Restaurant Etiquette

Going out to eat at a restaurant is an American past time. We do it, on average, about four times a week. Here are a few rules to keep in mind while out to eat.

Treat your server as you would an acquaintance. Be polite. Say please and thank you. Do not snap your fingers to get attention or wave your arm in the air.  Always behave cordially.

Your server may speak to you when you have your mouth full. This is not rudeness on their part. After all, it is their job to get food into as many mouths as possible. They simply do not have time to wait and see if everyone in your party has finished chewing before they speak.  Do feel free to finish chewing before you answer by holding up one finger to demonstrate one minute.  You may also cover your mouth as you speak. Do not make the staff look at your half chewed food.

Always tip if in an establishment or area where doing so is normal. If you can not afford to tip, then you should have ordered less or gone to a less expensive place or even gotten take out. Factoring in the tax and tip is part of deciding what you can afford.

Do not dock your server's tip for things that are beyond their control such as the restaurant being too cold or you not liking your meal.

Do control your children when out in a restaurant. If they are screaming, step outside with them or into the bathroom.  If they are bothering the people behind you, distract them.  If your children make a mess, do your best to clean it. If you are not going to clean up, then you should tip extra for the extra work you are causing your server.

 If going out with a group, it is a good idea to know in advance how you will handle the check. Will you get separate checks? If so, tell the server when you order so they do not have to separate the check after the fact. It is a lot easier to do it as they go then recreate it.  Will you each pay for what you order? Will you split it equally?   Discuss it in advance to avoid hard feelings or disagreements later.

If you decide to take every one's cash and put the dinner on your credit card, then you should figure out the cost of your own share plus tax and tip and add that to what ever amount of cash has been collected. You should not simply add 15% or 20% to the check total. This is especially true if it means you are making money on the deal. Many people do this and end up taking extra tip money meant for the server. Chances are you are stealing tip money from someone who needs it more than you do.

Basically when out and about, behave as you would with an acquaintance or some one you were just getting to know. Be polite and the rest will generally fall into place.  Happy eating!