’t expect your undivided attention, but acknowledging their presence is basic courtesy.
7. You Think the Rules Don't Apply to You
Some customers think that spending money entitles them to ignore policies about outside alcohol, smoking, or restricted areas. It doesn’t matter if the meal costs ten dollars or one hundred—when a waiter explains that something isn't permitted, arguing about how much you're paying won't suddenly change the regulations.
8. You Interrupt Their Conversations With Other Customers
Your waiter might be explaining the dinner specials to another table when you decide that your empty water glass is more important. It really isn’t, and waiters are pulled in all sorts of directions, so just wait for them to return! Unless something genuinely urgent has happened, allowing them to finish with another customer shows a little consideration.
9. You Deliberately Make a Mess
We’ve all spilled the odd drink, but leaving torn-up napkins and food scattered across the floor is another matter. Some diners seem perfectly comfortable allowing their table to become a pigsty just because they know someone else will clean it. It’s rude, it’s unhygienic, and it’s a good way to make the waiter hate you!
10. You Test Whether They're Paying Attention
Some customers deliberately invent problems just to see how their waiter responds. They treat it like some sort of test to see if the staff is “really paying attention.” Well, here’s the thing: treating restaurant service as a series of unnecessary tests creates confusion and wastes everyone's time.
11. You Make Them Listen to Your Problems
Friendly conversation is perfectly fine. Dumping your trauma onto them isn’t. A few select customers insist on discussing family arguments or workplace drama while employees are trying to serve other tables. Being approachable is part of good hospitality, but a kind smile doesn’t mean they’re your acting therapist.
12. You Refuse to Let Them Clear Your Plates
Once you've finished your appetizer, leaving an empty plate on the table isn't usually a problem until your waiter arrives with the main course. But if you insist that nobody touch anything, serving the next dishes gets weirdly complicated. Allowing employees to remove finished plates helps keep your meal organized and prevents an awkward balancing situation.
13. You Ask Them to Participate in Social Media Content
Expecting your waiter to dance for TikTok won’t go over well. Sure, some are more than happy to participate in harmless pranks or share a joke, but that’s where it ends. Unless they've willingly agreed to participate, it's better to leave the staff out of your online entertainment.
14. You Bring Your Own Food Without Asking
Unpacking a homemade sandwich because you don't like the menu really isn’t allowed. No, literally—restaurants often forbid outside food! Checking with the establishment beforehand is way more respectful than expecting an employee to overlook your personal picnic.
Lefteris kallergis on Unsplash
15. You Make a Scene
Seeing another table get its dinner before yours doesn't mean the restaurant is ignoring you. Different dishes require different prep, and some orders reach the kitchen before others even when the customers arrived later. Loudly accusing your waiter of favoritism is a good way to get attention, but it’s not the good kind.
16. You Start Rearranging the Furniture
Pushing three tables together to make room for your friends often isn’t allowed without prior say-so. Restaurants have specific seating arrangements for practical reasons, and you could easily be eating into another reservation’s space! Not to mention, moving heavy furniture can obstruct emergency exits or interfere with service routes.
17. You Leave Your Phone at Full Volume
Nobody wants to hear your favorite podcast while they're enjoying a quiet anniversary dinner, including the employees nearby. Customers who watch videos without headphones just create uncomfortable situations when their waiter has to ask them to lower the volume. If you make a scene about the simple request, that’s an even bigger problem.
18. You Make Jokes About Not Paying
Telling your waiter that you've forgotten your wallet might seem hilarious the first time, but it does set off alarm bells in a waiter’s head. Pretending to leave without paying or suggesting that your meal should be free can also create genuine confusion. Employees deal with actual payment problems all the time, so turning the subject into an ongoing prank won’t go over well.
19. You Insist on Cleaning Up Glass Yourself
When a glass shatters beneath your table, your first instinct might be to gather the pieces before someone notices. While it’s kind to try and help, you really ought to leave it! Handling broken glass without the proper equipment can result in injuries or leave dangerous fragments behind.
20. You Punish Them For Something Beyond Their Control
Maybe the restaurant has run out of your favorite dessert. Maybe the air conditioning isn't working well. Whatever the case, taking your frustration out on the waiter isn't fair. Blaming them for every inconvenience guarantees an unpleasant evening for everyone.
KEEP ON READING
