RANT: Restaurant Etiquette

**Cursed CX8** · 05-02-2009, 01:21 AM

OK guys. This really is a rant thread, but its got a point behind it. For around 4.5 years iv worked front of house in many of Melbs restaurants, including crown casino's high roller bars and 2 restaurants listen in the American Express Hall of fame.
For a long time there has been a simply rule of hospitality, one cardinal rule: " Dont **** with the person who carries your food" This applies to anyone working at a restaurant. Dont **** us off.
All too often people are just genuinely rude towards Waiters and Waitress's. As a senior member of my restaurant I get complaints from my staff weekly about the way patrons have treated them, or things they have had said to them.

Below I have made a list of things to avoid doing, and great ways to insult a restaurant.

1. Turn your phones onto silent or off. Its rude to answer your phone at a table and leave your guests, but it also waists out time when we are taking an order etc and you are on your phone.
Recently I had a man wave me to his table, He was on the phone but i went over as he was obviously going to ask for something... Only for him to snarl at me and tell me to leave him alone.

2. Dont call a staff member over if you dont want anything.

3. Dont bring your own food to a restaurant.. Yes it happens

4. If your going to come to a restaurant then eat. I often take bookings only to find the people on the table are not eating because they ate before they went out.

5. Make bookings with as much notice as possible. It helps managers to roster.

6. Keep the restaurant updated with the booking numbers. Nothing is worse that expecting 20 to arrive and having 11 show. Thats effectively $400-$600 lost in my Restaurant.

7. Never clap, whistle or click for the attention of a staff member. If you need to get served etc then maintain eye contact with the staff member or make yourself known next time one walks past. A simple "excuse me, may i have another Draught" is enough.

8. If your going to bring a pram or need room for a high chair please tell staff when you make a booking. It speeds up your service, gives you more room at a table and helps us organise out floor plans for the evening/lunch.

9. If you are going to go out with a large bunch of people, even short notice is appreciated. Tonight I had a walk in table of 12 and I had to re-arrange part of the dining room to seat them. If they had of called even with an hours notice it would have stream lined the process.

10. Even if you dont want to be best friends with your waiter, dont be rude to them

11. If making a complaint, please oh please back it up with something. Its not good telling me that the 500gram steak you just finished was tough. The only way we can fix it is to tell us and prove there is a problem. Remember, everyone is human and we will go out of our way to fix it, so their is no point to being rude.

12. If something doesnt make sense on a menu, then ask a staff member, dont order the dish and complain its not what you expected.

13. Regular customers often form close bonds with staff, i can think of many i have formed over the years. But dont abuse it....

14. I beg that you dont hit your cutlery against a table, it only makes noise and wont speed up your meals.

15. Food takes time, chefs are not microwaves. Remember that next time you are in a restaurant and the food is taking some time. Food also takes longer to cook on cold days and in busy periods the food will take longer due to the back log. So next time your in a restaurant at 7pm and you meal has taken 30 minutes. Have a look around at the 200 people next to you and think "wow the chefs must be busy tonight"

16. Never tell a waiter to get a real job, no matter if they are full time, manager, or casual. Many of us take our jobs very seriously and enjoy them alot. Dont tell us we could make more money as a doctor. We DONT CARE!

There are so many more, but ill post them as i think of them. Feel free to do the same.

**DanVN** · 05-02-2009, 02:42 AM

You could make more money as a Astronaut Tbqh

Just Kidding!

**Calaber** · 05-02-2009, 02:52 AM

My wife works in a restaurant and often tells me of the rudeness of many customers. Older people and foreigners seem to be the worst offenders. In the case of the older customer, I find that difficult to comprehend as they were raised in the days when manners were taught as a norm. (well, certainly they were in my case) Older women and "power women", the sort that manage businesses, are often rude in their snappy or aggressive mannerisms. The old ducks seem to think they shouldn't have to wait, or complain about the menu, hours of operation, slow service etc.

