Constantly refilling my water glass before I finish or indicate that I want more water. I've moved the glass to where the server can not reach it easily, I've said No, please do not add more water, I've put the bread plate over the top of the glass or a napkin and still the server pours more water even if they pour it on the table.

I am usually trying to keep track of how much water I drank but I cannot if I take a sip and the guy runs over grabs the glass and fills it to the top again.

But this I don't get my water is refilled after every sip but the guy is obviously standing watching me, did he not see me drop my fork on the floor? Why does it take 2 hours to get a replacement clean fork but I get instantaneous water.

My biggest pet peeve is when the waitstaff stacks the plates when clearing the table. For some reason, it grosses me out to no end when i see smooched food with a another plate on top — it almost ruins my dining out experience.

Oh, I also hate it when they clear the plates too quickly. What if I wanted to dip my bread in that sauce?!

i hate then they don't clear the plates fast enough! when everyone is done, i don't want to stare at uneaten food!!

I also hate it when they clear the food too quickly, especially if others are still eating. My husband can be done, but only have mushrooms and onions left on his plate(which he hates) and they try and take it away cause he eats fast, not knowing that i've put claim on those onions and mushrooms, because i LOVE them!

On the water flipside, I HATE when I have to wait for a refill, sometimes i'm very very thirsty for water, and i hate having to sit there with nothing to drink, or be asking if i can have some of someone else's water poured in mine because i'm paaarcchhheeddd.

I hate when the water's tap and they lie and say it isn't. Where I live, tap water isn't as great as the NYC water. There's traces of chemicals and other crap in there. I usually asked for bottled, but then I feel awkward because they forget to give me a glass I have to call to them again.
I also hate irritated waiters and waitresses. I remember at The Cheesecake Factory, a waitress offered to grate cheese over my pasta. She did it with so much anger and irritation that the cheese spilled on my lap and she actually looked satisfied. It was my B-day, so I didn't say much. I just yelled *nicely* to stop and she looked offended.

I hate when they bring food before drinks or WAY before other people's food and it sits there. This just happened to me in Phoenix at a restaurant called True Food. The food was tasty but OMG it was such bad service!!!

Ha, I have so many restaurant pet peeves...it's probably exactly why I rarely dine out. I can't stand it when you go to a restaurant that has free soda refills and they NEVER refill your drink. I have had to practically beg the waitress to refill my drinks several times. I also hate when you ask a waitress/waiter to bring you something like a bottle of ketchup or a lemon wedge and they walk right by and say "This isn't my table, sorry". I also hate when you eat at a restaurant that charges you for every beverage you buy and they automatically bring you another drink before they even ask you if you want another one. I also CANNOT STAND IT when waitresses/waiters feel the need to comment on your eating habits when they clear your plate away..."Wow, you ate that fast; you must be hungry!" or "All you're having is a salad? You must be trying to eat healthy!" or "You must have really liked that burrito, do you want dessert now?". Why not just say "Oink, oink, ya pig" and be done with it?

My biggest pet peeve is when the server picks up the check (after I've paid)in front of me and blatantly checks to see how much tip I left. I cannot stand this and it happens all the time. Even in so-called "fine dining" restaurants. Bad etiquette, if you ask me. Wait until I leave.

Bad service is the king of all pet peeves for me.

When they don't refill your water, and you're super thirsty. And when there's no salt and pepper at the table.

I hate when you need them and they're MIA. Then when you hunt them down it takes forever for a refill of your water. I also hate when you are picking and they ask you 10x if you're done. No I'm not, bug off!

My biggest pet peeve is when they take my order and bring the food yet they can't be bothered to bring me silverware! People... I am not about to shove my face into it?! It just makes sense that if there are four people sitting at the table, to be sure there are four sets of silverware.

