To be annoyed at my friend ordering food for me?

Just order another starter- the one you want.
Then split the bill accordingly

Did your friend know how late you were going to be? Was she being pressured by waiting staff to order? Was she ravenously hungry? Do you always (last 8 times you have eaten together) have the same order? She may have been trying to be helpful but next time you're meeting up ask her not to order for you - or get there first and order for her.

Absolutely wouldn't have someone order food for me and as for the husband ordering and saying everyone should share his order. He can seriously FRO. Just no way. I would only say it once too. It's aragant and rude unless you have been asked by the other person.

Who even orders a starter then only orders mains when the starter is on the table?
Do you mean that they arrived early and wanted garlic bread straight away, telling the server that they’d order mains when you arrived? If you still wanted your own starter, you should have just ordered it but tell the server to send out the mains when they’re ready. It’s all a bit odd to me. TBH, when I go for meals as a group, we all decide if we want a starter and go with the majority.

I’ve only ever seen people choose and order for others when I’ve been in another country and the host has invited and pays for everyone. I found that odd but understandable and happened with a few people out there.

Here if a friend was running more than a few minutes late I might ask if they want us to order for them or someone might say I’m running late can your order x for me.

All you needed to do was tell a server that you want your order your starter please. No need to even discuss with the bloke at all really.

YABU for not being able to read the OPs posts and making up nonsense about being habitually late.

Show such lack of comprehension.

How on earth did you get to OP being habitually late? Have you read any of their posts?

YABU for being habitually late, shows such disrespect for the time of other people.

Agree. If my friend was running late if message and ask if they wanted me to order. Otherwise I’d just order a drink and tell the server we’d order when she arrived.

That’s normal surely?

I have a friend like this, I’ve found the best strategy is to also order what I like so they end up for example with a massive garlic bread or an extra main they order to share all for themself.
It took me a few meals out before I got this plan. The tip is to absolutely don’t eat even a tiny bit of the massive garlic bread or acknowledge how massive it is. Act as if the person wanted all of it and that is why they ordered it.

Ordering for you is really, really weird and even if it was something I wanted at that point I’d have chosen something different just to make the point!

I would never do this for a friend unless they were massively late and even then I'd ask what they'd like

nor has anyone done it to me

Its rude and controlling

I have read her words thanks.
Yes, she spoke up the first time because she wanted a specific starter but she doesn’t say that she did the second time.
After the first time, If it happened again, why wouldn’t OP state that she’d rather order her own going forward?

Next time you meet up with her, tell her in advance that she is not to order for you.

Im sure she at least meant well, you were unexpectedly late, which is unusual for you given you said youre normally early and she picked something you regularly eat.

Probably she meant to do something nice. I would say that in the vast majority of situations, what someone does is meant kindly rather than maliciously. So id assume her intention was good and just ask her not to do it again.

That is weird to force anyone to eat something. Why did your husband say everyone must have garlic pizza? Was he saying to order something else would be too expensive? Are you on a very tight budget? He sounds awful for doing that.

Your mate might have meant well as it was your regular order, and knows you less well than your husband, so I'd say there's more of an excuse for her doing it. I would've simply said straight away 'oh, I didn't want that, I'll just quickly grab the waiter..' then ask to change it before it came out.

Don't let either of them do it again. I think for certain meals, like my family when we go to the Pakistani restaurant, one of us orders all the starters for the table. But that's because we usually get one of every meat dish.

Otherwise ordering for someone else without asking what they want is bad manners.

First example - I would understand if they said sorry we were starving and ordered a starter for 2 of them fine but to expect u to pay/share is odd. Second example also odd are you someone who ponders a menu for an age and then orders same thing? I have a friend who does this (not uncommon for waiters to have to come 2 or 3 times) before he orders a similar dish every time and it's annoying

If they do it again then turn round and walk out of the restaurant leaving them with the bill. You've told them enough times not to order for you, they don't listen so it's on them.

If there's a nnetter reading this and recognising the behaviour as her own, well then stop being a controlling arsehole like your husband.

I don’t understand- the few times I’m late my friend has texted me asking if I want her to order and I either said no thanks not sure what I want or yea please the usual. If it was just garlic bread I would have said no thanks I’ll get my own and just not have eaten it. Not sure why you felt you couldn’t order more food. Husband and friend are v odd and rude for ordering your food without asking.

Yes but that's why I said that a bread for the table will rarely break the bank. Assuming the bill is split equally.

Anyway, the guy sounds like a knob, not arguing with that.

how is that at all relevant?

Posts like this absolutely baffle me.

You come on here and berate the OP erroneously.

Read her words.

I wouldn’t be happy either if someone ordered me bloody banoffee pie. I’d have to give the monstrosity away and have a corn on the cob, messily and noisily, next to the banoffee-pie-orderering miscreant.

Oooh. An exciting new theory enters the ring!

I wonder why your mum didn't just ask the waiter to come back in a minute or so when you were back? I find this ordering for someone else really weird - and really rude.