Things that annoy you in pubs/ restaurants

KateBob

qetu1357 wrote: »

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People using knife in left hand, fork in right…

What's wrong with being left handed?

paddyrg

Some people seem to be hating others who don't know the number of a table - this should be taken up with management, not the punter, it's a stupid system.

Back in the days of waitress service, table numbers made sense for the house to keep accounts open. When punters have to go to the bar to order, the table number isn't important to them, they forget to take it, and the account is settled at the bar anyway, either there and then, or by leaving a card. None of that requires a numbered table. Far better to use the numbered wooden spoon/other order identifier method. Which lump of raised flat wood the punter rests the food on to eat is unimportant.

It's a particularly crap system if you've ever tried eating alone. Find table, order at bar, go back to table and it's gone, find new table, put your pint and receipt on it, race back to bar queue, try to communicate new table number to busy bar staff, who have to dig through to amend it on the system, wasting everybody's time, leaving my beer unguarded, all because someone thinks a number on a table is more important than the number being tied to the order itself.

I dislike echoey pubs (many cheaper pubs are one big room), I prefer nooks and corners.

tattycath

Kate/Bob wrote: »

What's wrong with being left handed?

Funnily enough, half of my family are left handed and the rest are right handed. Some of the right handed people eat left handed and all the left handed people eat right handed.

Lucy07

One of my pet peeves is not being given the choice of where to sit and dirty cutlery!!

aileth

We went to a wetherspoons recently and my dad moaned incessantly about his £5 roast dinner with a pint being all frozen and reheated. What did you expect really?

Catching a waiting staff's eye and wave only for them to completely ignore you to go and gossip with a colleague.

Sticky tables.

When you've sat at a table and are waiting for others to join you, people nicking the chairs without even asking.

"Would you like coffee or desserts?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Are you really really sure?" Sod off.

Misbehaved dogs in dog-friendly pubs. Your pup is quite happy having a snooze at your feet and some wild creature is howling and aggravating it, whilst tripping everyone up.

Having no choice of seating and being plonked right next to the bog so you have the lovely scent of eau de !!!! through your meal.

"Hey guys, what's up?" "Table for two please." "Awesome guys, follow me. What can I get for you guys today?" "X, Y and Z." "Ohmigaawwwdd X is totes my favourite, you're totes classy and cool guys to pick that." NO NO NO.

Piggywiggy

When the waiter comes over to your table to ask if everything is ok, I always have a mouthful of food at this point!

tattycath

Oh, and when you walk in and they say, 'would you like a table?'
' no, of course not, floor for 2 please! '

vyle

Kate/Bob wrote: »

What's wrong with being left handed?

I'm left handed but eat the correct way. I was just brought up to hold the fork in the left hand and knife in the right. any other way feels so strange.

mufi wrote: »

Being called 'guys' by the wait staff.

What collective noun/pronoun (not sure which) would you prefer? I call everyone "guys" or "dude". If I say "ladies and gentlemen" it sounds too formal. "Ladies" sounds sleazy. "People" has got a somewhat racist/discriminatory connotations. "customers" just sounds weird (Hello customers.)

Madam/ma'am offends people who think it insinuates that you run a brothel (seriously).

Then the gender specific ones also offend genderqueer/genderfluid/trans people.

Guys has become somewhat neutral.

LutonGirl

Another vote here for the screaming and / or unruly children.

Tables getting served before you, even though you ordered before them. (I know this could be because of what was ordered, but it still rankles).

Sticky tables/menus also gets my vote.

Uncleared tables being left - especially when staff are standing around.

Serving the second course before clearing the plates from the first.

sinizterguy

Generally, other people ....

Every annoyance I can list about restaurants/pubs can be attributed to the above.