Having now worked at a restaurant for a little under half a year, it has come to my attention that some people in this world are a little uninformed about how to behave when coming to a restaurant. Whether that means actual restaurant etiquette, knowing how much to tip, how to treat the people around them or what other offense I've seen someone commit while dining, it's gotta stop. So, I have taken it upon myself to make a handy-dandy little chart to teach everyone the do's and dont's of eating at a restaurant. Hopefully you will take something away from this and, by doing so, won't have to worry about if your server is talking bad about you in the kitchen.
1: Greetings
Do
Please do say hello to the hosts/hostesses when you enter the establishment. It's literally their job to greet you and seat you, so why not make it a pleasurable experience for both parties?
Don't
Do not ignore anyone if they greet you and respond with your party size. It's just plain annoying. An example of this would sound something like:
Host: "Hi folks, how are you today?"
Customer: "Four for a booth."
Again, this is annoying and you come off as rude.
2: Seating
Do
When you walk into a restaurant, it's always safe to assume that someone will be seating you if there's a host stand by the front entrance, so do wait to be seated.
Don't
If you see a host stand by the front entrance and it doesn't have a sign saying "seat yourself," do not try and seat yourselves anywhere other than the bar. Chances are, tables are assigned and in a rotation with the servers, so you seating yourself messes everything up. If you don't know what a host stand looks like, I've attached a few images to help give you a better idea.
3: Seating Options
Do
When being seated, please do voice your opinion. We want to make your dining experience as pleasurable as possible, especially if you need special seating due to physical issues or any other reasons.
Don't
For the love of all that is holy, understand that no restaurant is made entirely out of booths, so you will not always be seated in a booth, and the sooner you get over that the better. Do not make a huge scene if we cannot seat you in one.
4: Interactions
Do
When interacting with your server, please do feel free to make jokes, laugh along with your server, and just be your typical pleasant self. I promise it will make the person that has to work open to close taking orders from grumpy customers all day feel a little bit better.
Don't
Do not think that because you are the customer you are in charge of your server. You are so not, and the sooner you get over your superiority complex, the more pleasurable your dining experience will be.
5: Timing
Do
We welcome all customers, but please do look at the store hours and be time-conscious. I know for a fact that if it is a sit-down restaurant and not a fast food chain, you will not sit down, order drinks and dinner, eat said dinner, and pay for your food in the last 20 minutes before the establishment closes.
Don't
Do not be that jerk in the "Do" section above that comes into a restaurant in the last half hour that it is open. I once had a woman and her daughter come in one minute before we were officially closed and demanded that I seat her. Don't be like that woman.
6: Tipping
Do
Lastly, and probably the most important one in this list, make sure you do always tip your server at least 20 percent. No if's, and's, or but's.
DON'T
Do not tip less than 20 percent for your meal. Understand that a server position does not pay much with its actual paychecks and the majority of a server's income is from their tips. They would not be hired if they were mean people, so if your dining experience isn't top-notch, it still isn't cool to tip low or not tip at all. Also, if you can't afford to tip correctly, you can't afford to eat out. End of story.
I'm sure there a lot more do's and don't's that other people in the restaurant business could add on, but these are the major points that I always think of when I'm working. Make sure to take these into account for a great dining experience in the future!
