When I'm at a business dinner at a decent restaurant, I will properly place my knife and fork together on the plate to indicate I am finished. Please do not interrupt to ask if I'm finished.

Also, at a decent restaurant, do not even think about bringing a plate out at a different time from the rest of the plates at the table. I'm paying a premium price for your staff to understand timing.

I'm very laid back about restaurants otherwise, and after having eating plenty of street food around the world, there is very little a restaurant can do that will phase me.

+1,2,3...

Pouring the wine without asking first. I'm perfectly capable of pouring my own wine and like to remember how much I have had!

This was actually a blessing in disguise for my girlfriend and I not too long ago.

Went to what had been out favorite high end place in town, ordered drinks, 45 minutes later no bread, hadn't been back to take our appetizer order. Ended up flagging down someone for the check and going to a place we hadn't been before.

The 2nd place is now our new favorite restaurant.

The booths designed for Biggest Loser contestants whee there's a huge gap between the bench and table. I am far from dainty myself, and hate having to lean way too far in order to have my face in the vicinity of the table and reduce the chance of accidentally dumping food onto my lap because I'm clumsy enough to miss my mouth a surprising amount of the time.

Are they just asking you, or are they asking all parties at the table?

As proper formal dining service usually looks down upon clearing any individual plate until everyone has finished. Unfortunately, not everyone follows the signal of putting their fork and knife together, or not everyone does it properly. Just have your fork and knife in a reasonable proximity to one another is not enough to be unambiguous, so long as there remains some food on the plate.

Having worked in a restaurant, there are plenty of times when I've been deceived by someone unknowingly putting their fork and knife a little too close. So sometimes it's best to check. Same with nearly-empty wine glasses.

They are usually asking just me, even though my knife and fork are usually on the empty plate already.

Surely a knife and fork placed together at 5 o'clock is the indication you've finished?

The time of day does not seem to matter. It still does happen — and my name is not Surely.

I give up. I will just throw in the white towel — er...I mean napkin...

Here in Thailand the waiters hand over the menu and then wait at your table to write down your order.
I invariably have to ask: "can I have 5 minutes to read the menu?"

At up-scale restaurants they will invariably take away forks, knives, plates as soon as you finish something.
The worst is the butter knife and small bread teller disappearing minutes after you consumed some bread during dinner

+1

Getting less menus for the table than there are people seated. I guess this is more common outside the US but I've had it happen in some ethnic food restaurants here. It's even more annoying when you see they've got a whole stash of menus sitting there. Just give me my own menu, if anything it will help your turnover time.

TIPS=To Provide Prompt Service! Asa former waiter some of the things that provide good
service and at the same time encourage to request when the return are:
1. First,GOOD EVENING!, with a smile.
2. When the do order a drink notice if anyone is left handed, then when coffee is ordered
" Would you prefer you coffee on the left side" in most cases they will say no, but it shows up on my tip TRAY.
3. If they drop silerware, don't pick it up, leave it and return with a clean fork or what ever they dropped. Then they can't wonder if I brought back the same fork!
4. Always serve wine or water glasses by the stem, never from lip of the glass.
5. Never pick a customers plate until everone is finished.
6. We were taught to notice the dress,helps to determine if the do want a before ordering, wine with the dinner and perhaps an after dinner drink.
7. Putting all that aside the worst tippers where TEACHERS,DOCTORS, and LAWYERS!!
8. But I made it a point to give the best service possible.
9. Best tippers- Blue Collar workers,
This approach help me support my family of six during my last two years in the Engineering program at CalTech. I missed the GI bill by seven days.
Beat Wishes to you all.

That's the norm in China too. Lucky for me my order isn't usually correct anyway...that's where it has helped to read the characters.

Lazy servers who would rather guess than go get an answer. I have some food allergies and I'll ask if an ingredient is in the soup and they say they don't think so. I ask if they can find out for sure and instantly they know it is not there. I will never order that item as I won't chance it. Smart servers say 'Let me find out' and go to the kitchen for verification.

The other pet peeve is low booths since I am short and would like to be able to see what is on the table.