To ask what is the rudest thing a friend or relative has ever done at a meal out?

[BallsforEarings]

When out at a meal with a bunch of friends, my ex-friend (never popular -known for rudeness!) once asked if she could taste my chilli con carne, I said 'of course' and she proceeded to take a huge forkful and then pronounce loudly 'UGGHHH!! That is SHIT'.

I was left to 'enjoy' the rest of my chilli after that!

Anyone got/had a friend/relative with worse manners?

Dsis decided that I should host family for my bday. It had been a hugely difficult year. DH and I were seriously discussing divorce and we were both recovering from serious illness. Also, our house was a building site and we had baby (9 month, very mobile) DTs. I tried to tell her I wanted (needed) a quiet one but she wouldn't have it. I tried to rearrange so we'd all meet at the local pub but she intervened and announced that I was being difficult and miserable and redirected them to the lovely but extremely pricey gastropub instead.
We managed to stagger through it all to be confronted with the final bill, which we ended up paying in total - £1400!
We even had to do the tip!

I went on a date once with someone I met on an online dating site. We went for a meal in a nice London turkish restaurant. He ordered the starters, a kind of turkish mezze sharing plate and proceeded to eat as if it was his last meal on earth - he took all the hummus in 1 forkfull and shoved it in. I remember him spitting whilst he talked and ate too. The conversation wasn't great either, I don't really know why I stuck it out. When it came to dessert, he announced to the waiter "The lady will have fruit" without even asking me. I never saw him again.

I think I might be the friend who sets napkins on fire with candles as described on page one!

Bloody hell onion that's really bad.

Some people are so scandalous and have such a brass neck. I went out with a couple who did almost exactly that. Everyone else put in the agreed amount but when it came to their turn they just put in enough to make it up to enough to pay the total on the bill. Surprise surprise, the man of the couple was one of the biggest drinkers of the group. To say I was annoyed was an understatement

My ex husband used to do this all the time,it was mortifying. He was an abusive prick who would never allow me to carry money if socialising with his friends and family.

His other party trick was acting all hard done by and encourage the view that he was subbing me. I was often interrogated about it by the other wives who would make comments like "I could never come out without cash" "I wouldn't do that to my partner its not the 50's"

Little did they know I was paying 100% of all household related expenses inc all his personal bills and child maintainance and golf membership gym ect and he was lifting the cash to pay for these events from my purse before we left the house. He was a freeloading prick. The last time we all ate out I did announce how much of a freeloader he was because I couldn't help it, I also couldn't help dumping my plate of food over his head.

In my defence he had been doing the clicky finger at waiting staff thing and was mid screetch at a waitress because his Carpaccio was not cooked and was about to complete a sentence along the lines of " scurry back to the kitchen and fix this you thick bitch,I thought Italians........." I lost it.

I dont see whats wrong with not leaving a tip in a restaurant but taking the money that someone else has left as a tip is cheeky.

A few years ago my sister booked an (extortionate) restaurant for her birthday, knowing my parents would pay for it. Parents, uncle, myself ordered, quite pointedly, off the 'two mains for £35' menu, and a couple of starters to share. Sis and bf ordered £30 steaks each and scallops and lobster starters! When we were ordering wine my sister asked for my uncles opinion (big wine buff, has wine cellars etc). He clearly guided her toward a decent bit affordable wine. She decided to order a £120 bottle, her bf agreeing it sounded lovely. Her bf then proceeded to order beer (he didn't fancy wine!) at £7.00 a pint! I didn't drink the wine (as I don't drink red, which they had ordered) so my dad was insistent on buying me a glass of white. By the time the meal was done my dad had to pay over £400, my sister refused to go back to my parents house for cake (that my mum and DS had spent hours making) as she wanted to go shopping. This proceeded to a genuine argument in this lovely restaurant, with my sister declaring (very loudly) that my parents ask too much of her, it's no wonder she doesn't come around to the house when they constantly look for ways to make her look bad. (WTF?!)

She later complained that our parents wouldn't give her money toward a holiday as her birthday gift, yet got me a birthday dinner and gift (£50 carry out and a toiletries box I wanted). Words fail me.

Not really a meal out, but at my uncle's funeral, my aunts cousin took all the leftover food - (sandwiches, pastries, desserts) and dumped it in a carrier bag. My aunt walked over to her to see what she was doing and she held out her hand, saying 'I'm Elizabeth, Claire's cousin' my aunt shook her hand and said 'I'm Claire!'.

Crazy Elizabeth then put the bag of food on the top of her car and drove away. At least it provided us with something to laugh about on a very difficult day!

