Things that annoy you while dining in restaurants

1-poor sanitation practices
2-servers who don't know the menu
3-when someone I'm with orders something "well done" thanks now my food will be cold.
4-too many menu choices..offer less and do it well!
5-the smell of a server just back from a smoke break

You may add to my list servers calling me "Hon", "Sweetie", "Sugar", etc. I had lunch at a local O.C. establishment this afternoon and was "Sugar-Honeyed" no less than 10 freaking times during a 20 minute lunch. Once or twice...OK, I can deal with it...but 10 times.

When the server says, "How's everything tasting?"

This is a fairly new phenomenon; we maybe started noticing it a few years ago. It annoys me. I guess the "tasting" thing is just kind of personal. I was used to the, "How is everything?" or, "Do you have everything you need?" once everyone had taken a few bites of food. "How's everything tasting?" for whatever reason just strikes me as an odd way of checking up on your diners. Do you really want to know? A hint of dill, too much salt, meaty, cheesy, spicy, bland, go easy on the cilantro next time, etc.? Or do you just want to know if everything you've done so far has been to our liking?

Oh, I', with you on that last one, Steve! Add "Dearie" to the list.

You may add to my list servers calling me "Hon", "Sweetie", "Sugar", etc. I had lunch at a local O.C. establishment this afternoon and was "Sugar-Honeyed" no less than 10 freaking times during a 20 minute lunch. Once or twice...OK, I can deal with it...but 10 times.

While this doesn't really bother me, my wife sure hates it

- the "needy" customer, who ask for something different and "in addition to" every time you return to the table

- the customer who is oblivious to the restaurant they have entered - In our case (pizza) the questions usually go as follows "Do you have hamburgers? Fried fish? Steak? etc

- 10 percenters - yes, those that have more than acceptable levels of service, offer many polite thank yous, and never complain, yet always leave less than 10%

- the entitled customer, those that feel they are better than the rest, and should be seated and served FIRST, regardless of the situation,

- servers on cell phones....aaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhh

- customers talking on the phone, while the server waits

- stealth customers, those that sneak in and sit down like ninjas

- tables that are obviously too close together, if the server has to touch the customers to squeeze between the seats they are too close for me

- soft talking/mumbling - servers & customers ... please speak clearly and at a level we can hear you, thanks

- servers that answer any question "I don't know", rather than "Let me find out"

- the person who creates their own menu item through a variety of substitutions and subterfuges

- the guest who orders everything special, (seriously 5 deviations from the presented menu item is excessive, annoying, and time consuming)

- customers that want to sit at tables that could comfortably seat a party 3 times their number (2 tops that want to sit at 6 top tables)

- servers with bad breath

- servers that i've just met sitting at my table

- seeing anyone wear their chef coat into the bathroom

- other customers/ fellow diners in chef coats
(sorry, but there's only one place i want to see that coat - IN THE KITCHEN)

- servers that tell you their life story, especially if they mention money woes

- customers that approach dining as a mathematical equation void of any taste or passion

The number one thing that annoys me while dining in restaurants
- That I can not be blissfully ignorant of my surroundings, that I could dine as many millions of happy people, without any knowledge of the food service industry. That it could be a magical occurrence where I knew nothing of the efforts of the thankless warriors washing my dirty dishes or mopping the floors, that I thought that the servers all made minimum wage (at least), and that the cooks in the kitchen weren't running on too little sleep or working in 90 degree plus heat. That it was as simple as taking an order and filling a drink.

Thanks y'all
Shawn

People who gripe about cell phones. If it's not any louder than the general buzz of the room...who cares?

Walking into a relatively fine dining restaurant and having to stand and wait for the FOTH staff to finish a smoke break.

Walking into a new restaurant and realizing I'm one of the youngest diners in the room. Yikes.

Profoundly under seasoned food....and there is not a salt shaker in sight.

Local "celebrities" and their entourage.

Outdoor dining that has become the default smoking zone.

Having iced tea...but no sweet tea. This is Kentucky for better or for worse.

Menus that I can't read either because there's too much information, the type is too small, or it's written in some made up language. How about appetizers, main course, etc. This small plate, big plate, half a plate crap is annoying....no different than Starbucks re-inventing small, medium, and large.

People who gripe about cell phones. If it's not any louder than the general buzz of the room...who cares?

I didn't know if you wanted a response, but figured I give you my reason. True, if it's louder than the room it is an annoyance, but was always taught to not talk on the phone while at the dinner table. Perhaps you'd call it half pet peeve and half bad manners.

I'm not talking about the casual cellphone user. I'm talking about the obnoxious "everybody-look-at-how-important-I-am" guy (or gal) screaming into a cell phone, loudly enough for everyone around them to enjoy detail by detail descriptions of his prostate surgery, or her breast augmentation. That's just tacky and gross. Take it outside. Another thing, have the common courtesy to hang up the phone, or excuse yourself from the conversation when the server asks to take your order.

Another thing, have the common courtesy ...

My guess is that common courtesy ain't all that common these days.
'Winger

You may add to my list servers calling me "Hon", "Sweetie", "Sugar", etc. I had lunch at a local O.C. establishment this afternoon and was "Sugar-Honeyed" no less than 10 freaking times during a 20 minute lunch. Once or twice...OK, I can deal with it...but 10 times.

Nothing makes me feel like I've gone home (NC) more than sitting down at a restaurant table and having the waitress call me "Honey." I love it.

To try to get back to Steve's original intent:

I hate when one customer overburdens the waiter, so that service slips for everyone else. I also hate that the server just doesn't tell me that the a-hole over the way is making things difficult for everyone. I'm a pretty sympathetic dude.

So, I try to be pretty attentive of never trying to "monopolize" the server's attention or time. As a 20-something, I think it's the least I can do when the server's dealing with families, and pushy/needy people, etc.

I have worked every imaginable position in a restaurant and am currently serving. Matt, you have no idea how much I appreciate you saying this.

This post is like porn to me. Seriously, my penis moved.

Seriously, my penis moved.

Don't forget to have him file a change of address form with the Post Office.

I hate being greeted by the host/hostess with "Just two?"

What's wrong with two? Whether or not it's real there always seems to be a distasteful sniff/cocked eyebrow involved, like "what's the matter with you, don't you have any friends to bring with you?"

How about, "Two?" or "How many are in your party?"

Probably the thing that most annoys me when dining out is my daughters boyfriend. Twice now he orders the most expensive thing on the menu...along with the most expensive wine/cocktail and THEN takes three or four bites of his entree, a couple of sips from his wine/cocktail and calls it good. I'm just LAYING for the day they decide to take ol' dad out. I'm going to be enjoying double 23 y.o. Pappy Van Winkle allllllll night long.