People Rant About The Annoying Things Others Do While Eating Out

Can you chew with your mouth CLOSED, please?!

All of us have pet peeves that stress us out about others' eating habits. Sometimes, it's hard to go out to eat, even with our closest friends, because in a matter of time we will be cringing in disgust from something minor. Or the venue we've chosen has something very...off...about it.

Reddit user waldo06 asked the internet:

What is a minor thing that infuriates you when eating at a restaraunt?

Here's what people had to say.

Endless Loud Music

Loud live music to the point where everyone is just yelling so the music gets louder and everyone gets louder and it just doesn't stop... help me...

Pepper Control

I just want control over the pepper grinder, instead of having someone come and pepper my food for me. I won't f-ck it up if I do it myself, honestly.

I Don't Want No Sweeps

Sweeping under my table while I'm eating. I was raised in a restaurant family, and generally, sweeping during meal service is frowned upon as it can cloud up the air with dust and unwanted scents. Large pieces of food / small messes usually get a quick spot-sweep. But this restaurant I eat at every now and then has their hostess constantly sweeping when she isn't seating a table, which means she's often looking for something to sweep and it almost always includes having a broom under my table going across the top of my shoe. It's baffling. Rant over.

Let Me Eat In Peace!

When the restaurant is very quiet and manager is oblivious to your social cues and just won't stop talking to you and just let you enjoy your meal. I like a bit of banter just as much as the next person but if you come to a restaurant with your other half to spend some quality time, there is a limit. (To be fair this has only been extreme enough to be annoying to me on one occasion)

The Waiting

Have a restaurant here in my town that is always crowded and usually has a wait to be seated. Apparently the owner lost it the other day because people were standing around waiting to be seated because they have no bar area or a place to sit while waiting for their table. He started yelling at the customers to get out of the way and go wait in their cars. If you are yelling at me and basically telling me to go sit in my car then I'm leaving and not coming back.

Cuttin' The Meat

Sh-tty knives. I was at the Weber grill and ordered a steak and it was delicious however the steak knives they had might as well have been a butter knife, it just made my initial impression of the tenderness/toughness of the steak all wrong. It happens all the time too I'm just so used to easily slicing into a steak or any other meat at home with nice knives that when the knife is tearing the meat more than slicing it it just feels off like it's a lower quality cut that I'm paying 3x the cost of what I do at home. I've honestly debated bringing in my own knife to places like that but I don't want to be that guy.

Can't...Reach...

Went to a restaurant with booth seating and the table was just a bit too far from the benches. I barely remember the quality of the food because I just remember being annoyed at how awkward it was eating there.

Neglect

When people let their children run around the restaurant. Not only is it annoying, but your child could get seriously injured by hot coffee, heavy plates, etc.

I Can't Believe It IS Butter

Cold, impossible to spread butter.

Chew And Screw

Waiting a long time for the bill. I just want to pay and leave.

Planet Mess

We went to Planet Hollywood in Amsterdam once (in our defense, we were living in Holland, so it wasn't like we were being tourists and ignoring better local places, but it was new and we'd never been there, so...)

They ignored us after getting our drink order and we had to get up and ask a few times for just basic attention, finally got some drinks, ordered food that never got there, left. Suuuuucked.

I think they were later taken over by squatting anarchists or something. Fair.

Can't Fit

When there's so much stuff on the table that you don't have room for your plate comfortably. I don't need a dessert menu, drink menu, regular menu, basket of bread, salt and pepper, condiments, menu of the days specials, silverware, candles, what ever else on a two person table. I can't move.

Overcompensation

Seating that is obscured from the waiting staff view. They either forget you exists or compensate by asking you 12 times during dinner if the food is okay.

Embarrassing Friends

When someone in your party has to complain about everything, and additionally make everyone else feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.

I get that you expect to have a good experience when you go to a restaurant, but if you have poor service or an issue with the food you ordered, be polite and patient about it. You'll get a better outcome from the staff when they try to fix it.

It's Called An "Appetizer"

If I order an appetizer and it comes out a minute before the entree. Or at the same time. Or worst, after.

Surrounded By Idiots

Having a ridiculously loud table nearby. If you all turned it down 14 notches you'd be able to hear each other and the rest of the restaurant wouldn't.

Long gaps between courses.

Someone at my table eating noisily (bonus points if they have their mouth open).

Wait

I don't mind waiting when it's a busy night but it gets under my skin when people walk in and ask for a wait time then get all mad at the person like it's their fault. No, you came in at 8 on a Saturday night and no matter where you go there will be a wait.

Natural Selection

Let me preface this by saying I live in Florida. I hate how the retirees ruin the service in restaurants around retirement areas. The restaurant will start out OK, but the continuous flow of crabby, cheap old people will run out any good waitstaff and they will all be replaced by second stringers who can't hack it elsewhere. So, in certain areas, THE SERVICE SUCKS EVERYWHERE.

Be A Friend To The Water

When the amount of water is not proportional to the amount of people and it takes a while to get a refill, seriously all I want is a glass of water.

Waiter Input

I had a waiter judge me for ordering a medium rare burger. He then told me how unhealthy it was to eat red meat.

Dude. Do you think I want a meal that's going to add ten years to my life? I don't eat out for a eat healthy. I eat out because I want too enjoy myself. Everything in moderation.

He also asked us to tip generously.

Insta-Slam

I don't mind if you have to Instagram your meal, but shut the damn flash off, especially if you're going to need about 30 practice photos first.

I'd Like A Button Please

Waiters walking up and bothering you every 2 minutes - asking how things are or trying to start conversations while you have a mouthful of food. After traveling over seas I was entranced by Korea where every table has a button; you push it and the waiter comes. Other than that they completely leave you alone. Every restaurant in America needs these.

Being Ignored

Not getting served. Twice now I've gone to restaurants and after being sat down the server never came back.

One time after seeing the people who came in after us eating while we had yet to get our water, we had time to fill out Google reviews before walking out. The owner kept giving our table weird looks the whole time.