Recently, we played devil’s advocate by suggesting that tipping should be abolished in the United States. But before the waiters across the band together to egg our offices, remember that we also told everyone to tip, at minimum, 20% in a cocktail bar. Point being, we have no vendetta against all the ace servers who make it a joy to eat at restaurants and drink at bars, and we will continue to tip heartily while that is still the accepted system.
What we do have a problem with, though, is being at the mercy of a waiter who undercuts everything great about going out for a meal by being a total pain in the ass. Here, we share our biggest pet peeves when dealing with restaurant staff. And for all those servers who think we’re out of line, fear not—tomorrow we will have a rebuttal from a seasoned waitress who will tell us exactly why we suck so badly at being guests.
With that, let the ranting begin. Here are the 20 most annoying things servers do at restaurants.