This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter.

1. Spill Something and Not Tell Anyone

Please tell someone if you spill something. That way, we can get the proper cleaning supplies. If you don’t tell us, and we find out in a messy way, you will be remembered and not have good service the next time.

2. Ask to Sit Somewhere Other Than Where You Were Seated

There is a reason why you were seated where you were seated. It might have been because we need to follow rotation, a server requested to be seated next, or you needed to be seated in a non-reserved area. Either way, don’t move to another seat. It messes up the whole restaurant’s flow and will result in some grumpy servers/hostesses.

3. Seat Yourself Without Seeing the Hostess

This really is a bad thing for you. If you don’t alert the hostess, no server will come to your table to serve you. The hostess is responsible for assigning table and alerting servers when they have been seated. So, if you don’t see the hostess, you will not get a serve.

4. Don’t Tip

Servers work for $2.13 an hour, which then gets taken away for taxes. So, their paychecks at the end of the night are basically 0. The majority of serves money comes from tips, so please tip them. If they did a horrible job, still tip them 5-10% If they did an amazing job tip, tip them 18-20%. And a little tip (haha), if you tip great one time, the server will remember you and give you amazing service the next time you come in.

5. Move From a Table to a Dirty Booth

This happens way more than you might think. Just don’t do it. It’s disgusting, and it goes back to all the things I said in #2.

6. Tear Up the Receipt (Or Anything) and Leave the Pieces Scattered on the Table

This happens so much, and it drives me crazy! It’s a pain to clean up, and it’s just completely unnecessary. If you don’t want the receipt, then we would be glad to throw it away for you, but don’t tear it up. It just creates an unnecessary mess that takes way too long to clean up.

7. Order Something Not on the Menu

Some nights we have customers come in asking for a special we offered weeks ago, but we can’t make it for them because we don’t have the ingredients. Then they get mad at the server. It’s just easier to order what’s on the menu.

8. Complain About Another Table Getting Their Food Before You

The kitchen is a well-oiled machine that knows exactly what they are doing. So, if you order a well-done burger, and the other table that got here after you ordered a salad, the salad will come out first. It’s because a salad takes 5-10 minutes to make, while a well-done burger takes 20 minutes to cook. Trust me, the server is not delaying you getting your food.

9. Yell at a Waitress (Or Any Staff Member)

Yelling at a server, a hostess or a busboy will probably get you thrown out – or an upcharge.

10. Stay Way Past Closing

It’s ok to stay a little after closing to talk, but if you are there 2 hrs after we close, your server will not be happy. Your server cannot leave until all his/her tables have paid, and I can guarantee you that server will be pissed if you stay that late.

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