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How Not to Behave In a Restaurant

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A friend of mine recently recounted a story that happened to him and his wife when they took their teens to a restaurant one Saturday night. It well demonstrates how NOT to behave in a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter.

He says a great experience turned into a shockingly surprising one; due to one of the patrons who was sitting at a table across from them whose behavior soured everyone’s meals that night.

How Not to Behave…Anywhere

My friend says that he and his wife had just ordered appetizers and had been at the table for about 5 minutes when they noticed a man sitting alone in a suit at a table across from them—getting very loud and irate with one of the waitresses. As my friend recalls, everyone in the restaurant by this point was pretty much looking at the man, whose face had become beet red as he threw his napkin down on the table and wildly waved his hands around in front of himself as he argued with the waitress; who was apologizing profusely.

So what was the reason that had inspired the man to create such an outrageous scene at the restaurant?

The waitress had not brought him his ketchup as quickly as he thought he should have had it. “I’m going to speak to your manager and see about getting you fired, because your service is terrible!” the man had explained loudly. My friend says the waitress was clearly upset over the situation and he was about to find the manager; but just then the manager appeared in the dining room.

My friend says that the manager came out and asked the man to calm down, which only man the man get louder. This continued on for a few minutes until the man quickly rose up out of his chair and headed for the exit. The manager apologized to everyone and offered everyone discounts on their meals; as he was aware the man’s outburst had soured the dining experience for everyone that was present

Handling the Situation Better

How could the man have handled the situation better? Do you ever have moments when you feel upset and want to yell at someone over your frustrations? Perhaps the man was angry about something that had happened that day and was taking it out on the waitress. Ask yourself why this is a bad thing to do; when you take your anger out on someone who has done nothing to deserve it.

Put Yourself in the Waitress’ Shoes

Think about how the waitress felt about the situation. Unfortunately, this situation with the angry man is not incredibly uncommon for them. Next time you go to a restaurant, think about how you can make your waiter have a positive working experience.

  • Wouldn’t you want the same kind of decency and respect from your clients?
  • How could the angry man at the restaurant have handled the situation differently?
  • Have you ever seen someone who clearly did not know how not to behave in public and would you like to share your experience?
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