All reasonable requests of course. My pet peeve stems from those who want to move two tables over from where we're trying to put them for no apparent reason. We are probably putting you at that table so that all the servers have equal tables. If we just sat people wherever THEY wanted to be seated, you'd end up with a couple servers getting slammed while everyone else has nothing to do.

Chris

At my restaurant we actually will pre-sweeten tea if we notice how much Sweet & Lo, etc. that you're putting in your tea. Seems to be well-received.

This isn't our choice. I'd almost always rather leave it up to the guest. But the restaurant policy says we have to put the gratuity on every table of 6 or more. If you choose to "grat" a bunch of elderly women and then don't "grat" a bunch of businessmen, that's blatant discrimination. Please don't take it out on your server. At most quality establishments, he/she doesn't get a say. If you're a 20% tipper normally, feel free to make the gratuity equal to 20%.

Chris

I know this is pretty horrible of me, but one thing I can't stand when eating out is sitting next to people that are obese and having to watch them order fatty food after fatty food for every course.
I realize a lot of people have a medical condition and it can't be helped but I just wish the U.S. could gain some self-control when eating. More of a societal comment though I suppose...

Can't say I agree with this one. It's none of my business whether or why someone is overweight (unless they're sitting next to me in coach and didn't buy two seats). Paraphrasing Dr. King, "I'm judge a person by the content of his character and not quantity of his corpus." :)

I don't like the courses being served out of order or all at the same time.
I don't like receiving the check before I have asked for it.
I don't like misleading or incomplete food descriptions on the menu. I once dined with a friend in an Asian restaurant and he ordered a lobster dish. There was more chicken than lobster in his entree but chicken was not mentioned in the description.

+1, I see this happen a lot

Indeed! We've been fairly annoyed while dining in a "nice" restaurant to have our main course delivered about two minutes after our appetizers. :td:

I now try to give explicit instructions - that's virtually insulting to a good server but unfortunately necessary for those who aren't.

+1 ... I meant to mention that, too. Very annoying to wait 20 minutes, have the entree come out, then have the salad come out a minute later.

I went to a restaurant last night here in SF: the check had 18% gratuity included, for a party of 3!
Ok, I'll spill the beans: it was Asia de Cuba.

I have known of restaurants that include a tip if the diners are, for example, Europeans, due to the difference in tipping customs.

Not Reading the Menu
 

It's called READ A MENU. 9 times out of 10, if you want a soup or a salad, it's on the menu what the price is and at some restaurants, it's a cheaper price than if you just order a side salad by itself. Don't expect your servers to baby-sit you if you are too lazy to READ THE MENU FOR YOURSELF. I don't EVER RECALL a restaurant I have EVER BEEN TO that doesn't have the prices of the side salads added to an entree. If it's NOT listed it COMES with the item on the menu, 99.9% chance it cost extra. If you are unsure, ASK. Don't expect them to baby-sit you, because they are supposed to try to sell more, because their managers want that.

Then again, I've also been to restaurants that have no prices at all on the menu. If you have to ask, you probably can't afford to eat there (Doyen in Paris comes to mind, as well as a Michelin 1 star restaurant in a chateau in Tours, though the name escapes me at the moment). I've also been in many restaurants that are so dimly lit that I have to hold a candle over the menu to read it. I don't actually mind that, though -- I like the atmosphere.

However, as a general rule, my only responsibility at a restaurant is to act courteously to diners and staff alike and pay my bill at the end. I don't have any "jobs" at the restaurant (though, in the past, I've worked as a waiter). That's why we eat out at restaurants: to enjoy the experience and not take on any responsiblities beyond savoring the meal.

Incidentally, in China it is customary to have long discussions with the waiter during which the virtues of the various dishes are compared, the waiter makes recommendations, preparation and quality are discussed, etc. I'm often amused when my wife tries to do the same here in the U.S. The waiters are, at best, a bit perplexed but always seem happy to oblige.

That's when the CUSTOMER should ASK if they want to know. The server doens't have to tell you.

It's your responsiblity to KNOW what you are ordering and HOW MUCH you have to pay(unless you aren't interested in the amount the items are).

If you order filet mignon, if you aren't familar with steaks, you may have thought you were ordering a sirloin or a ribeye, because you don't know the differences in the cuts of the meats, for example. It's your responsiblity to know what you are ordering. So the customer should asks questions instead of just assuming things if they aren't sure.

Um . . . well, yes. I wouldn't expect a server to recite prices at such a restaurant.

Well, sure. Who doesn't do that?

Brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that?

