I’ve worked at many restaurants throughout my summers in college. Although gossip and back-biting, moody servers and bussers who seem to be allergic to bussing tables annoy restaurant employees, there is one thing that always unites the staff: complaining about customers. After having friendly customers all day, there’s always that one table that just makes me want to throw their “not well enough” food in their face. Here’s a list of 10 things not to do in a restaurant.

10. Don’t seat yourselves:

At most restaurants there’s a “Please Wait to be Seated” sign or a hostess with a friendly (if fake) smile somewhere by the entrance. Although some customers might notice that the price of their favorite omelet went up a dollar or that there was a 50-cent upcharge for extra salad dressing, usually the same people don’t seem to notice the bright sign or human girl standing right in front of them.

9. Don’t complain about the wait:

“There’s a lovely Wawa down the street,” is always my dream response to customers who agree to wait, but come up nagging me every 10 minutes that their kids are hungry. If you didn’t call ahead, make a reservation or brag that you know the owner to be seated, wait your turn like everyone else. Complaining really doesn’t speed anything up or make me want to steal crackers from the kitchen for your children.

8. Don’t pick your own seat:

Most people who have never worked in a restaurant don’t know that most of the time the servers are assigned sections. This means they have specific tables they can wait on and usually the hostess rotates among all the sections. So do the minimum-wage-paid hostess a favor and just sit in whatever seat she tells you to so the server doesn’t yell at her for probably the twentieth time that day.

7. Don’t ask for things not on the menu:

I know that a grilled cheese is only two pieces of bread with some cheddar, I know how easy it is to make, and I know how it’s the only thing your kid has been eating for the past two weeks. The truth is I really just don’t feel like going into the kitchen and telling the already angry chef to make something not on the menu. If you don’t like anything we offer, then feel free to take a mint on the way out.

6. Don’t yell, snap or grab any of the servers:

Nothing makes a restaurant employee more angry than a table of people who shriek “Excuse me!” which is almost as bad as snapping your fingers to get attention. Also, don’t touch your server for their attention. Would you want a random stranger grabbing you?

5. Don’t eat most of the food and then send it back:

You would be surprised how many people actually do this. Any restaurant will take back a meal you didn’t like after a couple of bites, but sending back empty plates really puts the server in an awkward position. Not only is it theft, but it’s just plain wrong and you should know better.

4. Don’t let your kids be little monsters:

If there’s anything people are sensitive about, it’s their children. Although you may think it’s adorable when they bang the silverware together or cover the floor in maple syrup, it’s really not. Stop taking pictures of them to upload to Facebook and teach them how to act like civil human beings.

3. Don’t be a tattletale to the manager:

Although you may not have gotten the best service, servers are human too and could have just been having a bad day. They could’ve gotten a table of ten customers that didn’t tip or have had to do twice as much side work that day. Unless it’s really urgent, just acknowledge that you had a bad experience and move on with it.

2. Don’t tip less than 15 percent:

Many servers and some other restaurant employees get paid much less than minimum wage, meaning that their tips are their main source of income. Although their tips can vary, depending on their service, tipping less than 15 percent is just plain cheap and you were basically just a waste of time and energy for them. If you plan to go out to eat, always make sure you are willing to spend enough for a good-sized tip.

1. Don’t be rude:

There’s always that one customer who walks in with an attitude and can never be pleased, even if their meals end up getting paid for by management. They’re the customer that everyone complains about in the kitchen and the reason employees feel like quitting every day of their lives. Do everyone a favor and if you’re in one of those moods, just don’t come in.