Oh, well done, Needs What a knob end your ex-H was. Possibly still is. Leopards. Spots. :o

Some of these are making me irrationally angry!

I've been on the receiving end of a split bill but I stood my ground. It's true what a PP has written, it's those that earn the most/order the most expensive food and drink that suggest it!

Mine was at a meal for a work colleagues birthday when I was in my early 20's and very very skint. I had about £20 to my name and ordered accordingly - drinks paid for at the bar, no starter and main meal/total share of the bill was £8.00. The managers down the other end of the table who had ordered a myriad of expensive starters, mains, sides and expensive brand drinks (ie Bombay Sapphire instead of Gordon's) announced at the end that we'd be splitting and it was £30 each!!!

Although I was young I was still vocal and piped up that I was sorry but unable to pay that amount, especially when my share was only £8. The manager got really angry but shut up when I pointed out that if only ordered a cheap meal but he'd had 3 double G&T's plus expensive fish dishes and I wasn't going to cover for him. I did actually put £20 in to also cover my tip and made sure the stingy bastard saw it!

Thing was he pulled me aside in work the next day and tried to bollock me for it saying "it's really poor what you did"

A family member organised a pre Christmas dinner at a hotel restaurant several years ago. Dh and I went along with our 4 year old dd. I hadn't been well and only had a bowl of soup, dd was never into food much and had a tiny serve of fruit salad. Found out at the end it was a sixty quid a head set menu and no discounts for children. Most expensive soup and fruit salad ever! (We meekly paid up, it wasn't really anyone's fault, I suppose).

My dad used to regularly drink too much at meals out, shout at me and my mum and storm out of the restaurant leaving us awkwardly finishing our meals and apologising to staff. Thankfully he doesn't live with mum anymore.

At my wedding a guest (friend of my mil) was rude to my df. When my df said 'please don't speak to me like that at my dd wedding' the guy told my df 'We all know you're not paying for all of this so I'll say what I want to you'. Only my df HAD paid for the whole bloody thing - including 3 course meal with wine that this man had just enjoyed. Turned out my mil had told her friends my df was hard up and wasn't going to be able to pay for the wedding. Very rude.

A distant couple of relatives came to my Grandma's funeral many years ago.

Afterwards we all went back to my Grandma's flat to have the wake. Everyone had a glass of wine and a few bits of buffet food and stayed for about an hour to be polite. Everyone, that is, except these distant relatives who demolished every bit of food and then went looking in cupboards for more. They found a bottle of whisky and began necking that too, being loud etc. I was only 20 and mortified that people could behave like that.

Not a meal at a restaurant but when I met my now DH, my 'D'Sis (we are now NC) invited us for for a meal. BIL is a farmer and when he got in, I assumed he would have a shower...but no! He stank! His clothes stank! I even suggested he go and shower (I was friends with him before my sis met him so felt able to do this) The meal was spag bol and he started grating cheese into a bowl but I noticed there were bits in the cheese and as I watched I realised that dried cowshit was falling into the bowl from his hairy forearm as he touched it on the side of the bowl! Luckily I knew my then DP well enough to say 'Don't eat the cheese' and let on that I was mortified! The whole evening could have been put in a sitcom if it wasn't fact. It was one of the most dire experiences of my life as both Sis and BIL are two of the most conceited and arrogant people you could meet so throughout the evening they just came off as a knob and a stinky knob. I am now NC over much worse than this and am loving every day of it!

My SIL is notoriously bratty and rude when we go out. In the space of one weekend away, she managed to kick up a fuss at every place we had chosen to eat at, normally because she felt mistreated as a veggie but the worst was when she asked for a gin and ginger ale but was given a gin and ginger beer (is there even a difference?) and proceeded to royally kick off about it in front of everyone and demanded that my poor brother get her the correct drink or she was leaving.

I wanted the ground the open up and swallow me.

This thread takes me back to my student days when I waitressed in a posh restaurant. You'd be amazed at the amount of people who would click their fingers to get my attention, devour the whole meal then try to get it for free for an obscure reason, try and put less money down than what they owed and worst of all, sexually harassed waitresses. I was constantly getting my bum pinched, in particular by a guy who owned the nightclub next door who ate at the restaurant most nights. When I complained to the restaurant owner she said "he's a very good customer so just suck it up and smile."

The worst time was when a customer reduced me to tears as she'd ordered a £25 Thai green curry and was FURIOUS because she was expecting a chicken tikka massala style dish. She wanted to order something else and have it for free for the 'inconvenience'. When I explained that it's not that kind of curry and whilst I could order a new dish for her I couldn't promise that it would be free, she screamed in my face, called me thick and said 'who did you think you are you're only a gormless waitress, I have a proper job' reducing me to tears. When she told the owner I got the biggest bollocking. Customer got both meals free and the curry was docked from my wages.