I'm not talking about things that are on the menu or that should be obvious to most customers. I'm talking about deceptive practices and/or things that most other places don't charge for. For instance:

* Charging for water.
* When ordering a burger, being asked "Mustard? Ketchup? Lettuce? Onions? Tomatoes?" (with no mention of price) when lettuce, onions, and tomatoes cost extra.
* When ordering an entrée that doesn't come with either soup or a salad and the waiter asks "Would you rather have soup or salad with that?"

I understand that management encourages upselling but customers expect their waiters to be helpful, not to behave like used car salesmen. I expect a waiter to make me aware of any extra charges as I'm ordering. If I have a surprise when the check comes, the tip will definitely reflect it. If I have it happen repetitively at a restaurant, I won't go back.

Happens so often whenever I dine in Europe. They would ask me if I want the regular or the gas water. :p Of course I seldomly opt for the latter.

That means you get the "Sin Gas" then :p

Agreed. ^ We waxed eloquent on that point on Trip Advisor awhile back concerning a Honolulu place called Cheeseburger in Paradise in this excerpt:

Yes, the location is great but we knew we'd made a mistake almost as soon as we entered. I detest places that promise more on their menu than they deliver, and I further detest places that don't include prices on their drink list, and I even further detest places that keep trying to "up-sell" with add-ons.

We both just wanted water so the friendly enough young waitress, who persisted in the annoying habit of coyly addressing us as "you two," had to take away the little plastic pineapple they sell as a souvenir for people who buy "real" drinks.

I ordered a Chicken "Oriental Salad" for $12.95. "Do you want avocado with that?" No thank you.

My husband ordered a Cajun chicken burger for $8.95. "Would you like cheese on that?" No thank you. "Would you like bacon on that?" No thank you. She left a little disconsolately but then returned. "Oh, I forgot to ask if you'd like fries or onion rings with that?" No thank you.

I was waiting to see if she'd ask if we'd like "cloth napkins" or perhaps a "deluxe condiment assortment." Anyway, you get the picture...

Charging at Restaurants
 

For instance, I have been offered guacamole and took it not realizing it would probably cost extra until after I had placed my order and the waitess left the table. The thing is, it's up to the CUSTOMER to ASK these questions. The server doesn't have to tell you the price.

As far as soup or salad added to an entree, that's normally on the menu. If it wasn't, then ask if the soup or salad actually COMES with the meal. Once, I went to a restaurant and the menu DID NOT state the ribs came with a salad. She asked what kind of salad did I want and dressing, which through me off, because it wasn't on the menu. I said "A salad comes with this?" She said "YES." This would be a good way without having to ask the price. If they say "NO, it's extra", then if you want to know how much, ASK.

As far as lettuce goes, normally you don't have to pay for that type of stuff, but sometimes you do. Usually the menu will state something like "Add a $1.00 for dressed), but if it doesn't, you know you can ASK you know if you aren't sure. 9 times out of 10, you probably won't get charged for regular amounts of lettuce, mustard, ketchup, etc., but if you order extra, there's always a chance you may be charged. If you order a condiment that doesn't come with the item such as ranch for someone's fries with a burger, expect that it's very possible you MAY BE CHARGED. If you aren't sure, the best advice I can give you is to ASK your server.

It's not deceptive really, because if you add ANYTHING to your meal, it should be common sense there will always be a POSSIBLITY you could get charged. Since you don't know, you should ASK.

Water wouldn't be charged normally unless it would be bottled water. I haven't had that issue ever, but if I would, I would definately ask a manager about why on earth they would charge for a glass of tap water. I don't think I would ask the server about if they charged for water, because 99.9% of the times, you wouldn't be charged for a glass of water.

I think you might be losing sight of the intent of this thread.

It's about restaurant pet peeves. Things that cheese you off at restaurants.

It seems you are fully indoctrinated into the practices common in North American diners - many of them cynically put into place by management aware that they will yield higher returns from customers not so familiar with the ins and outs of the hospitality industry.

Although these might seem perfectly acceptable to you, doesn't mean that the rest of us have to like them. And as this is a WORLD forum, which does not limit its discussion to moderately priced dining establishments in the USA, not all of us share your views that the customer should be expected to second guess the intentions of waiting staff bent on 'upselling' in a way that many people feel is akin to trickery and deception.

Sure, we can all grill our servers and be alert to their attempts to wring extra money from us by asking and asking and asking and inspect the menu's intricacies with the thoroughness of a lawyer. But, personally, when I go out to eat I like to RELAX and ENJOY my food and actually RELISH THE INTERACTION between myself and the human being I'm privileged to be served by that day.

I usually feel that way when I eat out in London, I always feel this way when I eat out in Japan, and believe it or not, I almost invariably feel this way when I eat out in North America too.