I'd say bad service. My husband and I used to be servers so we do know how to serve and what goes on behind things. We really don't think there is an excuse for bad service. The last time we went out (on our anniversary) our server was great at first then she got a huge party and forgot all about us. When the manager came to give us the check after we were done for like 10 minutes, we told her that our server never checked on us, all she said was "oh she's a little busy" we told her maybe you should make sure that her tables are well taken care since she can't. Excuses for bad service make me so mad.
There was this other time we ate at a really busy place, but got sat and someone came to greet us and get us drinks, then the server got sat a big party after us and proceeded to take that table and ignore us, not asking someone for help cause we waited 20 minutes before someone asked us if we had been helped she was very nice but busy herself. We waited 10 more minutes before our daughter was done eating some peaches I brought for her. Then we left. Did I mention the manager sitting a few tables down from us? Yeah we haven't been back.

Sorry for my long rant

mine's very simple...return the check folio to the person who gave you the card. it makes me nuts if i'm at a restaurant with my husband and i pick up the check- and the server brings the folio to my husband. tsk tsk.

I hate it when they bring out the appetizer and then the main course almost immediately after! I hate feeling like they're rushing me out the door.

i hate sitting around waiting for the bill and/or change- they clear the plates, ask if you need anything else and then it's like "poof" no more waiter(ess). nothing like killing an otherwise enjoyable dining experience (and therefore tip) than having to hunt down your own bill or credit card receipt!

I'm gonna cheat and give you two ... 1. Dirty Restrooms. 2. Being seated next to a table full of noisy children when I just paid a baby sitter to take care of mine !!!

I hate it when they clear some people's plates at the table before others at the table are finished... it just rushes the other people to finish! Its just akward!

i hate when everyone at the table doesn't get everything at the same time. i also hate when they take forever for salads and appetizers, but then bring out entrees before you even finish your appetizer! I went to a place a few weeks ago, and i've never had such bad service! we waited for our table for about 35 minutes, then they sat us in the back back table which was not yet cleared or cleaned. they brought out just napkins, then forks a few minutes later. we asked for water, and 10 minutes later received it. we put in our order, which were a lot of appetizers like soup and salad, and waited waited waited. the waiter walked by numerous times, we asked him numerous times what was going on, and asked for tea. he brought tea, a 1/4 full with no cups. after waiting 5 minutes for something, anything, we just walked out! tsk tsk tsk. wow i just wrote so much!

When someone's food is brought out way before everyone else's (or one or two people are left waiting while everyone else eats) and when different parts of the same order are brought out at different times.
I work in a campus pub, and the cook does this. He starts everything at the same time, no matter what it is, so I'm left having to bring out part orders so people's food doesn't get cold (oh, you wanted those potato wedges WITH your burger? Sorry, they'll be another 5 minutes as the cook doesn't seem to understand cooking times). I've tried to talk to him about it, but he gets mad and refuses to try to send stuff out at the same time (Well, why don't you hold on to it until this is ready? Uhhh..... I'm pretty sure they won't be happy with cold nachos.)
Lol, sorry, just a server ranting.

Wow, I could never imagine ordering SODA when I go out to a restaurant...

I don't have children, but I would imagine being sat next to a table of loud kids at a nice place would really be annoying... (not really the restaurants fault though...)

waitstaffs who avoid eye contacts with customers and who are not aware of customers calling/try to get their attention

Wait staff who are fake friendly, stopping by repeatedly to ask how everything is. In Japan, the restaurants have a bell to ring when you want the waitress/waiter to come to your table. That's perfect.

OH Abby that's SO true. I've seen it once in the Olive Garden, where staff are told to be as friendly and familial as possible to visitors. Well, most of them really are nice, but once, this super-fake lady who clearly didn't even like us was asking us 'how are youuuuu?' in such a fake tone that I wish she just didn't ask! It was very irritating.

And yes, clearing the food too fast is awful. Especially when they do it with my favorite dishes that I really want to finish each last bite/drop of.

Ok. so I've been a server at 2 restaurants, (currently at the Cheesecake Factory), and I have some things to say about the service and restaurant rules.

