37 Truly Sucky Customer Behaviors That Are Guaranteed To Make The Entire Waitstaff Hate You

23.

“For me, the thing I could never understand was when people waited until I brought over the check to tell me they didn’t like their food/it wasn’t cooked right/something was wrong, etc. — all after I had been to the table multiple times during the meal to check on everything and ask how it was. At that point, unfortunately, the assumption is that you’re looking for something free and probably won’t tip well. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it’s busy! I have messed up/forgotten things countless times, so yes, there is a chance it’s my fault. Our kitchen is also constantly a hot mess, so my default reaction is to assume it was on our end (despite being a personal firm believer that the customer is NOT always right).”

“Most times, I would rather get the customer what they want/fix the problem at hand at the beginning so everyone is content instead of after-the-fact, when now my assumption is you’re trying to get something for free/at a discount. I promise you, the people who tell me early on in the meal and are polite, patient, and understanding get a bigger discount and/or something for free because they treated me so nicely! I’ve even comped a whole meal for a super understanding family because they were kind and forgiving during a record horrible night. In other words: People, PLEASE tell your server right away (or at least ASAP after your first bites) if something is not quite right, so they can correct it. Also, it very well might not be their fault, so don’t automatically blame them. If you’re nice, polite, and understanding, you might just luck out with a better deal.”

—courtneyblumenthal