I also get peeved by deceptive practices common in a certain kind of Diner. A British equivalent to Applebees or Chilis might be Nandos (which I do not frequent). Here's something tangible that highlights the kind of thing I'm talking about:
"If you want to be pestered by Nando's don't whatever you do tick this box"
It's part of a coupon you seem to need to fill in with your address in order to get a free meal (having collected stamps with previous meals).

I have never been in a restaurant in which the server tries to "upsell" by the restaurant charging extra for such things. However, I'm also hard-pressed to recall a restaurant in which everything wasn't a la carte. Occasionally, restaurants will offer a complete meal, "price fixed," or a "tasting menu." These will clearly indicate what you get. I would find it embarrassing if my dining companion asked the server, "Is there an extra charge for the bread? Is the side vegetable free?", etc. In some countries in Europe, it is customary to charge for bread, olives, etc. that are the precursor to the meal. In the U.S., that is never done. There will be a charge anywhere for bottled water, whether still or sparkling. The problem, here, is that you seem to be extrapolating from low-priced chain restaurants to all restaurants. Believe me, the chain restaurants are typical of nothing but chain restauranats.

Charging for water was a pet peeve of mine when I lived in London in the late 90's. When I moved back to the States, to the annoyance of all my friends, I always asked for a glass of tap water when we went out to eat (even if it was the only water available).

Now for some reason, sparkling water is my non-alcoholic beverage of choice (and seltzer water at restaurants that have no idea what I mean when I ask for sparkling water).

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space has been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

!!!Geez. When did THAT start happening? Are the Airline CEOs and bean counters now in charge of the foodservice industry??? What's next - assessing a paper, electricity & water charge when you go to the $hithouse?

:confused:

I just have two pet peeves:

1. Being ignored as a solo customer. If the wait staff don't at least acknowledge my presence in five minutes, I'm out of there. They don't have to take my order, but they do have to give me a menu or at least say, "I'll be with you in a moment."

2. Wait staff who haven't bothered to find out what the Soup of the Day or other ______of the Day is. If it's on the menu, someone is going to ask about it eventually.

3. A disorganized kitchen. I once stopped off at a mid-level pasta and pizza place for a bit to eat before a concert. The restaurant was packed. I ordered pasta with pesto, thinking that would be quick. It was only after waiting for 15 minutes that I noticed that of the five or six tables of people who were sitting there when I walked in, none had been served yet.

The kitchen was open to view, and I could see what the trouble was. Instead of having a small menu, ready-made sauces, and constantly bubbling pots of hot water (the secret of the fast pasta places I've known), this place had two cooks who were making everything from scratch, including boiling the water and wandering around in a daze between steps. Believe me, this was not the kind of upscale place where chefs pride themselves on made-to-order masterpieces. I felt like jumping up and making my own pasta with pesto, which I could have done in no time at all.

My food came out of the kitchen just as I was headed for the door, since I had ten minutes before curtain time, two blocks away. I didn't eat it and I didn't pay. The restaurant soon went out of business, and no wonder.

Great thread! Thanks for the chance to vent...in increasing order of annoyance to me:

1. Mispronounciation of the word Bruschetta

2. The expression "with au jus"

3. When the server quotes prices of the specials (even happens at fancy places). If I'm taking someone to dinner, I don't want them to hear and think about prices. If I'm there with my kids, fine.

4. My number one pet peeve: putting lemon in my water. If I ask for water, I want water, not lemon drink. It's now to the point where I *always* have to specify "I'd like some water, with no fruit, please." This is a hassle, and half of the time they don't even listen and when I sent it back, it still tastes lemony and still has a pit in it.

Funny true story: I was at a restaurant in the Seattle area, and asked for my water with no fruit. It came, and it really tasted bad but not lemony. I asked the server what the deal was, and he said, "Oh, we normally serve our water with cucumber juice added. Shall I bring you water without it?" So, for a while, I was asking for water with "no fruit and no vegetable!" They've stopped doing that now. (I know that cucumber is "officially" a fruit, but most people consider it a vegetable)

Comments?

I had that cucumber water once. Thought they had mistakenly given us something from the dishwashing sink. "Would you like plain water?" Yeah.

Recently had a Bloody Mary that was positively foul, and had salt on the rim and two olives. Thinking dirty martini, I just pushed it aside. When questioned, the bartender was doing "the way they are all making it on the east coast." Liquid from the olive jar added to the drink. No-oooo-ooh. Tell me this isn't so.

And here I thought I was the only person who abhorred this!

Eww. Just, ewww.

