What Our Restaurant Servers Hate About Us

Whether you've worked in a restaurant or not, there are things that customers do that really upset servers... Accordng to Fox News magazine, those things are:

1.  Stacking plates.  This one was a biggie for me. You may not know it, but wait staff often have a way of stacking the dishes so they balance and they can grab more of them.  Many a plate I broke from someone trying to stack more dishes on my already heavy load. And since most customers didn’t know how to stack them, I knew that it would usually be a recipe for disaster trying to get them into the kitchen before a few of them would go crashing on the floor. Best to leave it to the experts when it comes to stacking the dishes.

2.  Letting your kids misbehave.  Need I say more on this subject? Not only is annoying for the person trying to serve you, it’s also annoying for anyone having to sit near you hearing your child misbehave.  We used to have a restaurant owner who would actually rock that child to sleep so that everyone could enjoy their meal, including the parents.  Restaurant owners like these are very rare, so better to take the child out of the restaurant until he settles down.

3.  Making a mess.  Don't rip up your cocktail napkin or straw wrapper into little pieces.  It's immature, seeing as though your server has to be the one to pick up after you, it can only slow them down from other tables that they need to take care of, and hey, a server IS NOT your mother!

4.  Talking on your phone.  Hostesses can't stand it when you walk into a restaurant talking on your cell phone.  And it drives your waiter crazy because they don't know when to interrupt or if the call is important.

5.  Walking in right before closing.  That’s got to be the ultimate irk among servers.  I used to work for a restaurant owner who would let a table come in for dinner even if we already closed down 10 minutes ago. That meant the kitchen had to stay open later, and that server who really wanted to get out of there. If the sign says closed, respect it, don’t try to weasel your way in!

7.  Leaving a bad tip.  First off, don't leave anything besides money.  Apparently, some people like to leave religious literature instead of cash.  And if you pay with a coupon, tip on the full amount of the bill BEFORE the discount.

I could definitely relate to several of these issues on this list, being a former waitress.  Were you ever a server, and if so, what sort of things that customers would do that would make you riled with anger?