Hospitality workers have revealed everything they find annoying about restaurant goers in Australia – from nonsensical coffee orders to the people who stuff their napkins inside empty coffee cups.
Waiters and waitresses have gone online to list their ‘gripes’ about serving in cafes and restaurants across the country – after customers shared their pet hates last week.
Whether it’s the people who don’t realise there is no such thing as a ‘strong decaf’ or the customers who think it’s ‘helping’ the waiters to pass their empty plates to them, FEMAIL reveals Australian hospitality workers’ biggest hates about people eating out.
Hospitality workers have revealed everything they find annoying about restaurant goers in Australia – including nonsensical coffee orders (stock image)
1. Nonsensical coffee orders
Top of the list of pet hates is the customers who order coffees that don’t make sense.
‘People who mess up their coffee orders and order a strong decaf – it’s not a thing,’ one person wrote online.
‘Similarly, the customers who ask for a cappuccino with no froth – it’s just a flat white.’
Another person said they are incredibly annoyed by the super particular order that is ‘beyond fussy’.
‘Is this latte made on 100 per cent organic, free range, gluten free, raw, vegan grass fed milk blessed by the Pope and steamed with lasers by a team of Swiss scientists in a soundproof room?,’ one barista posted.
‘The extra hot one always gets me,’ another said. ‘It literally f***s the milk. End of story.’
‘Do NOT snap your fingers at me or wave at me obnoxiously!’ one waiter posted on Reddit (stock image)
2. Obnoxious finger-snappers
Customers who treat staff like servants are high on the list of gripes for many workers.
‘Do NOT snap your fingers at me or wave at me obnoxiously!,’ one waiter posted on Reddit.
‘I am clearly with another god damn customer who is equally as important as you!’
Another said the customers who think they are ‘helping’ are as awful as the ones who do nothing.
‘Please don’t put your napkins in your cups. We just have to fish them out. And that’s gross,’ one person posted.
‘Especially if the cup still has some liquid in it.’
Similarly, when people try to ‘hand’ the waiters their plates as they are stacking them up to take them away.
‘Handing me the plate [is so annoying]. If you hand me something from the table I pretty much have to accept it so I don’t appear rude,’ one person posted.
‘There’s usually a method to clearing the table of dishes, and if I’m handed a plate when I’m not prepared for it, it throws off my rhythm and I won’t be able to achieve maximum dirty dish carrying efficiency and I might even end up dropping something.’
Others said they found people who stack their plates and glasses together irritating.
‘Sometimes when you stack glasses together, they end up cracking and breaking,’ one person said.
‘Plus, I generally have a way of stacking plates that isn’t your way.’
It also helps if you don’t leave your sunglasses, iPhone, keys and wallet exactly where the waiter wants to drop the heavy plates down.
Others said it’s especially annoying when customers think they are ‘helping’ by passing plates to the waiters as they come to the table (stock image)
3. Blatant disregard for opening hours
Others were quick to criticise the people who have zero regard for opening hours and who ‘come in five minutes before closing and order a well-done steak’.
‘People who come in five minutes before closing full stop,’ one person said.
Another highlighted the people who turn up before somewhere is open and ask if they can get their hands on something.
‘Don’t ask me to serve you alcohol when we’ve closed and can no longer legally trade,’ one person wrote.
Others said it’s especially annoying when a large, often drunk group hangs around once a restaurant is closed without moving on – which delays the staff’s leaving time.
4. Incessant requests
Another pet hate that was high on the list of gripes of hospitality workers are the people who will not leave you alone while they help you in a restaurant.
‘Don’t ask for 30 different things on 30 different occasions,’ one person said.
‘When someone goes: “Okay, here’s your food” and another goes “Great, can I also get”.
‘Five minutes later, someone will say “can I get some water when you have a chance” and then you bring it and they ask for ketchup.’
Some found it irritating when customers litter their table with laptops, keys, wallets and phones and don’t move them when they need to put the plates down (stock image)
5. Crazy ‘feral’ kids
While restaurant staff know that it’s all well and good bringing children to a restaurant, many waiters draw the line when the children get out of hand.
‘Letting your kid throw rice everywhere is annoying,’ one person posted.
Another issued a warning: ‘If you have children, please pay attention to the undoubtedly colossal mess they are making.
‘Mitigate it as best as you can. I mean crumbs on the seats and floor and stuff is fine. We expect that.
‘But there is a certain point that it just becomes irresponsible on the parents’ part. I have toddlers. I know what’s it’s like. But I have seen some inexcusable disasters.’
Do you have any other customer gripes? Email FemailAU@mailonline.com