This doesn't happen often, but if there is something ridiculous on the menu it would be nice if the server would warn me about it. Here's an example: I once had a business lunch with coworkers and customers at the customer's location. I ordered what was described as a grilled tuna salad. Pretty ordinary, right? What came out was a huge salad in a large wooden bowl big enough to feed the whole table, and complete with wooden salad tongs. The server put it down in front of me but it nearly filled the whole table. I was SOOOO embarrassed.

One of my restaurant pet peeves is placing me at a table close to noisy kids ... I always ask for another table far far away, as I'm there to enjoy my meal and the people I'm there with ...:mad:

Add me to the list of people more than a little peeved with this practice. And please don't serve me a lemon or a lime with my beer. If you insist on including this, why not put the little fruit slice on a plate and give it to the customer on the side for optional use.

I have two pet peeves......

1. Assuming that Pepsi is the same thing as Coke.... :) Ma'am... I ordered Diet Coke.... and no, Diet Pepsi is not the same.

2. Putting a lemon in my Diet Coke. I did not ask for that... :)

My partner has this pet peeve that came up today.

We were in a place for breakfast. He always get coffee for breakfast.... and it is all you can drink. Today, as we were leaving, he asked if he could get a cup to go. They proceeded to add another $2.25 for a second cup of coffee.... seemed cheap.

Mentioned before, but I absolutely hate it when they ask to take my plate
1. Before I've finished, just because I've paused and am not actively shoveling
2. When my companions are still eating
3. Before my husband (who is still eating) has indicated his interest in the remains of my plate.

Also HATE when they say "Are you still working on that?" like this overpriced plate is a chore to be gotten over.

that is cheap...i've never heard of that before...and i sometimes get my pop or iced tea to go after a meal

Some of the best -- Some of the worst
 

One of my best restaurant choices: Dillworth Inn West chester PA

Professional waiters, (not college or school kiddies working part-time)
dressed in full-tails, gloved, one per table, rather just a couple for coffee and desert, or a party of 5 or 6 for dinner and drinks, stays attentive, but stays just out of ear shot, quickly delivers service. Tradition holds that the waiter
will order your "one for the road drink" and its charged "on the house."
(May as well be one "free" one, as this is a very hig-end expensive fine dining restaurant with no monkey business of goofies rubbing two nickels together
for a tip nor a place to drag rug-rats around...:D

But not everyone is fortunate to be able to afford that kind of luxury, even with a business-expense-account...


Biggest pet-peeve of mine with ordinary day to day kind of restaurants is the annoyance of waitstaff, interrupting mid conversation, to "know how everything is," -- whereby I let them know in no uncertain terms, that " if I or anyone at the table needs anything, we'll be sure to let you know, and now, if you don't mind I'd like to finish our conversation ..." (with that there's a general about-face to the rear of the restaurant)... :D

This one I'm not sure I agree with - I would say if you are in a position where the host has a menu with prices and all others have menus without prices then the waiter should not mention the prices of the specials. Most of the time I find the specials to be overpriced and this is an opportunity to juice up the revenue.

On the other hand not knowing can be good. I was at a business dinner recently where prices were not mentioned. I suggested to a co-worker that he try one of the specials as it was something you don't see often and this was probably a good place to try this dish. I inquired about the prices - the special was $50 and my friend declined. Our boss was paying and he never would have batted an eye if the special had been ordered without the price being known.

I hate seeing cockroaches crawling up the wall next to you. Been in 2 'restaurants' where this happened, but ate my meal and left :)

I also hate seeing curly hairs in my food (only happened once, but recently also occurred to a friend of mine. She ate her food anyway!)

I also hate it when people can't spell 'shiitake" correctly. One of the profanity filters at work objects to that and I end up dealing with confused people asking why their email was blocked.

I agree. One of my biggest pet peeves is NOT knowing the price of the specials. And, yes, they usually seem to be SIGNIFICANTLY greater than the average menu entree. It's not tacky for the server to also indicate the price of the specials. There are prices on your menu. It's no different.

Along these lines, another pet peeve is when the list of specials is so long that you've forgotten what the initial ones were. If there are more than a couple of specials, they should be printed out.

My pet peeves, some already mentioned

1) not offering or just bringing tap water, especially having to ask more than once for tap water

2) "are you still working on that?" - how about "may I take your plate?" or "are you finished with this?"

3) Any kind of comment on how much or little I ate, with one exception, which is sincere concern that the is something wrong if not much was eaten. Doubly so for any kind of comment about how much drinking is happening, I've heard this great story, probably apocryphal, about Jackie O being asked by a waiter if she would like another drink and her responding "It's none of your goddam business how many drinks I've had, but yes you may freshen my cocktail"

4) Bringing another patron's dirty dishes to my table, in a fine dining restaurant this one is a deal breaker for me, I will cut my tip to the level of the tip out and I will demand to speak to the manager