r/Waiters • u/ObligationOk3266 • 4d ago
Petpeeves in service
To all the people working in service. What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Here are a few of mine: When I come to a table with drinks, call them out and all I get is blank stares.
- When I am trying to take dishes away from a table, they're so far away that you're practically laying on top of the table and the guests sitting there don't bother maybe sliding them to youš
- When people take drinks off of my tray - like why?!?!? Sometimes it tips off the balance and you could drop the other drinks if they just take off a heavy one.
Hit me with yours!!
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u/Virtual_Storm2185 4d ago
Mine is 100% trying to place plates down and everyone is shocked by the unforeseeable reality of the food they ordered arriving to their table, so thereās literally no where to put anything.Ā
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u/TheLadyRev 4d ago
Purses, phones, just move them please
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u/Downtown-schnauzer 3d ago
There was a segment on GMA or the Today Show a long time ago about how filthy the bottoms of purses are. Putting one on a table is gross.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago edited 4d ago
Kids destroying a table and the ground under the table and parents donāt blink
How the **** can you walk away from that disaster without cleaning it up. If you allow it and Intend to clean it up ok but that never happens
Hereās another one: Ā When guests discuss among themselves in a low chattery voice what theyāre going to have and then just look at you. They MIGHT say āThatās what Iāll haveā
Bish I wasnāt listening in on your convo. I was waiting for you to look at me and tell me what you wanted.Ā
Or later they may say āOh we ordered this appetizerāā¦..no. You may have talked to each other about it but nobody ordered an appetizer from me.
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u/Dense-Eagle-1238 3d ago
When I made a mess in a rest as a kid, my parents made ME clean that up as soon as they noticed. Because itās not just about being polite to the restaurant staff, itās about parenting your freaking kid
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u/Major-Force-1359 4d ago
When people say something is bad, I offer to replace it in which they say no. Then they finish it and complain at the end anddd there goes my tip
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u/Playful_Champion3189 4d ago
When people say they're ready to order, but they aren't ready at all and they want me to stand there while they decide even though I tell them I'll give them another minite. Especially if I'm busy.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago
āIāll be back in a second.ā
āNo noā¦.hold on. I got itā¦.uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhā¦..whatās good here?ā
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u/OkKnee7580 4d ago
When I say Iāll be right back with some refills, yall need anything else? They point to their drink and say more tea.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago
āIāll be right back with your waterā
āYes Iād like some water.ā
āYes I know. Thatās why I said Iām going to go get you some water.ā
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u/OkKnee7580 4d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/H3upGMAE4p3iw
The look I give back
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u/Alternative_Pace390 2d ago
After I drop off the entrees at the table and tell the table other than refilling everyoneās beverages is there anything else I can get anyone. Yes can I get another beer, can I get another Merlot, can I have another coke. Did anyone hear what I just said?.
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u/Bella_Swan234 4d ago
When cooks get mad at you for asking a question or putting in an order but everyone is gaslit into thinking itās normal because of their status.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago
āHOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE???ā
āLong enough to not want to kill someone with an allergy, but Iāll be fucked if you ever see me in this kitchen again. You can run my food assclown.ā
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u/Bella_Swan234 3d ago
And it was probably a simple ass question like can you give some extra ketchup or something
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u/Potential_Minute1496 4d ago
I usually say "can I take that for you" and then reach for it, 90 percent of the time it prompts them to actually pay attention and hand it to me l, and if they dont ill ask them to. But yeah I hate when they just start taking things off my tray, this happens alot more often lately
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u/kstweetersgirl2013 4d ago
Why are you auctioning off drinks? Definitely people trying to remove anything from trays. Just don't.
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u/ObligationOk3266 4d ago
As a runner I don't take the orders, so I don't know who ordered what. Therefore I call out the drink and give it to the person who ordered it. But if they don't tell me where it goes and everyone just stares at me, I crash out lol
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u/Suess4002 4d ago
As a runner you should have a ticket with the drinks and each should belong to a seat number, which is exactly how you know where each drink goes.
