Restaurant pet peeves.

[TheLollipopShoes]

What are your pet peeves in restaurants?P.S I know what a difficult job working in a restaurant is and how hard it is to run one is but I still want to have a moan.

Over sauced pasta for me. I like a light coating only. I know that most people prefer more sauce than I do which is fine but I don't expect to have to call in Tony Robinson and co to excavate my fusilli.

Food served on wooden boards. They've ruined more than one pizza/sandwich for me. The boards usually aren't aired correctly or cleaned with an old cloth and it leaves a damp smell/taste on my pizza,

Ingredients that aren't mentioned on the menu. I know that they can't list every single item but I hate it when there's an ingredient that I hate that's a major component of the dish but isn't listed in the description so I spend more time trying to avoid olives or raw tomatoes than I do eating.

Being asked multiple times if everything is ok
Not being offered a drink immediately or a wine list
Starter crockery etc not completely cleared before the main course
Tables too close together
Being ignored (there’s a balance between this and the first point)

Also, staff laying tables when customers are waiting, rude!

Yes about the wooden boards. I'm such a miserable old cow now that I specifically tell/ask them not to serve it on a wooden board.

I hate food served on anything but a clean, white plate to be honest.

I hate the conversational tone of menus, I'm not sure if they're meant to be funny or charming but they're just ridiculous ; a restaurant near me has a little quirky couple of liens after each heading (e.g. "Starters.... here's our list of light bites to kick you off", "Mains... here are our stars of the show")

Adding a service charge of 12.5%. I'll pay 10% but anything more is taking the p. I know we technically don't have to pay it, but let's face it, how many people actually refuse?

Mine is the opposite of yours OP, I love lots of sauce, especially gravy! I always ask for extra gravy because they never give you enough.

Purely being left waiting and being completely unable to catch someone's eye when you need something

When you book a table for 5 in advance and you get a table for 4 with one squashed in. Tiny tables do my nut in. especially with something like a thai where you're likely to need room for sharing dishes!

When they are not clear in advance. I booked a table and specifically stated it was for pre-theatre food only to be told when I arrived they didn't serve the pre-theatre menu until 30 minutes after my table time.

Parents who let their kids walk or run around between tables- not just annoying for other diners but SO dangerous for waiting staff.

Oh yes, being asked what drinks you want without being shown the drinks menu. Am I supposed to guess what drinks they have?

The check backs that are perfectly timed just as you have put food in your mouth, and if you say something is wrong, it totally throws them and they have no idea what to do next.

Servers disappearing or ignoring you when you want to get the bill or pay the bill. If I've asked for the bill, chances are I'll want to pay it within the next couple of minutes, so please don't ignore me for the next 10.

Large groups making a lot of noise near my table.

Having to pay the included service charge (having worked in hospitality I know that almost none of this will go to my server). I prefer to leave £ in change at the end of the meal.

Mains not coming out at the same time as the rest of the diners on my table and having to wait / let food go cold.

Yes, when customers ask for and receive the bill they're usually ready to leave and don't want to sit there for another ten minutes.

Menus with numerous dishes missing. A place near me (now closed) was notorious for staff saying, "Just to let you know we don't have X Y Z tonight" as soon as the customers had sat down.

Waiters not knowing what the soup of the day is. This is trivial but it bugs me for some reason.

Yes yes to bad timing too. It's awkward being the only one who has not been served.

Waiting ages to pay the bill

Starters being called Small Plates on the menu

Empty crockery from starters being cleared before everyone has finished that course

Mains arriving two minutes after finishing starters (unless in a real hurry)

Someone putting my napkin in my lap. It just seems too personal and I am not a toddler who needs help. I

Another one here who hates check backs....

Always the second I take a bite....

Its drilled into the servers to do it, yet more often then not they get flustered if there is a problem, mostly due to lack of training/ new to the role ect, so not even their fault.

I'd rather they were more hands off but able to read the manic hand waving it sometimes takes to get their attention when you do need something

Ingredients that aren’t listed on the menu. It makes it extremely difficult to choose a safe dish if you have allergies or intolerances. More than once I’ve had to send desserts back because they came with cream that wasn’t specified in the description. Or I’ve ordered a jacket potato with beans and it’s been served with coleslaw in the side. Etc.

Served placed my meal in front of me, it was on a wooden board. Asked if she could bring me anything else I replied "a plate" once she realised I was serious she took it away and returned with it on a nice hot plate.
I visit lots of pubs, hotels and chain restaurants as a mystery diner. It's a interesting hobby!! Service can vary a lot between venus. Sometimes a local pub provides better service than a higher end hotel!!!

Ingredients that aren't mentioned on the menu

x1000 !!!!

If you value your life, do not - under any circumstances - try and tell me that grating spring onions onto spaghetti carbonara is - or has ever been - a "thing". Just apologise for all your life, take it away, kill the chef, and bring it freshly cooked.

Crap lighting.

I went for dinner last week and there was no atmosphere at all due to the over bright cold toned lighting everywhere.
Conversely I’ve also been to hip fusion places where we couldn’t read the menu as it was so dark.

See also: music that’s too loud.

"Is everything all right for yooooooo?" said in a sing-songy voice, several times throughout the meal.

Waiting staff clearing the table next to you using copious amounts of spray and blue paper whilst you're eating, so its all you can taste.

The waiter calling us ‘guys’. I’m too old and also not American so please don’t.

It really irritates me that in so many restaurants when brought to your table it's always next to where other people are already seated even though the restaurant has plenty of empty tables.

People that let their kids watch iPads with no headphones. I do not want to listen to paw patrol while I eat! So rude.

Another vote for asking if everything is ok as soon as you put food in your mouth.
When you have young children with you and they give you a menu they can colour in or an activity sheet but no crayons.
Taking an age to take payment when you have the bill.
Cramming all the seated tables together, I get it's easier to serve one area at a time but I don't want to sit in their laps while they play tonsil tennis in Ask Litchfield yesterday