I hear a lot of people complain about water refills. personally, I fill up water whenever it's half-way down the glass. It's something you get used to doing when you have "down-time".

Also, clearing plates...you are advised to clear places as soon as the guest finishes. Most restaurant managers does not want to see empty/done plates on the table for more than 30 seconds...they want them gone ASAP, even when there are other people still eating.

as for stacking plates, we kind of have to, with a lot of tables we must look after. Less trip = more time to do things you need to do. I try to take as little trips as possible, so I'm not spending all of my time at one table, when 3-4 other table is waiting for me to come by.

As for food arriving on time/etc, unless the server forgot to ring something in, it's usually up to the cooks, or how busy the restaurant is. If the restaurant is busy, you can expect to wait longer for your meal (cooks have more to cook). Also, the timing gets difficult, since your server isn't necceassary the one taking the food out (food runners or expo does it). So it's really hard to orchestrate multiple tables's food arrival time.

*****************************************************************
As for MY ranting (from serving perspective)...

1.) don't tell me that you are ready to order when you are not. you are wasting my time, while i stand by your table while you ask for friends what you should have or what they are having.

2.) When I ask, "can i grab anything for you?" Tell me all the little things you need ALL AT THE SAME TIME. don't tell me after I brought extra lemons, that you need ketchup, and after i brought the ketchup over, you ask me to get something else. It's super annoying, and these people are the reason your server is nowhere to be found (at other tables)

3.) Be considerate when you b*tch about the food times. It's not always server's fault. (i'm not saying it's never not.) Know that she/he has several other tables to wait on.

4.) AVERAGE TIP IS 18%!!!! DOUBLE THE TAX. Even with excellent service, I have gotten $10 on $100.... $5 on $62..... Come on, you people. This is how we make money, and if you can't afford the food PLUS tips, don't go out to eat. It's rude to tip less than 14% when your server made no mistakes.

5.) stop asking for 3rd basket of bread. If you're hungry, order some REAL FOOD. Stop being cheap.

6.) Don't try to make up your own menu. The menu is there so you don't HAVE TO customize your own meal. We don't have time to change every little thing you don't like about a particular dish... chose something else than!!! Or if you are going to modify, keep it simple, please. (dressing on the side, no mushrooms, broccoli instead of mashed potatoes are OK, but don't ask me to create something completely new for you.)

sorry for the long post! I just had to spill it out!

Can't stand when the server automatically fills my iced tea without asking. Especially when it is more than half full. I'm pretty particular about sweetening my tea and it ticks me off to have my "balance" screwed up because my tea was down an inch or 2. I'll ask if I want more tea or at least, ask me before you fill it. And when I ask for extra lemon with my tea and get one wedge. Wow, good thing I asked for extra.

And I especially hate when the server brings you the ticket after having run your credit card... and then waits while you complete the tip and sign. RUDE. Whatever tip you were going to get will get cut in half by that little move. Hope it was worth it.

Ditto with the overeager water fillers (this is very common at sushi restaurants....) One time I took a sip of my water while the waiter was there, hoping he'd bypass my refill, but he simply waited til I was done and topped off my glass.

Also- making you box up your own food at the table. Drives me nuuuuts! One time I had a large salad with a lot of people at the table so it was very crowded and there was no room to even set the box down on the table, but when I asked for the remainder to go, the waitress simply handed me the box and walked away. Call me spoiled, but it doesn't take much to take it out back and remove it from the table. That will forever drive me batty

i really cant stand when you order an appetizer ( which are usually meant to be shared) and no one brings any small plates. It frustrates me so much!

I like to get a drink first and have some conversation with my friends. When the food comes I will usually order another drink. I do not like to be rushed.

Most of my peeves have already been mentioned, but my #1 BIGGEST peeve is when I look at the menu and the ingredients of the dish are listed, but things appear in the dish that were NOT on the list.

Example. I was at a mexican restaurant last weekend. I ordered the Arroz con Pollo. Under the name of the dish was a brief description, essentially it was chicken with melted cheese over spanish rice, served with corn tortillas.

