Dining in Do’s and Don’ts

Column by Emily Edwards|October 3, 2012

With two years of waitressing experience under my belt, I know that waitressing is not the most pleasant job in the world. Servers are always on their feet, attending to the needs of the customers. I greet the table with a smile, even if it has been the worst day of my life, and I get the customer anything they need—even if it’s 12 cups of salad dressing.

As a server, I interact with a lot of interesting people. I have met some of the sweetest people and some of the rudest. I get tired of people not being able to act in an appropriate way when dining at a restaurant, so here’s my list of do’s and don’ts for next time you go out to eat:

Do’s	Dont’s
Be polite. If you have had an awful day, try not to take it out on your server.	Try not to be too picky with the seat selection. Servers have assigned sections, and when you ask to sit in a different section and it’s not that server’s turn, it just messes up the entire system.
Speak loudly and clearly when talking to your server. It’s incredibly annoying to have to ask you to repeat your order several times. Also try to make eye contact.	Never be mad at your server for something that they can’t control. Servers don’t control the menu, the prices, or the cooks.
If you need something from your server, ask. The server’s job is to take care of the customer.	Don’t hide your glass behind everything else on the table and then get mad at the server for not knowing you need a refill.
Engage in small talk. Servers love to talk to customers; it brings excitement to the tedious task of waiting on tables for hours.	Avoid talking on your cell phone for long periods of time during the meal. It’s difficult for the server to try to get your order and communicate with you about how you are doing.
Call your server by their name. I always feel like it’s more personal when the customer makes a conscious effort to remember my name.	When receiving your check, don’t be rude to your server about the prices. Unless the server made a mistake, you should know about everything you are paying for, because the prices are listed on the menu. It’s your own fault if you didn’t pay attention.
Be aware that if the restaurant is busy, you shouldn’t stay for hours after you have finished eating (unless, of course, it’s a sports bar). That’s another table your server can be profiting from, and it’s always aggravating to the staff when they are losing business.