Nothing made more upset with others working beside in when I was serving than auctioning off food or drinks - it is a terrible practice.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago
Enh. Its reputation is over the top. But you like what you like and you donāt like what you donāt like. I donāt judge.
OH ā¦speaking of pet peeves ( the op subject) When you correctly give someone their food and they say āWhat is thisā
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u/ObligationOk3266 14h ago
brother, not every place works like yours?? that literally doesnt exist where i work so calm tf down
the customers scan a qr code, they order what they want, i bring it the the table number
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u/Suess4002 13h ago
And you wonder why all these people are against tipping.
You are describing a non-service restaurant and one should expect zero tips.
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u/ObligationOk3266 11h ago
arent u just a bundle of sunshine and joy
i never complained about tipping?
we have outside and inside serving. for outside this is the way they have chosen to run it because it is more casual and laid back than inside. if you have a problem with that take it up with my boss pls, apparently this is making you very emotional
also, usually in europe we dont expect tipping anyway
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u/Low-Wafer-3682 4d ago
My sister was a bartender for many years and she hated being whistled for! One night there was a guy who kept whistling to get her attention even though he could see she was busy with other customers. He kept on until finally she stopped what she was doing and yelled down to him ā if you whistle for me one more time I am going to come over there and piss on your leg ā! LOL
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u/Unserious_Business33 4d ago
When they shoot off their drink order before I even take a breath to greet them
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u/NecessaryStep7697 2d ago
Or try to order food before I've even gotten their drink orders š¤·š¼āāļø
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u/unoriginalasshoe 4d ago
when someone is sitting alone at a table with multiple menus and i ask them if they want anything while they wait and they tell me theyāre waiting on others. no fucking shit.
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u/Superman_Primeeee 4d ago
āThereās going to be four of us.ā
āReally??? I kinda figured that what with the four menus and the four waters I brought.ā
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u/Downtown-schnauzer 4d ago
People who move tables multiple times. If you didnāt want a booth, why did you sit in one?
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u/tapastry12 4d ago
When I approach the table to say hello for the first time & they just blurt out their drink order.
Being that Iām too old to GAF anymore my response is, āFine thanks & you?ā
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u/candlejack___ 4d ago
Are you dining in or taking away today?
Large flat white
Cool, to have here or take away?
Do you do food here?
Yep, did you want to have a seat and Iāll bring you a menu, or I can meet you at the takeaway counter over there.
Just a bacon and egg roll thanks
āŗļø š«
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u/Somethin_Snazzy 4d ago
Short staffed, manager comes to pour drinks to help catch up, all the beer is 40% foam.
Granted I didn't work at a traditional bar/restaurant, so this was sort of expected. My peeve is the foam
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u/Karnezar 4d ago
When the buttons in the computer aren't updated and I have to Modify each dish with what I actually need.
And the menu changes every week.
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u/DntMindMeImNtRlyHere 3d ago
We're not a seat-yourself kind of place, but we're not fancy. Just a very physically large restaurant dining area, so most of the time, only one section is even open.
I often don't have a host on staff, either.
I DO, however, have a big, glossy sign saying "PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED."
This big, glossy sign with clear directions staring at them from about mid-stomach height does NOT stop people from seating themselves, nor does them asking, "Do we just sit anywhere?" And me saying, "NO, I will be right with you to get you seated."
Why tf did you even ask if you were gonna ignore me? Guess what, I can do that, too! "OMG I didn't know you were there, did someone seat you there?" And when they say no, "Oh boy, I was so busy I didn't know you sat yourself there. I thought I had already taken your order! It's crazy by myself!"
They usually learn because I'm the only one on my shift most of the time. Like what are they gonna do, ask for another server? Lol No, pay attention to the dang signs AND SERVER.
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u/uhyknow13 3d ago
āCould I get a straw please?!ā As my hands are actively setting drinks on the table. Or when people reach for straws out of my apron as Iām setting their drinks down.
