There are many different kinds of restaurants out there, but all servers can relate to hearing these things on a daily basis....and getting real tired of it real fast.
1. "Why did those people get their food before us when we were seated first?"
Well sir, those people probably got their food before you because your family got 4 well done burgers and crispy wings while that table decided to get salads and sandwiches. Some food takes a longer time to be cooked and there is no need to complain about getting your food 5 minutes after another table.
2. "Why is our food taking so long? I have somewhere to be in 15 minutes!"
Although I understand it is frustrating when the kitchen is backed up and you have somewhere to be, but if you see a full restaurant and think that you will get your food in 10 minutes while knowing that you have somewhere else to be soon, that seems like a problem you could have prevented yourself instead of blaming your server.
3. "I see that a table opened up and I would rather sit there, can I move?"
If your order has already been taken and that other table is in a different servers section the answer will most likely be know, this will mess up not only both the servers but most likely the hosts and the kitchen as well, so it is okay to ask this but it should be understood that it is not very easy to accommodate those kinds of things.
4. "What does the burger taste like? Oh what about the salad? Or the sauce on the salmon burger?"
Everyone is curious about what things taste like, but if you see a server is busy and running around it probably isn't too logical to ask them 13 questions about everything on the menu when you could just open your eyes and read it yourself, servers are trying to help you and probably about 7 other tables out at the same time.
5. Asking for the manager over a small inconvenience.
Asking to speak to the manager is necessary at times, but not if it is something that is an easy fix such as getting the wrong dressing or an undercooked burger. Everyone makes mistakes so allow the server to deal with it if they can because most of the time the manager that you want to speak to has many other things they have to deal with.
6. Splitting your bill into multiple checks.
If you are going out with a large group of people and wait until the end of your meal to tell the server your are splitting your bill makes things very confusing. It takes time to select each item for each bill and switch them over into 5 or 6 checks. This can cause a lot of confusion and makes the server flustered because they are spending too much time splitting your bill while they have other tables to go to. It is much easier if larger groups just put all their money together or pay one person back.
7. Leaving a small tip.
Unless you had absolutely terrible service and were forgotten about, did not get the right food, and had a rude server, you should leave at least an 15% tip. Servers are most likely trying their best to please everyone, most of the time they cannot help mistakes that the kitchen makes. Everyone in the restaurant business is doing their best and deserves to be treated with respect. Don't go out to eat if you do not plan on tipping your server accordingly.
8. Asking about the price of every single item once you already paid the bill.
If you look on the menu at any restaurant the prices are listed clearly, if you added things to your order or asked for top shelf liquor you will have a higher bill. This is common sense and asking your server about the price of ever single item is unnecessary, unless you were charged for something you did not order.
