Hubby and I are both empty-nester’s and we do a lot of traveling. That type of lifestyle leads to a lot of meals being eaten at restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, sport’s bars, etc. While I typically enjoy eating out…I really do have some pet peeves about it.
Shelly’s Pet Peeves in Regards to Restaurants (no particular order)
1. Parking – I don’t like having to park several blocks away and walk to the establishment.
2. Wait Time – I’m sorry but when I’m hungry…I’m hungry! I won’t stand in line and wait an hour or more to be seated. I will take my business elsewhere.
3. Dirtiness – Every time we eat out I scope out how clean the establishment is. If the floors, tables, chairs, booths and restrooms are dirty…we walk out. If you can’t keep the areas that customers see clean…imagine what their kitchen and food prep areas look like! Ewww!
4. Sharing of Condiments – Like the majority of people I love using condiments except I won’t use multi-use (multi-person) ketchup bottles, mustard bottles, steak sauce bottles, salt & pepper shakers, etc. I want the one-time-use, disposables please! I don’t want to touch something that 7,000 other people touched! How do I know they washed their hands?
5. Piss-Poor Service – I expect the wait staff to be friendly, helpful and courteous. If they’re having a bad day and take it out on us…I report them to management. If they treat us the proper way…we leave them a really nice tip (more than the average).
6. Correct Orders – There is nothing worse being served something that you didn’t order and/or it wasn’t properly cooked. I’ll be the first one at the table to raise my hand and return the food back to them. This complaint is becoming worse and I’m not sure why? Are they not hiring the right people? Are they too busy and can’t keep things straight? Ugh.
7. Surprise Charges – I get really cranky when we’re handed the bill only to find a bunch of surprise charges on it! If you charge extra for a glass of water, for beverage refills, use of condiments or whatever…you need to give your customers this information UP FRONT!!! At one restaurant last month I ordered just a glass of ice water with my meal. They charged us $4.50 for that glass of water when I assumed it was free!
8. Atmosphere – Its the establishment’s responsibility to keep all of their patrons under control. When I’m dining out in a nice sit-down restaurant I don’t want to hear a slew of drunk patrons screaming & hollering. I don’t want to see a bunch of kids running around the place unattended. Employees need to step up and make sure customers are not ruining the dining experience for others.
9. Advertised HOT Specials – One thing that has always irked me is when they heavily advertise a certain type of special and run out early! I’ve went into places 1 hour after they’ve opened and the special was already gone for the day. What?
You would think with all of my griping that I don’t enjoy eating out. On the contrary, I do enjoy it but I’m picky on where I dine.
What kind of restaurant pet peeves do you have? I would love to hear them!
I agree with all your pet peeves. I don’t go out to restaurants where these occur. Nowadays I have not been to a restaurant in a long time. I get take out or delivery.
Yep, I avoid going to restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights because they are always so busy and have long wait times. We had a favorite restaurant but they changed ownership and crowded in many more tables and loud music so conversation wasn’t even possible. That did it for me.
Holy moly, $4.50 for a glass of water??? That’s highway robbery. I agree about these pet peeves.I’d add music so loud that it rattles your bones and doesn’t let you hear conversation at your own table. Music should be more of a background thing if it’s played in restaurants. If music is the primary attraction, then it’s a club not a restaurant, lol.
Those all bother me too. We don’t eat out often because we each have dietary issues with the food we can eat. And now it is harder to eat out at all because we both have health issues. I guess it is a good thing I don’t mind cooking.
Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. All of the above.
OMG you and Heather just said what I feel or think ever time I go into a restaurant. Nothing like picking up a fork and having dry food on it…………………………… 🙂
I so love reading your pet peeves, I really get excited when I see that title they crack me up. I really needed a smile today as I just got home from the cemetery on this Memorial Day. I agree with every single thing that you listed. I am trying to think of one that you didn’t cover that bugs me. Hearing people’s cell phones ringing and having to listen to they yack it up on the phone gets on my last nerve. Oh and ‘belly robbers’ – that is what I call restaurants that bring you a bunch of dishes with no food on them. They just opened a Cracker Barrel here in our area I went there one time and I am still pissed off about it. I ordered breakfast and they brought me one teeny tiny scrambled egg on one big plate, a tablespoon of grits in a big bowl, and a piece of sausage on another big plate and that was it! A bunch of plates and no food for $10.00!! I will never go there ever again and I tell everyone about it. When I was standing in line to pay there was a woman behind me and we started talking and she said it was the second time she had been there and it was just as bad as the first time. I don’t want to hear screaming babies or put up with kids running around the place. I don’t want to see a cook with long hair and a beard and no hair net on. I once sat down at a restaurant and the table was all sticky with syrup so I asked the server if she could please wipe the table down. She got an attitude and went over and grabbed a dry napkin and came back and wiped the table in a circle right in front of where I was seated with a dry napkin I got up and walked out. I could go on and on and on I have so many stories. If someone charged me $4.50 for ice water I think I would freak out!!!! I got charged $2.25 for a coffee refill and I’m still not over that as it was a sneaky charge and the coffee cup was so small. I so love your pet peeves thank you for posting this one.
Yes, yes and yes to all of that!!! Another thing…they need to be disinfecting those highchairs that parents put there kids into too…oh and booster seats! I always take in disinfecting wipes with me if I have any of the grandchildren along with me. Those seats are always so damn gross! They need to constantly wipe those down!!! I don’t take in my purse when we go in. Just debit card, credit card or cash. I don’t need to be transporting any germs more than necessary.