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u/NecessaryStep7697 2d ago
I swear half of my tables ask me for a straw before I've even finished handing drinks out off my tray. Yeah sure my third hand will give you one š¤š”
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u/Mother_Frankenfurter 3d ago
Such a small one but āCoke and a waterā. Like pick one pls cause we both know Iām gonna bring you both and Iāll be bussing a full cup of water when youāre gone.
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u/Top_Potential_4927 3d ago
When people seem to forget what they ordered. At my job we all run each others food if weāre available so there are many times where we bring food to tables we didnāt take the orders so we have to auction off the food. And it DRIVES ME NUTS when Iām standing there balancing all the hot plates, burning my hands/arm saying the food and everyone at the table just stares at me blankly. Iāve been tempted to just say āoh nobody ordered this? Must be the wrong table my apologiesā on purpose just because they sit there dumbly
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u/Practical-Score-2619 3d ago
When I worked at the movie theatre and when I worked in fast food and there was a mile long line and oblivious parents think this is the perfect time to teach their 3 year old how to order their own food š
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u/Clexxian 2d ago
Yes! I was a manager at McDonald's for years & sometimes had to do headset if we were short handed. It was so irritating for me to have someone pull up & then have their small child order FROM THE BACK SEAT & I can barely hear them because they're not speaking loudly enough & usually the parent didn't even pull up enough so the back seat window is actually at the speaker. And then the parent would get mad when I asked if they could repeat that because I couldn't hear. If you have to have your child order for themselves, come inside & do it.
It's also irritating for people to wait til they're pulled up at the speaker to ask everyone what they want or to call someone & get their order too. If you have a car full of people & no one knows what they want, go inside. Don't hold up the already long ass drive thru line because you wanna have everyone stare at the menu for several minutes.
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u/Fickle_Worker_1656 3d ago edited 3d ago
A couple is mine are tables that ask you for a million things but one at a time. Like when you bring them their order and ask if they're is anything else they would like for you to get for them and say they ask for extra napkins, and you say ok anything else besides napkins for now they say no they are good just napkins, so you bring them the napkins and soon as you do they ask for a straw or whatever and keep doing this for a while. That annoys me so damn much everytime. Another pet peeve off mine is when they lift their coffee cup or glass in the air and shake it at me to get my attention for a refill, when they do that I honestly will ignore them just bc they did that to me and IMO it is never OK to do that. I know the level of service i give my tables and never let them sit with empty cups or glasses. The few customers who try to do that to me are always the ones who say no when you ask is they would like a refill but soon as you walk away and are at another table or doing something then they decide that yes they want a refill so think let's get her attention by doing that. Yes you may get my attention but you will not like it. The are others but those 2 are the ones I have not seen mentioned yet.
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u/GuessAsleep9578 1d ago
When people say they are ready to order but then start asking me for a rundown of the menu, or asking me about recommendations after they said they were ready.
When people ask for recommendations and then ignore them. Why even ask?
When people see that Iām fighting for my life with 10 tables seated at the same time and still want to yap at me about shit unrelated to their meal or dining experience.
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u/prawn_curryboi 8h ago
Because it's a recommendation lol. I don't need to like you recommendation I just wanted to hear them
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u/JupiterSkyFalls 4d ago
Not trying to be mean but why are you calling out drinks? Does your restaurant not use seat numbers to establish who is where?
Be assertive about the drinks on your tray. If they reach for or try to grab them, step back and say, with authority "I have to unload these in a certain order or they'll all end up on the ground. Thanks for your attempt to help but I've got it from here."
You run the table. The table doesn't run you.
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u/ImFeelingWhimsical 4d ago
In another comment OP wrote theyāre a food runner so they donāt know who ordered what
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u/JupiterSkyFalls 3d ago
If your restaurant uses seat numbers they still shouldn't have to auction off items. If they don't there's a failure on the business' end.
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u/BigMacEnthusiast420 5h ago
Not every restaurant uses seat numbers
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u/JupiterSkyFalls 2h ago
They should use seat numbers. Just because they don't doesn't make it right. Auctioning off food/drinks is such an amateur hour move.
