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5 Habits Of Highly Irritating Waiters By Stett Holbrook Good service can salvage a mediocre dining experience, while bad service can drag down an otherwise good meal. Here are five of my pet peeves. 1. 'Hi, I'm Brandi and I'll be your server tonight.' Nobody really cares what their waiter's name is and the false intimacy is irritating. "Waiter" works just fine when trying to get your server's attention. 2. I hate it when a server takes several minutes to recite the night's specials and then fails to mention the prices. I always feel a little uncomfortable asking, like I'm a cheap jerk who shouldn't be worried about what the specials cost. 3. 'I'll get your server.' This translates as, "I'll get someone who cares, because I don't." A better tactic is for them to relay the information to the appropriate server so I don't have to repeat myself. 4. 'How is everything?' This question might be worthwhile at the beginning of a meal but is rather superfluous when I'm taking my last bites and makes it clear the waiter has been AWOL for the past 30 minutes. 5. 'Do you want change?' Why not just say, "I'll bring your change," rather than give me the message that what I've left is not enough for a tip? Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]