If there's anything that I learned from working as a waitress in a restaurant, it's having the right amount of patience with everything you do and encounter. But this mostly applies to serving and handling the customers, since each one that walked through the restaurant doors is a wildcard. While there were some customers who made my first time serving easier, there were some who made it a lot worse and more difficult due to their actions.

Next time you go out to eat at a restaurant with friends or family, promise me you won't do any of these things to a waitress:

1. Make your order overly-complicated

Changing one or two things isn't the end of the world, but modifying your order to the point where it's not even close to what it was originally just made it harder for us to enter it into the system in time.

2. Not tip

We're doing so much just to try and please you and make sure you have a good experience. The least you could do is pay a few extra bucks since we already aren't making so much.

3. Dine and dash

Just don't do it. No one thinks you're being funny.

4. Let your kids run around like animals

This is actually dangerous since we're constantly carrying heavy dishes with sharp silverware. The last thing we would want is a disaster waiting to happen by running into a kid. Also it's just annoying for everyone involved, including other customers.

5. Leave a big mess on the table/floor

Even if we're not in charge of sweeping up after you, someone still has to do it eventually.

6. Blame us for the food being wrong or messed up

All we're supposed to do is carry out the food and make sure it's what you ordered. If your steak is too cold or your pasta is too dry, blame it on the cook.

7. Split the bill between a million people and tell us last minute

This only just makes things more complicated and stressful for us.

8. Get mad at us for not being fast enough

Believe it or not, we have other tables we have to attend to, and additional side-work in the back that our managers remind us about every 2 minutes.

9. Come in right before closing time

As if our shifts haven't been long enough.

10. Be rude for no reason

Just because we're serving you and your needs doesn't automatically make us lower than you. We're humans too.

So next time you dine in at a restaurant, please be considerate of the person serving you and try to avoid doing all of these things. Not only will it make the experience flow better for everyone, but it will also help them out and not allow them to stress as much.