10 Annoying Habits Of People Who Don't Know How To Order At A Restaurant
LightField Studios | ShutterstockThere’s a fine line between being overly considerate of people sharing a meal with you in public and completely disregarding any kind of dining etiquette to protect personal ease and comfort. Most people actually make themselves miserable trying to accommodate others and avoid judgment that’s not actually happening, which is what makes their ignorant, inconsiderate peers so much more annoying.
Many of the annoying habits of people who don’t know how to order at a restaurant are a sign that they’re not very socially aware. They don’t notice when everyone’s been waiting for them or when it’s been too long to keep asking for “one more minute.” Even if it seems like a minor inconvenience, their social behavior is frustrating.
Here are 10 annoying habits of people who don’t know how to order at a restaurant
1. They don’t look at the menu until they need to
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The most annoying part of going out to eat with someone who’s entirely socially unaware is that they miss the social cues that create structure. When the waiter comes around to the table and you ask for a few more minutes, that means look at your menu. It doesn’t mean return to the conversation until you’re forced to speed through the menu when they come back.
Just figure out what you want to eat, for everyone’s sake, and then connect with others at your table. You’re not only respecting the service worker’s time and energy, but also the people around you, who are likely hungry and ready to order.
2. They wait for their kids to order
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Of course, every parent should lean into the discomfort of teaching their kids to do things for themselves. Whether it’s having conversations without a parent guiding them through or letting them order for themselves at a restaurant, it’s good practice for kids to learn by doing.
However, when a parent refuses to step in to respect a waiter or other guests' time, it can be incredibly annoying. From waiting minutes for their child to say “thank you” at the expense of other people’s time to letting them order for themselves, even when it takes a million corrections, everyone else is also annoyed when they have to tolerate the discomfort of parental lessons.
3. They say they’re ‘ready’ when they’re not
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If you call a waiter over to take your order, you should already know what you want. However, annoying people can’t help but have an audience while they’re trying to choose a meal. They not only make the person taking their order stand there forever, but they also throw out ideas and ask a million questions, like “What do you like here?” before actually ordering.
Yes, everyone should get what they pay for and be able to slow down in a world driven by the illusion of urgency. But at a certain point, it becomes completely obnoxious.
4. They ask multiple servers for the same things
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If you ask a service worker to grab you something at a restaurant, only to get impatient and call over someone else’s waiter, you’re wasting their time. Someone is already getting you what you asked for, but now you’re creating confusion and being generally annoying by stealing someone else’s time for the same task.
They can’t talk to each other telepathically. Bonus points on the annoying scale for customers who snap their fingers or yell across the restaurant, trying to get priority service.
5. They order the wrong things in a rush
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If you go to a restaurant on a Saturday night or 30 minutes before you need to be somewhere, that’s your problem. Sometimes, if you show up at an empty restaurant or meet an incredibly kind service worker, they can rush your food. But most of the time you’re better off doing a drive-thru.
Yes, it’s annoying, but sometimes it’s the customer’s fault. They order a giant, well-done steak and expect it to be cooked in 10 minutes. They use service workers as scapegoats for their own frustrations and mistakes, which psychologist Reena B. Patel suggests is quite common, and sabotage the entire experience. They’re just entitled, and for everyone involved, it’s annoying to be around.
6. They don’t make eye contact
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People who don’t look up from the table or their menus when a waiter comes over are some of the most annoying customers. It’s clear that they don’t see service workers as individuals worthy of their respect or attention, which immediately makes everyone feel annoyed.
This kind of eye contact can also ironically stop people from breaking social norms and making restaurant outings more uncomfortable, as a study from Frontiers in Psychology explains. Yes, it offers respect and is a basic form of human decency, but for entitled people, it can also keep their behavior in check.
7. They snap their fingers to get someone’s attention
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Even if it seems relatively harmless to someone who does it all the time and never gets called out for it, snapping your fingers at someone is incredibly rude. Especially in a restaurant, snapping at people only comes across as dehumanizing. If you need someone’s attention, use your manners.
The mere need to remind an adult person to use these manners is annoying enough. Control your patience and have some grace for people, treating them in the way you’d like to be treated.
8. They ask for too many modifications
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Sometimes, people can’t help but ask for modifications when they have allergies or special dietary needs. However, most of the time, changing a million things about a meal while ordering not only takes up more of a server’s time, it also makes the chef’s job a lot harder.
Especially in nice restaurants with a chef who puts a ton of time and energy into curating a specific menu or dish, it can also come across as disrespectful when someone wants to change and remove many things at once. And sometimes, they don’t actually like it and ask for it to be removed from their bill once they have it.
9. They get angry when they order something they dislike
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It’s not the server or the restaurant's fault that you didn’t know how to order if you got something you didn’t like. You chose something you weren’t sure you would like, but that’s nobody’s fault but your own.
If it’s raw or gross because of something the restaurant did, that’s a different story. But your unique palate doesn’t deserve special treatment just because you didn’t enjoy the food. It’s okay to be honest, but it’s just annoying for everyone around you when the entire outing is summed up by your annoying behaviors.
10. They ask unnecessary questions
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If you can find an answer to a question on a menu, there’s really no reason to ask it to a server. Of course, if you overlooked it or got caught up in conversation, asking a question doesn’t make you a bad person, but if we’re being honest, it might make you an annoying one.
“What sides do you have?” or “What does that come with?” are all questions you could have answered if you spent a minute actually looking at the menu. Yes, we all need more human interaction, but spend those moments of connection talking about or sharing moments that actually matter.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