One day I will be a customer in her restaurant and I'll oversee/hear one of these dopes give the missus a gobful. Then lookout - they'll cop it back in spades from an anonymous fellow patron who tells them to wake up to themselves and treat the staff with respect or p*** off.

**commsirac** · 05-02-2009, 05:44 AM

Originally Posted by Classifi3d Calais

OK guys. This really is a rant thread, but its got a point behind it. For around 4.5 years iv worked front of house in many of Melbs restaurants, including cro...

There are so many more, but ill post them as i think of them. Feel free to do the same.

Why not post all your rules of proper etiquette at the entrance, on the tables and on your menus in your restaurant. Too afraid of upsetting the customers?, there is your problem, its the restauranters themselves that "feed the problem"

The only way to change is to refuse service to all of these things that offend, throw them out and then you will only be serving people that do the right thing.

So you can have the only restaurant in town where people behave properly?, most restaurants I go to people dont seem to be doing all of the things you complain about, maybe you will go broke, or maybe people will come to that restaurant knowing that the riff raff wont be tolerated.

Some things that annoy me in restaurants that I wont go to again: tables with kids that cry, shout run around, being served food that is meant to be hot but isnt. Some cooks and waiters dont understand what hot means! I dont care what temp it was when it came out of the pan, I want to eat it hot, not after its been sitting around for 10mins while the waiter does other stuff! Even the simple art of prewarming the plates seems totally foreign to some.

**And_ROOS** · 05-02-2009, 06:45 AM

I had a great time at an Indian restaurant recently, the staff were mega friendly to the point where we got a photo of the staff holding our friends young baby.

Perfect example of staff not only showing great interaction with customers, but top quality food as well.

**Stressball** · 05-02-2009, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Calaber

In the case of the older customer, I find that difficult to comprehend as they were raised in the days when manners were taught as a norm.

Yes, but they were also taught that anybody older than you is superior to you, and you should treat them with respect regardless of how they are treating you. They are entitlement whores, they think the world owes them a favour because they were in the war or something.

Either that or they're just bitter old sods because they live in a home

**hsvpunk** · 05-02-2009, 08:33 AM

Chefman, u wait until a few of us come to ur work

**fuzzy2308** · 05-02-2009, 10:19 AM

also laughing excessively loud is not acceptable.
nor is it acceptable to STEAL or even to pretend to steal.
large obnoxious camera flash's when it is not appropriate.
rearranging the furniture is also not acceptable.
watching videos on your phone psp game boy or other devices is not acceptable (unless your under 10 then you might get away with it).
wolf whistling at a waiter/waitress is not acceptable.
don't whinge about the portion of your meal if you don't like it kindly **** OFF and take your family to your local fish and chip shop.
throwing your cutlery is not acceptable.
if you require a specific menu for example vegetarian, gluten free, allergies, let them know when you book so they can prepare a nice meal for you.

there are many more but i can't think of them as i just woke up

**TVR-190** · 05-02-2009, 10:21 AM

my friend is a chef but hes also really picky, sent back his steak one cause they overdid it according to him, the rest of us were just sitting their telling him to eat what he got....

**Tom_1569** · 05-02-2009, 10:27 AM

Do waiters/waitress' or other people find it rude if someone removes there shoes under the table?

I really hate shoes, they are so uncomfortable, and I take them off at every chance I get, trains, trams, cinemas, work, tafe, restaurants etc.
My now ex, use to get some ****ed off if I took my shoes off in Restaurants, she recons its rude. My feet dont smell (maybe something to do with my shoes not being on long enough

) and I sit my feet and shoes under the table, I dont prance around in socks lol. On holidays in Queensland we went to a really expensive restaurant, which charged charged a $25 sitting fee, so if im paying to sit some where comfortable, I want to be comfortable, which means removing my shoes

**azkwazere** · 05-02-2009, 10:30 AM