Featured Article
Restaurant Etiquette
by OutInNewcastle16 January 2014
Ever wondered what is and isn't acceptable behaviour in a restaurant? This is OutInNewcastle's brief quide to dining etiquette.
Respect the wait staff
Just because they serve your food doesn't mean they’re beneath you. A lot of waiters are students trying to work through university. But all are people trying to make a living. They’re people not servants. And remember they handle your food!
Put the phone away
Ever been to dinner with someone who’s constantly texting, or emailing? It’s infuriating! If you absolutely have to use your phone, wait until after you've heard the specials and everyone has placed their order. This way you don’t hold up the whole meal.
Don't always blame the wait staff
The wait staff doesn’t mix every drink or cook every steak. If you don't like something, it’s not you’re waiters fault. If your steak is undercooked, they will be happy to get you another, but don’t make a big song and dance about it. You’ll embarrass the waiter, yourself and the rest of the table.
Don't change tables
Seating on a busy night is he equivalent to a line of dominoes, one wrong move and everything falls down. Two people take less time to eat than four people. Six take more time to eat than four. Restaurants plan seating based on eating times. By changing tables your throwing everything out of whack
Ask for the check
On a calm night, it's very impolite for the waiter to put the check on the table unprompted. If you're having a nice meal, the last thing you want is the waiter to go, BOOM!, here's the check get out. That leaves both waiter and customer with a sour taste in the mouth. So speak up when you're ready to go.
Don't stay too long
The only time it's acceptable for a waiter to hand you the check is during a busy night. If they’ve got to get you out of there, they will drop the check on your table. More tables mean more money. So if you can see it’s busy don’t hang around.
Don’t assume your waiter is psychic
Waiters aren't psychic, so let a little money or a credit card peek out of the bill when you're ready to settle. The same applies for ordering. Don’t ever assume your waiter knows your ready just let them know using a subtle gesture like eye contact.