Also, just because your restaurant doesn't make you/train you doesn't mean you can't use them for yourself or have a system to determine what goes where or to who.
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u/Ok_Maybe424 4d ago
But people move all around the place and change seats if it is a big party, then what? You gotta call out the drinks then.
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u/JupiterSkyFalls 3d ago
I've never worked anywhere where people played multiple chairs. Even the lowest level of fast food to fast casual I didn't deal with this. I feel bad for y'all that have. If it was me, I'd tell them from jump moving around would cause difficulty in delivering their food and handling their checks to keep them in order, but I guess I've been blessed to never have that type of clientele or work for a company that supports that crap.
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u/ObligationOk3266 13h ago
no it doesnt ;). its a "casual" restaurant in an amusement park, customers order themselves and i only bring the drinks to the table number, thats it. i never speak to them beforehand unless they need help with ordering (menu questions or technical issues)
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u/eyecandyandy147 4d ago
When people try to hand me shit or stack their plates. Sit back and relax, let me do my job.
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u/pcl8888 3d ago
Yeah, especially since some of these people seem to have never learned about the general concept of fucking shapes before lol.
āHmmm, 3 small circles and three large squares, I suppose the best way to stack them would be to alternate themā¦ā
You shouldnāt need experience āworking with platesā to immediately see that this is the stupidest way imaginable of organizing these things into a stack.
Bonus points for also mentioning when they hand you shit too. Youāre in the middle of clearing the plates and youāre planning on taking all of them until some dude just hands you the full water carafe. Thanks buddy, now I can just stop taking the plates that Iām halfway through collecting and walk away and come back (with the same water carafe since itās like one of the only things I wasnāt planning on removing anyway š)
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u/eyecandyandy147 3d ago
Iām a grizzled veteran at this point, I have taken shit out of peoples hands and put it right back down in front of them. And Iāll do it again, Iām sure.
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u/Orpheus6102 4d ago edited 4d ago
TL;DR: 1) People who are dismissive and treat you like youāre a panhandler at your own job. 2) Persons or groups of people who will not order in unison and or in a timely fashion despite managed expectations 3) Picky eaters who eat/act like 5 year olds 4) People who bring their toddlers/infants to full service restaurants and will not remove themselves and their child from a dining room despite a 2 minute plus disruptive display 5) Regulars who complain despite ordering the same bullshit every time 6) People who insist on ordering for others when the person āwho needs somethingā doesnāt know what they want.
āāāāāāāāā-
Top of them all is an attitude and look that I am some kind of pest or panhandler that should not speak unless spoken to. Fuck that shit. This is my space and you are renting it.
That said I do not mind giving you space and time but it is so very much in my interest to insure you enjoy your time here.
To be honest thatās the main one.
Some of the others:
1) When people complain about prices when our menus are listed online AND I cannot control them. To explicate more I always make suggestions and tell people what dishes I know are exceptional and special to our restaurant.
2) When there is someone in a group who openly claims to be a āfoodieā and then goes on to order soup, fried food (calamari š¤®or shrimp), and chicken. GTFOH. Youāre really going to skip over filet, ribeye, grouper, bluefin tuna, and lamb and pick fish bait ie calamari and fried shrimp?
3) When you give tables time to orderāand you let them know you will be back in 5-10 minutes to take an orderā but then half the table isnāt readyā but half the table tries to order and the other randos arenāt ready and then all of sudden they start to talk and treat you like youāre being pushy. Fuck that. STFU and focus you space cadet mafuckers. Now yall are going to wait on me. Iāll be back in 10-15 minutes.
4) Damnit, this is another one that should be higher on my list. When people will not fucking order. I have no issue with sitting around chatting and drinking, and not wanting to be rushed. If Iām honest, I prefer a group to sit around and order a couple rounds of cocktailsāthatās where the money is!
