I spent several years in my late teens and early twenties as a waitress, so I know first-hand the difference between a table full of good customers and a table that’s just going to piss a waiter off. Sometimes even the table with the best, most polite customers can be the worst, though, so I think perhaps people piss off their waiters without meaning to. To help you avoid that, here’s a list of 8 things that piss off your waiter - so you can try avoid doing them!
Snapshot Survey
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:
Successfully subscribed!
Thank you for subscribing! Check your inbox for personalized content.
1. Asking for Nutrition Information
I can barely remember my own birthday, let alone how many calories or grams of fat are in a particular drink, not to mention an entire menu. Waiters and waitresses don’t know either, so don’t ask them. If you want to know how badly you’re breaking your diet with that Bloomin’ Onion at Outback, check the website yourself before you order.
2. Request Hot Tea
Though most waiters don’t mind making a cup of hot tea when they’re not busy, it makes them crazy to have to do it during rush hours. Why? Because it’s one of the only drinks they can’t prepare ahead of time. They have to heat the water, gather all of the stuff, and bring it out. And that, my dear, takes a lot of time. If it’s the busy dinner or lunch rush, order coffee or something else instead.
3. Make Them Run Unrealistically
It’s okay to ask your waiter for more napkins, or extra tartar sauce, or another glass of water… if you do them all at once. But don’t make requests every three seconds, and make your poor waiter run like a mad man. This will REALLY piss your waiter off.
4. Blame Them for the Hostess’s or Chef’s Mistakes
If you asked for non-smoking, and got sat in the smoking section, or if your rare steak shows up done medium, it’s not your waiter’s fault, so don’t blame him. Ask him nicely to correct the problem, and he will, gladly. But don’t take it out on him, or his tip, if the hostess or chef makes an error.
Sunshine and blue skies bring positivity and joy and it's important for every woman to take full advantage of it. Even when stuck indoors, it's still possible to enjoy some good vibes. Check out these unique tips on how to make the most of the weather right at your home. Let's celebrate every beautiful day, no matter where we are.
5. Being Just Plain Rude
As a general rule, it’s awful to be rude to anyone, but why would you ever want to be rude to your waiter, who holds, in his hands, the very food you’re about to eat? Be polite. Be gracious. Be as nice as you can, because one day, you might be a waiter, too… and also because if you piss off your waiter, he may just spit in your food… or worse. Or he may just make sure you get the old coffee instead of the fresh.
Gallery Spotlight
Save and share the images that inspire you. Tag @allwomenstalk to get featured.
Save
6. Let Your Children Run Wild, or Try to Order on Their Own
Please, for the safety of the other diners and the staff, and their own safety, don’t let your kids run wild in the restaurant! Also, don’t let shy, quiet Janie order her own meal. She’ll whisper, the waiter won’t hear her, and you’ll end up ordering for her anyway. Both of these things, but especially the former, will really piss off your waiter, and possibly everyone else in the restaurant!
7. Ask to Split the Bill after It’s Been Delivered
If you and the six friends you brought to the restaurant with you want to split the bill, ask the waiter BEFORE you order, or at least before he brings the bill! It makes a lot of extra work if he has to go back and re-calculate everything over again.
8. Tip Less Because of a Coupon
Just because you used a coupon that gave you half off your meal doesn’t mean the waiter worked half as hard to serve you, so tip on the amount you would have paid, not the discounted amount. Don’t piss off your waiter by stiffing him if your meal is comped, either.
In all of the years I was a waitress, I can’t tell you how many times people did these exact things - and how many times, even as patient as I am, how they made me mad! Now that this list is out there, though, hopefully we all know how to keep from pissing our waiters off… right? Right! And hey, if there are any current or past waiters out there, please share your stories! What did customers used to do to piss you off?
Top Photo Credit: toxel.ro
Snapshot Survey
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:
Successfully subscribed!
Thank you for subscribing! Check your inbox for personalized content.
Comments
daniella: A waiter working at wild wings, cursed in front of my group of friends and I . It got so awkward.
Anonymous: This is so true, I'm a waitress and these are the most annoying things ever!!
Jeannette: You know something - there are a lot of people that should take notice of this post. There are a lot of job snobs who look down on the likes of waiters, store clerks, burger flippers and bus drivers etc. Personally, I have great admiration for anyone who does a job where they have to put up with members of the public. They get paid to provide us a service not to be used as an object to take our stress, anger or misery out on. By all means we should complain when its is justified but at other times they all deserve at a minimum, our respect as a fellow human being.
ness: Ordering hot tea, requesting extra items, asking to have the bill split up? Are you kidding me? Restaurants are expensive, if everyone just wanted food with no customer service they could get it a lot cheaper at home. Then you'd not only have no tips but no job.
Mary: As a customer, I'm going to tell you about something a waitress did that pissed ME off! I was a young woman going out to dinner with my boyfriend at a restaurant. We both ordered the exact same thing, a New York steak. The waitress took our order. When she brought out our plates, she crossed her arms to put the plate that had the steak that was literally HALF the size of the steak that was on the plate that she was putting in front of my boyfriend, in front of me. I was paying for this meal so I was not going to pay full price for half a portion. You can't charge women double prices. I told her she could either take it back and bring me a steak the same size as my boyfriend's or she could charge me half price but I was not going to pay full price for half a portion. (Obviously she had told the cook to prepare 2 steaks of different sizes, one for a woman and one for a man or he would not have done that. A small size difference is reasonable but not half the size.) She took it back and I received a nice, big steak instead. I was so angry that I even had to go through that. It was blatant sexism. I don't care if I have to take half of it home in a doggy bag. If I'm paying for what's advertised I want what's advertised, not half of it just because I'm a woman.
Sophie: I waitress at a place in England where people (and celebs) prepay £400 and tip nothing. Thanks. I'm there all day and MIGHT leave with £10 worth of tips overall. In another place a family spent over £300 and tipped £10, whatever happened to the decency of a 10% tip?
:
Add allwomenstalk.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
EST 2005
Evolve. Empower. Elevate.
- Creators on the platform
- 3,000+
- Total social reach
- 12M+
- Features published
- 100K+
New Earn badges & level up while you read
Create your profile. Earn badges. Level up your reading.
Join Allwomenstalk to track your streaks, collect badges, and earn XP for the things you already do—reading, sharing, and taking quizzes.
- 🔥Daily streaks with gentle boosts for 3, 7, and 30 days.
- 🏅Collect badges like Reader I–III, Socialite, and Quiz Ace.
- ⚡️Earn XP for reads, deep reads, likes, comments, and shares.
It’s free. Takes 30 seconds. Already have an account? Sign in.
Feedback Junction
Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge