One Hundred Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)

So it’s actually Fifty Things Restaurant Staffer Should Never Do. Oh man, where to start? Some advice seems directed at high-end restaurants I can’t afford to go to, but in a nutshell this lists tells us what we’ve always knew: portuguese restaurants are pretty crap. And so are the bars, and the coffeeshops. Some highlights:

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad.

8. Do not interrupt a conversation. For any reason.

17. Do not take an empty plate from one guest while others are still eating the same course.

18. Know before approaching a table who has ordered what. Do not ask, “Who’s having the shrimp?”

25. Make sure the glasses are clean.

33. Do not bang into chairs or tables when passing by.

Most restaurants I’ve been to, even the more expensive ones, easily break twenty of the fifty recommendations. (via Kottke)

Update (Nov.5): And here’s part two. So one hundred things it is.

This xkcd is again right on the money. The file copy dialogs are high on the list of things I find irrational in Windows - and again, I think Vista only made it worse.