Food, the source of life and the source of joy. Having said that, why does it cause so many restaurant pet peeves? Who knows. However, digest a few of these.....they might not taste good but they might help you with the food at your next dining experience.
The guest who lets you know that he/she doesn't like the food but won't let you replace it. When a guest likes the food, they want to come back. When they don't enjoy it, that restaurant isn't going to be on the list of places to eat at. Therefore, if a guest doesn't like the dish ordered, even if it isn't a fault of the kitchen, send it back. If it is the kitchen's fault it is even more important. No matter what, do not keep anything you don't enjoy.
This is the guest who sends EVERYTHING back. Obviously if you hate the food so much you should stay home and cook it exactly to your liking.
If you are in a restaurant that offers butter with the bread then don't ask for olive oil. If there is a flavored oil, or a special oil for the bread then don't ask for butter. Obviously the restaurant offers what they think complements the bread best. Maybe you have only ever had butter with your bread, why not give olive oil a shot? It probably won't kill you. Your server however, might.
If the complimentary bread served to you isn't heated, it is intended to be served at room temperature. There probably isn't a single convenient way to heat it up. If you insist on it being warmed the server has to either use a microwave (if there is even one in the restaurant) and it becomes rubbery and ruins the quality, or they have to place it under the heat lamp until it dries out and gets hard. Neither is a good option for good Italian-style bread. Eat it how it is served to you, remember it is free.
"Can we have some more of that good bread?" is a phrase that haunts servers. Upon hearing this, a server thinks, "No, we only give one basket of the good bread, from now on, only shitty bread for you my friend!" Don't be surprised to see a funny smile on the face after of your server if you request such a ridiculous thing.
Occasionally a guest refuses to open the menu. Instead, after the waiter tells this person about the specials and any other pertinent information the guest asks, "Do you do ________?" The menu is a tool for the guest. It shouldn't be overlooked. Read through the menu before asking about anything you are curious about.
Also don't expect the server to tell you about each and every dish the restaurant prepares. There simply isn't time. If that were a process of waiting tables then there wouldn't even be menus.
Any kitchen is willing to work around allergies, diets and particular dislikes. However, the chefs tend to frown upon anyone creating a dish from the ingredients that the restaurant has. For one thing, this ends up as a dish that the kitchen hasn't worked on. For another, if it was a good combination of flavors the chef would likely have it on the menu. More often than not, after creating a dish, the guest sends it back because it just isn't what he/she thought it would be. Let the kitchen show their talents.
If the server tells the guest, "Everything that we have is in the menu, " it means just that. Nothing is hidden, the kitchen didn't make a special for that day only. Don't ask if there is anything else. I can understand if it is a fish house right by the water and perhaps the chef got some fresh halibut and made up a special on the spot for that evening. However, that scenario is REALLY unlikely. Listen to the server.
There are always a few items that the servers think the kitchen is weak on. They usually let the guest know in a friendly way, that perhaps they shouldn't order that. In another situation a guest will ask for a recommendation between 2 dishes, the server tells the guest which not to order. If the guest chooses to order what was not recommended then why is that person surprised when they dislike the food?
Common scenario: Server brings cups of clam chowder to a table. Guest asks for tobasco. Server gets tobasco making a special trip so that the chowder isn't half finished by the time the tobasco arrives, then the guest asks for cracked black pepper. The server arrives with the pepper and then the guest asks for more bread. This makes 3 trips for something that the guest probably knew they wanted all along. Consolidation is key.
This also applies to anytime the waiter asks the table if they need anything else. One guest orders another beer. When the server returns with that another guest asks for a glass of wine. Waiting tables is a little like teaching, you only have so much time per table, if it gets wasted making solo trips to the bar then something else suffers.
Servers and bussers HATE when guests ask for more bread and water and then when the guests leave their water glasses are full and they never touched the bread! Don't ask for it if it isn't going to be used. You know children ARE starving in Africa and all ;-)
Please, please, please, PLEASE don't order a $35 steak only to request that it is cooked medium well and then ask for bottled steak sauce. First, if you want to burn a steak do it at home. Second, the chefs spend a lot of time creating wonderful sauces to pair with the steaks, try one of those before you go with some scary generic bottled brand that doesn't even list the ingredients.
Why do certain guests insist on leaving one last bite of food on their plate for 30 minutes yet swear that they are still eating? If the busser takes the plate, it doesn't mean you have to leave the restaurant. Heck, there is still coffee and dessert presentation to take care of.
As a server I don't mind if people only order starters, just a bowl of chowder or a side salad. Many a time I have suggested to a cute older couple that they might just split a meal. However, there is a group of light eaters that seem to require much more attention and work than any other guest dining. No I won't continue to refill your water glass every 30 seconds, or your bread basket, or heat your bread, or get you butter (5 times during the meal) or any other amazing and preposterous thing you can think up. Alright, I actually WILL do those things because I don't want you to complain that I was rude, but I most likely won't be very nice.