Waiting tables happen to be one of the toughest jobs out there, especially during the current pandemic. Despite the increasing number of quarantined cases, waiters have no choice but to continue working and serving people even during the toughest of times. To top it all off, they are hardly compensated for their services in an adequate manner. In most countries, waiters are woefully underpaid to the point that they have to rely on the tips they get from customers to stay afloat.

Pexels | As a customer, while you’re bringing business to their eatery, you might also be annoying them without knowing

So, if you are wondering whether there’s something you can do for your servers, stick with us.

Here's how to not annoy your waiter or make their job even harder than it already is.

1. Making a Pile of Plates

You might think that you are helping out your server by stacking up the plate once you are finished but, that’s not quite true. Consider this, these waiters have been stacking and picking up plates for quite some time and they have already mastered said art. You might stack the plates up out of goodwill but, they’ll just have to de-stack your plate and pile them up in a way they can carry back to the kitchen.

Pexels | Don’t stack up, especially if it’s a busy hour

2.       Letting Food Go Cold And Complaining

You’ve met up with some old friends and are having a great time catching up, reminiscing about the good times, and just enjoying the meet-up. In the midst of talking, your waiter comes to serve you your food but you’re too engrossed in the conversation with your friend to notice. After some time, you decide to take the first bite and realize the food has gone cold. Before you raise your hand to call the waiter here, remind yourself that the server did their job correctly. It was you who was busy and let your food go cold.

Pexels | Don’t send the food back only if you’ve let it go cold

3.  Sending the Food Back to Keep it Warm

You see your waiter arriving and you have to go to the bathroom. In such a case, sending the food back to sit under the heat lamp isn’t the best idea. It will only mess up the kitchen flow and your dish might even end up on someone else’s table.

Remember that restaurant wait staff already have their work cut out for them so compounding their workload might not be the best idea here.