The worst bit of this story is that it was my parents' restaurant and the owner in both situations was my own mum I was 16 at the time and she wonders why we aren't best buddies

Btw the bum pinching restaurant owner is now serving time in prison for molesting young children

A few years ago I was going through a really rough time. My ex had left, leaving me with debts in my name that he stopped giving me the money for. It meant my outgoings were more than my income.

It came to our works Christmas do and I said I couldn't go - they were all aware of my situation. My boss told me not to worry as it was a buffet and they always provide too much food so to just come along. I thanked him and said I would have dinner before I came as I didn't want to be cheeky. My lovely colleague gave me a tenner so I could get a couple of drinks. I was really touched by people's kindness.

Anyway, we got to the pub and everything was lovely. One of my other colleagues obviously wasn't happy with the arrangement and decided to give me a dressing down in front of everyone, and forced me to pay for my 'share' of the buffet (there was no share as I wasn't included in the numbers and I didn't eat anything anyway). I was absolutely mortified. Fortunately I had some cash on me and gave it to him as I was so embarrassed. I was also disappointed that no one else stood up to him.

Oh and my SIL Has zero social or people skills and I've stopped going to restaurants with her as she's just embarrassing. I once went for lunch with her to a franky and bennys and she brought her toddler in a pram. They asked her to put her DD in a highchair and leave the pram in an alcove near the front door. They assured her a member of staff was always at the door greeting people and they keep an eye on the prams. She looked very indignant and declared "fine but if anything goes missing of mine I'm sueing you!"

And out of the dozens of meals I've had with her she's NEVER enjoyed a single one. She'll loudly moan that she could have made the same but better with ingredients from Asda for £3. She also shouts "how much!!" When the bill comes, despite knowingly ordering expensive dishes and drinks that aren't unlimited (like Appletizer) so she has to order 2 or 3.

Once she went to other SILs for Christmas dinner, told her in advance that she had to buy in 'proper Coke' as its all she can drink - Rola Cola loving SIL was horrified and somehow didn't tell her to piss off. She actually complained about that meal on the day too in front of BIL who'd spent hours cooking it!

Went for an Indian meal and one girl's BF loudly announced that 'of course you know that Indian food is highly spiced to hide the fact that the meat is rotten, don't you?' right as the waiter stood by his shoulder to take the order and the (lovely) owner of the restaurant walked through... we all demurred but no, he then launched into a history of the hows and whys of it (which I'm fairly sure was largely bollocks) and held forth on how this practice continues to this day and that's why he'll never eat Indian food.

And ordered a plate of chips.

My late father loved to eat fish but used to get very confused about smoked fish - he would order it and then complain that it was raw, while the nice wait staff would gently try and explain to him that no, it was meant to be like that... he did it about 4 times in different restaurants before my mum took action and if he even looked like he was headed towards the smoked salmon/trout/mackerel she would say "NO, xxx, remember, you don't like that!"

He would also flirt outrageously with very young waitresses. Which was mortifying.

Yes re the aunt and the plates - for the record I used to hate it when I waitressed when people stacked plates. I know they're trying to be helpful but it messed with my system! Plus they always stacked about 10 plates high and they were so heavy, usually had 20 knives and forks teetering on top and food would splash from inbetween (where plonking a plate on top shoved congealed gravy and the likes to the edge of the plate) and plop on the floor as I walked back to the kitchen. Then the poor dish washers had 2 sides of the plates to clean. Don't do it people!!

Wow some stories here

These stories all demonstrate a shockingly level of ill-manners but I think, personally, I am the most appalled at the stories of waiting-on staff being treated as if they have crawled out from the gutter, I honestly never knew they got treated like that by certain customers and I now have a huge respect for waiters and waitresses for being to calm in the face of such twattery!

How do they do it and not get a chip on their shoulder? Do they have therapy for years after? I think I would need to! I have worked behind a bar in my youth and, although a bit of sexism crept in as certain men got drunk, I don't ever remember feeling like I was being treated like a servant or anything! I am going to tip waiters more in future, in case they have ever served the people above! I hope it's not usual for them!

Waiting-on staff of the world - I salute you!

I worked as a waitress when I was at school and recently started back for a few extra pennies, it's amazing how rude people are to waiting staff! Some man actually stuck his foot out whilst I was carrying a tray full of drinks so I tripped spilling them all for the amusement of him and his friends.

Do they have therapy for years after

Ha, very nearly! As soon as I got a shop job to support my student living I ran like the wind from the restaurant. Shop customers are bad but not a patch on restaurant customers!