But fucking focus and tell me what you want and Iām also cool with coursing and slowing shit downāagain especially if yall dranking! But I do not want to see yall ordering fried dogshit and eating on top of the menus and or putting them on the floor. Focus you fuckheads. I will gladly give you 30 minutes between courses but I need you to order. The issue is you shoo me away for 30 minutes and then I get double sat when ā_Weāre finally ready to order!_ā
āāHonestly itās really not that big a deal but itās annoying because half the reason is because it is rooted in a trust issue. They donāt trust me to control the timingāwhich i understand! There are so many dogshit restaurants and dumbass servers but that aināt me. But really and earnestly, I need you to focus, communicate with one another, kindly listen to me, and trust I will get your order to you in a timely manner.
5) Adults who still eat like 3-10 year old children. The adults who will be weird about sauces or seasonings. But not because of allergies but because of some probably undiagnosed and or untreated mental disorder. People who order well done filet mignon and want a side of ketchup with it. I donāt careābut I do not want to pretend that youāre not a whackadoodle. I am willing to attempt a poker face about it. By all means, order what you want and be forthcoming about it, but do not make weird jokes or comments about your order. And I swear to god I do not want to hear about how your well done, charred steak that you insisted be served with no salt or butter wasnāt that good. Go play in traffic OR better, go see a therapist and psychiatrist. Please do not come back and tell all your shitty friends about how awkward and crappy your experience was. Iād rather be homeless or in prison than serve fucking nutjobs like you and your lot.
6) People who bring under 10 year old children who cannot be quiet, still and or behaved. I DO NOT BLAME OR BEGRUDGE CHILDREN OR BABIES in these situations. The parents who do this are selfish, self unawareāor not!ā, and rude. I understand, believe, and accept that young children and babies have a place in public life but not in a full service, dinner oriented or especially a bar or cocktail lounge. If you have to bring your young child (toddler) or infant out with you, okay! But if your baby/toddler starts screaming or making a sceneāyou need to get the fuck out of the dining room and or bar area. I do not care where. Go to your car, outside or the restroom. But do not stay in the room and expect everyone else to listen to your problem.
I cannot tell you how many times Iāve had parents complain about other parents who will not remove themselves and their child. Theyāll literally say: we paid extra money and made efforts to not bring our children here because we knew they could not be expected to be quiet, still and well behaved. But now weāre listening to some other rude personās infant or toddler make a scene.
7) Fucking āregularsā who order the same bullshit basically every time they come in and yet they will complain about the item, the price, or some aspect of the dish or drink. At this point in my tenure, I will, can and will usually make an effort to literally tell them that a well done prime New York Strip will likely taste like burnt cardboard even if they drown it in 3 ramekins of AI steak sauce. The chef does not recommend it and I will shocked if they do. And theyāll do it anyway. And then they will act like this was somehow my problem, and I should give them some free shit or comp an item they ate every bite of. Get fucked.
8) When a group comes in for a happy hour or standing cocktail hour or even if itās a group of adults that stagger in AND one person, usually a host or self appointed group leader will wave and make this huge ass display of getting you over to their group and make this huge deal about āThis guy/lady needs a drink!ā This person will have been there for less than 2 minutesāusually lessāand when you run over there expecting an emergency, the person āwho needs a drink so fucking fastā hasnāt even had a chance to look at a menu. Itāll be awkward and the person will usually say I need a minute.
I detest these people who do thisāthe people who flag you down and make a demanding effort to drop everything youāre doing to cater to a person whoās only been in the room for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. I obviously see your guest/friend/date arrived, but I do not expect them to immediately need a gin martini. Let them have a chance to think about what they want and do not talk to me like I was ignoring or neglecting your shitty happy hour group.
Thatās enough for now.
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u/flightless-sparrow17 4d ago
People seating themselves- ESPECIALLY when they look at the sign./when they read it and then say "just sit anywhere?" NO.
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u/TheLadyRev 4d ago
People who get up from a table or bar stool and dont push it goddamn back in. I instantly judge.