Does anywhere in that description say mushrooms? No. Were there mushrooms ALL over the dish? YES.

I hate mushrooms. And it pisses me off to no end when it's used as filler, but not mentioned in the description of the dish.

Green onions on top of everything to make the plate ''look nicer''.

It's irritating when you barely get your meal and they come by and drop off the check. It feels like I am being rushed out of the place and I have barely begun to eat.

glam shortie ur post is completely true! Serving is one of the hardest jobs and everyone should do it at some point in their lives I think. It should be a law or something.

Alot of people's complaints here are actually about the servers being too attentive which I have experienced and got annoyed but seriously, who cares if they refill ur water alot?!?! Your the same customers that would be b*tching up a storm if u didn't get enough refills.

I hate when they make you keep your silverware. If I use my knife on my salad, can't you just bring me another with my main dish? Really?

*when the wait-staffs thumb is in my soup, i didnt order a side of hangnail.

*when they SIT DOWN next to me while i order my food, I dont know you, you are violating personal space buddy, and that equals low tip.

*When i ask for ketchup, or mustard or mayo or whatever and they NEVER bring it to me, and I have to cannibalize another tables setting.

*When the staff knows NOTHING about the food they serve , example if the fish is fresh, or what wine goes with what, or what is the chefs speciality, or even to recommend a dish and why.

Glam in response, coming from a consumer:

2.) Sometimes people dont realize they need something untill its needed. I have ordered a menu item before that according to the menu came with certain things and once I dove into the meal realized it was missing components and had to ask the server for extra things after asking for extra things....

5.) I will eat 10 baskets of bread if I want to, and eat my meal, on top of that! viva la gluttony!

dirty silver ware, Too slow on the refills, and when hot food comes out cold.

Glam Shortie, you are correct mamm'. I have never been a server because I KNOW I couldn't deal with people at restaurants. I feel that some people are so damn picky or even rude and mean and act like the waitstaff is below them. My friends are servers and I hate hearing their horror stories about rude customers. People that let their children run free and wild (which is so dangerous considering how heavy and carefully balanced serving trays pied high with drinks and plates are) or customers who ask for "substitutions" that are just insane (my friend actually had a woman order a salad that comes with fried chicken on top and said she didn't want any "vegetables" in her salad. When my friend kindly explained that since she doesn't want veggies maybe a fried chicken dinner would suit her tastes more then lady yelled and said "Whatdo you not get, I want my salad with NO VEGETABLES! No tomoatoes, no celery..ect. When my friend brought out her "salad" (romaine, chicken and dressing) the woman then proceeded to let her know that it was such a small serving, and couldn't she just throw extra chicken on it. When my friend told her it was extra the woman actually began screaming "Manager! Manager!" and then told the manager she would not be paying for price for "Half a damn salad."

I also agree witht he whole, "If you can't afford a REAL tip, then don't eat out". I've had friends that were told to their faces by customers "Sorry, I don't really have a lot for a tip. I'll catch you next time though" and of course, my friends (the servers) just smile and say "its not big deal, enjoy your evening". Awful.

hate it when you order a appeitizer and your meal comes out 5 minutes after it. then you're tying to eat both at the same time. what PITA

Oh I have so many it's not even funny! Here are some that quickl spring to mind:

- Waitsaff clearing plates when people are still eating. Why can't they wait until everyone is finished?? This has happened to me countless times in both causal (more acceptable) and fine dining (less acceptable).

- Nobody greeting you after you get seated. Come on, I know the waitstaff is busy but please pop by and say hello and take a quick drink order! I hate sitting there, for so long that I've decided on my drink, appetizer, main course, and even dessert before anyone even comes by.

- I hate when the waitor doesn't write down the order and then has to come back and confirm it. If you can't remember it, PLEASE write it down. The other thing is that if a waitor seems "flighty" with the drink order then proceedes to not write down the food order, I don't feel any confidence that my order will be right.

