By Haeley Huggard
At some point, we have all been disgusted by someone else’s table manners. What’s more embarrassing than someone spitting food on you as they talk with their mouth full?
Table manners these days, especially in public, are hard to come by. If you want to step up your dining game, here are five tips to help you improve your restaurant etiquette.
1. Treating people respectfully should always be important.
The golden rule of dining in is to always be respectful to the people serving you. They are, after all, the ones who are handling your food. Even if you’re dissatisfied with the food, that isn’t always the server’s fault.
Hannah Court, a kitchen worker at Delta College and former McDonald’s employee, expressed the importance of showing kindness to even the most difficult of customers.
“I think you should always be positive towards the customer and try to the best of your extent to help them,” says Court. “But also realize that there is some stuff that’s just out of your control. But it’s just as much on the customer as it is on the person serving you. It’s a two-way street when it comes to respect and etiquette.
2. Wait until there is food on everyone’s plate.
Waiting for everyone to be served is another aspect of etiquette some forget. This is especially important if you are dining in with a large party or a business party. It is considered polite to wait, because it shows that you have patience as well as self-control.
3. A napkin is like a shield for your clothing.
Placing a napkin on your lap before the meal is also considered proper etiquette. It keeps food that may fall from staining your clothes.
4. No dessert? No table for you.
When finishing your meal, it is in good taste to leave within 15 minutes. Unless you plan on ordering dessert, it is impolite to monopolize the table. This keeps other guests from coming in for their sit-down meal and takes away from a server’s earning potential.
5. Face the facts: last minute means late.
Don’t be the last-minute customer. The restaurant staff does not appreciate people coming in when they are trying to close the shop — it forces them to stay past their regular closing time and most places won’t let staff leave until the restaurant is completely empty.
“If you’re coming in five minutes before closing thinking you made it in time, no, you are not on time, you are late,” says Court.
