Category: Dining Tips

Waiters don’t think it’s funny when you pronounce “We hated it!” facetiously when we clear your finished plates. Anyone who waits tables has already heard this joke over a million times since at least one third of the restaurant population uses it routinely. Even though we bear witness to the joke bombing at tables nightly, we’ll do our best to laugh along and patronize you–because that’s what we are paid to do–but mostly we just wish you’d thank us for clearing the plates. Most waitstaff appreciate having guests with a good sense of humor, just find something aside from the dirty plates we have to bus for you to joke about.

If you have a specific time constraint, communicate this to the host or Maitre’d upon arrival or to your server at the beginning of your meal. Don’t make assumptions about how much time you have, then expect the rest of your five-course tasting to occur in less than a half an hour. Serving flavorful food elegantly is a complex formula that coordinates the time, effort and talent of many individuals, so knowing your schedule ahead of time will help us shepherd your table through the experience in the appropriate intervals.