Tami Lancut Leibovitz

Going into a restaurant visit comes not only with a bill at the end but also with plenty of exceptions at the entrance. Great service can break or make the whole night. How does the service staff can turn your dinner into a lasting, memorable evening? What is the 10 etiquette rules your waiters should follow to provide you with an ideal restaurant experience?

1. Name it: If the waiter fails to provide his name, make sure you ask. Ask at the beginning of the meal and avoid calling your waiter “excuse me”, “hey you” or “Garson”, it’s not acceptable and not polite. Present yourself after he provides his name to make a more pleasant experience in the table.
2. The restaurant is like a stage: and you are the crowd! so the waiter should act like he is on a stage – always with a smile, neat and ready. You shouldn’t tolerate anything else.
3. No gossiping on the floor: your waiter should always keep a positive manner and a cordial chat level. But sometimes it fails when the waiter become a bit chattier than he or she should be. If the waiter starts talking to you about the manager, his shift or his colleague just politely cut the conversation in the bud.
4. Being Discreet is crucial! You must agree no one, in a business or social situation wants to hear from his waiter “Great to see you three times here this week” or “Who are you in here with today?”
5. No touching allowed: Unless you have a personal connection with the waiter, there is no need why he or she should touch you or lay a hand on your shoulders. Some people are just over-friendly so if it bothers you, make sure you say something right away.
6. A fair knowledge of the menu: If a waiter can’t answer culinary, allergy or menu questions, he should be probably in the kitchen cleaning dishes. You should accept a vast understanding of your dishes when you enter a fancy restaurant.
7. Prices and cost: If there’s specials or dishes without a price on the menu, do ask. Some restaurants feel it’s appropriate or trendy but if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s ok to ask. The waiter should also tell you of one of the dishes on the menu don’t exist today to avoid disappointment and to present knowledge and control of the floor.
8. Impatience is out of the question: When you are in a restaurant and the waiter is being impatience, it’s destroying your dining experience. The waiter’s attitude is one of the most important moments in the whole meal, he can navigate a dinner to a whole new level of service and enjoyment.
9. Waiters – keep your hands to yourselves: There’s nothing worse than seeing your waiter touching his hair, face, belt or not washing his hands. Keeping your hands neat and clean at service time is part of a proper, high-standard restaurant service.
10. Friendly service VS Overbearing service: It’s cool having a cool waiter, one that has a great smile and attitude. It’s a little bit less cool if the waiter is sitting down at your table, telling you his personal business or gets too nosey. A healthy distance is important.
11. Waiter should tend to you: A glass of water, a missing napkin, another dish you wish to order – the waiter should be attentive to you throughout the meal.
12. Do not keep the change: When you give cash to waiters for the bill, unless you indicated it, you should receive all the change back to proceed with your tip choice yourself. Note! In the united states, you can add a tip on the credit card after you pay and receive the receipt to sign. In Israel and some countries in Europe if you wish to leave your tip on the credit card you need to mention it along with the sum BEFORE you hand out your credit card for payment.

Wish to learn more about the hotel and hospitality world? Are you a frequent traveler or a jet setter? Check out my e-book series, The IBL Code, a best-selling Amazon book! Part 5 is dedicated to hospitality, hotel etiquette, guest etiquette and more in today’s international business world: http://bit.ly/IBLCodeBook5

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