15 things polite people don’t do in restaurants

Don’t get the bill and then say, “Actually, could you split this five ways?” Yes, sometimes waiters will plop the check on your table without asking you if you’re ready for it (or having you ask for it). But if you’re planning on asking for a fairly complicated split, the polite thing to do is to bring it to the waitstaff’s attention before they bring over the bill.

Okay, so to be fair, this is not a ‘rude’ behaviour (unless, of course, the jokes are rude in nature). But it’s one that many restaurant staff do say gets on their nerves, according to Restaurant Insider’s Ryan McSweeney. Of course, it’s not that they lack a sense of humour or can’t ‘have a little fun’. But they do this all day, every day, and there’s only so many times a person can take hearing some variation on “as you can see, we hated it” while you gesture to a table of empty plates, or middle-aged to older folk pretending to be offended that they’re not getting carded. Again – saying things like this isn’t ‘rude’. But don’t act like they’ve ruined your day if they don’t burst into hysterics.

Yes, having your waiter clean up your dishes is one of the nicest perks of eating out. But that really shouldn’t mean that all cleanliness bets are off and you devolve into slovenliness. “Yes, you are paying for your meal and for someone to clean up your table – but that doesn’t mean you can’t consider their work and do a tiny bit extra to wipe up that sauce spill with a napkin,” says Rudolph. Keep in mind, though, that if there’s a big spill, it’s perfectly okay to ask your waiter to bring some extra napkins and accept their help. But try not to leave a table littered with stickiness or food scraps.

It’s certainly great that many people are choosing to cut down on or completely avoid animal products. And it’s likewise great that many restaurants and food companies are responding to this trend by offering vegan or vegetarian options. But these changes should not lead you to expect that you can get choicy plant-based options anywhere and everywhere. No restaurant has every type of food, and it really comes down to reading the room. If you’re at a restaurant that clearly does not specialise in, or advertise, vegan options, don’t complain to the waitstaff about the ones they do offer.

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We know, we know, we exhibit outdated technophobia, especially in an era when taking pictures of food is almost as much a reason people go to restaurants as eating it. And using your phone isn’t always unacceptable – say you want to show your meal companion a photo of something you’ve been talking about. But, as a general rule, don’t be on your phone when you’re eating at a restaurant. Don’t have it on the table. And definitely don’t keep the noises on. No one wants to hear intermittent chimes all through their meal.

Are you familiar with these other mobile phone etiquette rules?

Asking your table-mates to “pass the potatoes!” might seem like outdated advice from a 1950s etiquette guide – but it really is good table manners. If something is far enough away from you that you’d have to gracelessly lunge across the table for it, you really should be asking someone to pass it. Even if it’s not that far away, you’re avoiding any potential spills or messes by simply asking for someone to pass it.

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Source: RD.com