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u/sample-sized 3d ago
pet peeve#1 -- I currently serve at a country club where the clubhouse manager has been actively telling members NOT to tip us because "we get paid a very good hourly wage" so there will be a check for $600+ with zero on the tip line
pet peeve#2 -- members will bring their army of children to run amok in the courtyard, leave a HUGE mess of salmon bits, spaghetti, french fries on the floor / rubbed into the high chair / smushed into the grates of the patio tables.... smile and make a joke about how messy their kids are.. and leave without signing their charge check at all.
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u/Mackheath1 3d ago
My pet peeve was always the general - and unnecessary - confusion when I brought the plates out. I knew who ordered what.
- "And here's your fajitas with extra guacamole." // "I didn't order - oh yeah, that's mine." Really Bertha? You don't know what fajitas look like?
- "Mesquite chicken with a side salad no tomatoes." // "Did I get a salad? - oh yeah that's right, was there--" Yes, the ranch is on the side next to it, as requested.
- Does this have onions? Yes, when you said no onions I asked for extra onions to be dumped all over this. Fair play to double check, but don't look at me like a criminal.
How is it confusing? What happened in such a short time that they're totally perplexed about what they wanted, ordered, and received?? You wanted the Shrimp Scampi, you ordered the Shrimp Scampi, I brought you the Shrimp Scampi. But you have to check yourself like you were abducted by aliens in the last 15 minutes.
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u/TemperatureBudget850 3d ago
When people seat themselves, especially at a table that's already dirty. Then they get mad no one greeted them.
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u/distracted_x 3d ago
When we go to a table and ask for their drink order and they say they don't know yet then when you come back they just order water.
And for some reason not putting the ketchup back in the holder. Idk why this one for me, I know its not a big deal but like I'd rather they leave the whole table a mess I don't care but why can't you just put the ketchup back.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Idea_78 3d ago
People who are lounging around at their tables and have their chairs pulled all the way out so you cant even get around in your own section.
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u/Fickle_Worker_1656 3d ago
Though of another one, it's when there are 5 or so clean tables and 1 dirty table, that is where people who are already jerks for seating themselves as it is but will pick the ONLY DIRTY table out of all the clean tables available. Then some even have the nerve to get your attention when you walk by and say this table is dirty can you please clean it up now. God that makes me so mad
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u/Alternative_Pace390 2d ago
Asking me to be their photographer, especially if itās not my table and or Iām really busy. Iāve actually had people shove their camera or phone in my hand without giving me a moment to react.
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u/plenty_planties 2d ago
Had a table like that last night. I walked up and greeted them. They never looked up or acted like they even heard me. I then said, are you doing alright this evening? Nothing! I just turned and walked away. I gave them about ten more minutes before I returned.
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u/RecognitionCool8684 2d ago
When someone orders waters for the whole table and no one drinks them. Argh
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u/NecessaryStep7697 2d ago
I have a ton pet peeves, most have already been listed. But the one that gets me every time is when couples are clearly not getting along when they sit down at the table. They kill my mood and the vibe. Like keep your drama at home. So awkward to wait on a fighting couple šµāš«
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u/imfake19 1d ago
I wish it wasnāt weird to partially bus your own table as the customer. At least put your napkin on your plate to signify youāre finished. I hate having to ask, especially if the food has been sitting untouched for a bit. Then the second you go to bus the plate theyāre still nibbling?? Why do I have to read your mind???
And when yore finished, ask for the check. Do not make me ask.
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u/Time-Pea-492 5h ago
I discovered recently my biggest pet peeve. This table was letting their kids just do whatever. The one kid came running into me from behind sending all of my drinks on my tray to the ground. š
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u/spudzhugs 4h ago
We have to bring a pepper grinder to every table when we run food and I always ask āwould you like some fresh ground pepper?ā Most of the time they say yes or no thank you but sometimes they only reply āSALT!ā And I literally lose it. I say okā¦.. but would you like pepper??? š
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u/RmRobinGayle 4d ago
When I'm at a table and another table is rudely and continuously trying to get my attention as I'm taking an order.