Recently, I asked restaurant workers of the BuzzFeed Community to share red flags that meant customers would be a whooooooole thing. Here are their responses.
1. "When someone orders a water with two lemons and a straw. It may seem simple, but I can guarantee you, you are in for so much more than two lemons and a straw. It’s a tell every time."
—Anonymous
2. "When they say they know the owner and, before even ordering, ask where he or she is 🙄."
3. "When they respond to 'Hi! How are you?' with 'I WANT A....."
—Anonymous
4. "Customers that get mad at me for doing my pitch. At my restaurant, we HAD to ask if you wanted an appetizer with the drink order. If people were rude then, you knew the meal would go about as smooth as an earthquake."
—Anonymous
5. "If they ask if an item is still on the menu. Usually, THEY SEE it is not on the menu, and it is almost always followed by asking if we can make it. When told 'no,' they will usually try to lie and say they get it all the time, and when told 'no' again, it's always followed by an attitude for the remainder of their visit and a low tip. But anytime I cave and have it made, they either are mad it isn't exactly like how it was years ago or they don't tip to compensate having an item made for them that was not on the menu. UGH."
6. "When they spend the first few minutes at their table inspecting the silverware and/or asking for a cup of hot water to sanitize their utensils."
7. "If they walk past the 'please wait to be seated sign' and seat themselves wherever they want. Bonus points if they choose the only dirty table in the whole place when I’ve got multiple clean tables they can choose from."
8. "Anyone who asks my name the second I arrive at the table, without giving me the chance to speak or introduce myself first. They’re trying to assert dominance, and those same people will overuse my name the whole time they’re there."
9. "It doesn’t happen that often, but the only thing that really gets to me is when I’m at a table and a guest from another table interrupts me. I would never think to approach a server when they are with someone else."
10. "When a customer starts asking for things that aren't on the menu, I know I'm in trouble. "Well can't I just get some mashed potatoes and maybe add some peppers to it?" If it's not on the menu, we don't have it! This isn't a buffet. If you want something specific, go to that restaurant. And whether we can accommodate their request or not, it never ends in a good tip."
—Anonymous
11. "I love answering questions about the food! How it's prepared, ingredients, etc., but when the customer starts asking questions like 'How crunchy is your lettuce today?,' I know they're going to be unhappy for some reason. I cannot control the crunchiness of lettuce, ma'am!"
—Anonymous
12. "When customers starts by telling me what a great tipper they are. They absolutely never are!"
—Anonymous
13. "If they have one person who does ALLLLLL the ordering, guaranteed they're going to be a pain."
—Anonymous
14. "I don’t know if it was just me, but whenever I had guests ask for either water with no ice or room temperature water, I just knew there was going to be trouble."
15. "The second they start snapping at you. I’m not a dog, I don’t respond to snapping at me. Better believe that tip will be shit, if any at all."
—Muse
16. Finally, "When guests take it upon themselves to move tables without asking. We HATE this!!! I would never walk into your house and move your furniture! Respect the space of others. Don’t touch things that don’t belong to you without asking first."
—Anonymous