- I hate it when the waitor is overly busy "in the weeds".. Just sitting there watching someone run around, stressed out actually stressed me out!! I watch other tables get annoyed as they wait too long, send food back, complain, etc and it just ruins the entire experience.

- I hate it when you leave a Discover card for payment and they take it away. They come back because they do not accept that type of card, but they don't wait for you to give them a new one -- they just drop it off saying, "we don't accept that card". It only takes 2 seconds to pull out a different credit card, and now we have to wait 5 minutes for them to come back.

- I hate when drinks are served w/o the right garnish.

- Speaking of drinks I want my first drink FAST in a restaurant
I like to mull over the menu with a cocktail. It irks me when the drink order is taken, but then the drinks don't appear for 10 minutes! Or worse, they return without drinks to take your food order saying, "oh the drinks will be out soon". Worst ever is when the starters come out before the drinks. Don't they realize the faster I get drinks, the more I drink, which is $$$ a bigger tip?

PS I do have to say while many of these things bother me, I generally do not complain about them at all to the restaurant (unless, say ALL of them went wrong maybe!)

Sorry for the long post, I also just want to add that as customers: Please rememeber where you are. The service at home-ier places (Outback, Applebees, Chilis..ect) are told you make you feel like "part of the family" (hence they sit with you, make comments about your eating, top off your glass). It will not be the same if you go to a very frou-frou restaurant with $40 dinks and such. You can't (and shouldn't) expect the same level of service for the simple fact that in the Rainbow Room (exmaple only) a server may have 2 or 3 tables at once, but at Applebees they can have 10 or 12 at once.

Also, if they rush you, its not your servers fault, managers need high table turnaround to make more money.

I hate it when they "auction off" the dishes as they serve them: "Who had the salmon?" "The steak?" That drives me nuts. Keep track of who ordered what entree! (I'm talking about parties of four or fewer here, not a giant crowd--I could understand more confusion there).

i hate when you order an appetizer and you don't get plates to go with it. seriously - i like to take my portion off the main plate and it's not that hard for the waitstaff to just bring me another plate right?

i also hate when food isn't brought at the same time. my fiance and i go to this one chinese restaurant EVERY week, and i order soupt to start and he gets sushi, and they ALWAYS bring my soup first since it's already made, and then i have to sit for like 10 minutes waiting for his sushi, and by the time his food comes, mine is cold. they know that we're there every week, so why can't they just hold off in bringing my soup - even when i mention that we'd like them together?

I hate a lot of things... waiting hours for a refill on a drink... when the main course comes while I am eating my appetizer. AARGH!!

I know I'm OT but I LOVE Slanted Door! Yummy...daikon rice cakes...drool!

I just try and let a lot of these little things go, the only time they bother me is when they pile up and the service is just poor overall.

One little thing won't bother me usually though, although I do HATE unfriendly people in any service area (food, retail etc.). I was a server, I worked in retail and even when I was having a bad day I was able to plaster a smile on my face and be friendly! THAT WAS MY JOB! I mean unless there was a major life tragedy (in which you should leave work) then be nice, smile, be friendly--that's how you make money. I mean it's like I know you might have had rude customers, but it wasn't me! I once had a table walk out a huge check, did I take that out on the next table--nope! Just be nice!

Restaurants telling me what I can and cannot do with my meal. I have had surgery which altered the size of my stomach, and it is physically impossible for me to finish a full appetizer or "normal" plate of food. I have had restaurants (chain-type) tell me that my husband and I could not "share" when I give my husband the salad that was part of the meal I ordered. I simply place my full salad plate in front of my husband and the managers or waitstaff who are walking by our table say "We don't allow 'sharing' of meals." When I explain the situation, they sigh or grump "Fine." When we get our bill, we are often charged $5 for an "extra plate." It's not as though the food is being wasted (hubby loves salad), so what harm has been done?! And what "extra plate"?! They would have served the same salad to me if I could eat the whole meal anyway. Sorry for the long rant...I just needed to vent.