In my book, the single most annoying trend in restaurants is the proliferation of television sets. If it's a sports bar, fine; but if it's an actual restaurant, please, for the love of decent dining, turn off the idiot boxes and dispose of them in the alley out back.

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The tv thing mentioned above; yes, very very very annoying. Also, screaming children. My idea is to take the smoking sections they are getting rid of due to smoking bans, and replace them with "children" sections.

Or, if your child wants to scream during my meal, you can pay for my meal.

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Good God, a little harsh aren't we? If the restaurant has a bar, it will have a TV. There doesn't necessarily need to be sound on.

You can't always control children, but to let them scream uncontrollably is wrong. But also consider, maybe plans fell through or the sitter got sick and this is the only night this year that Mom gets to go out for dinner. That's probably extreme, but I always try to see both sides.

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When you drop off the bill, and I have my credit card ready to go, wait the 10 seconds it takes to put it in the sleeve! I shouldn't have to wait another 10 minutes for you to come and pick it back up.

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I can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant with a TV honestly. Screaming children are irritating. My parents never took babies nor toddlers to restaurants. I, myself, have refrained from attending restaurants with small children. Wait until they're old enough to know how to behave in public settings. I often feel that parents these days are so fanatical about their children that they forget that some settings simply AREN'T for young children, including bars, fine dining, movie theaters, performing arts, and certain retail shops.

The list is pretty apt however. I never want pepper, thank you, and leaving a pepper mill on the table will suffice. Don't expect me to remember all the specials you rattle off, nor ask me if I would like something I haven't already ordered. I'm not interested in gimmicky entrees either

Sometimes I feel more comfortable sitting in a diner relaxing, eating what I ordered, undisturbed, with the waiter or waitress only asking me, on occasion, if I'd like my coffee refilled.

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It's not a new trend, but I absolutely, positively *loathe* when a server clears the plates of some guests while others at the table (read: me, the slow chewer) are still eating. Nothing ruins a meal for me more than feeling I need to rush because the whole table is now staring at me.

For trends, I'd point out the teeny-tiny Flash interface AOL Food is using for those top 11 lists. What's wrong with an attractive HTML page?

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That AOL link was one of the worst articles ever. Whoever wrote that should stick to McDonalds.

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That Article is going to compound the issue of Uneducated diners,
now they are going to feel empowered to be idiots

AOL You should eat at home if Standard Restaurant Practices Bother you

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There is a severe lack of Restaurant Knowledge in that article - im still steamed about it

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I wonder if the person who wrote that article has actually ever worked a service industry job...? Or, you know, actually encountered those problems themselves or just pulled them off a random internet search.

Some things, yes are very irritating. Some other things, however, are irritating only because the writer has no idea why they have to happen. The ground pepper thing is ridiculous - maybe the author falls into that tiny category of people who don't want ground pepper on their ceasar salads, but the vast majority of people love it. Who knows, maybe it's a regional thing...

Also, Whosoever orders food without checking the price has no right to complain if they go over budget. You're not stupid if you have to ask for a price that's not listed. Ah my...

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My biggest pet peeve, and it involves not only what I consider a health issue but also, what I call the "grossest of gross out"! That is when the bus person comes out with one of those huge rolling carts with the big dish tubs on them to clear the table next to me. One of the tubs on that cart ususally contains all the leftover scraps(garbage)of food from other people's plates and it stinks to the high heavens! And then they park it right next to my table where I am trying to enjoy my food and certainly not wanting to look at or smell garbage!! As I said, it's the "grossest of gross out"! What are restaurant managers thinking when they allow this? I understand the need to bus tables quickly, but come on, do they have to bring out one of those stinky garbage filled monstrosities and park it next to eating patrons while they fill it up?? What's wrong with just carrying one tub to the table and filling it to clear the table then leave quickly? Anytime I've experienced this I have complained and a few times I got more than an apology, even received my meal free a few times! But it just shouldn't be happening. Gross!!!

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Don't forget the cleanup crew who sweeps or mops all around your table while you're eating. Smelling dirty mop water is sickening and ruins my appetite. How about the waitress or hostess smacking on chewing gum right in your face. Where is the management training for these slobs?

And my main question is:

how do food establishments get away without having hot water in the restrooms. Signs say employees must wash hands before leaving but is cold water really sanitary and as effective as hot water?

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1. I don't like to see children running around playing games while their behavior is being totally ignored by their parents. They should be sitting with their parents and be included in the conversation. Unless the restaurant is McDonalds or another fast food place where there are play stations. 2. Housekeeping being done while I'm sitting at the booth, come on, clean the area before customers are seated not afterwards. Thank You.

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The most annoying thing for me in a restaurant, and most anywhere else for that matter, is to be in a mixed group of dining companions and called, "you guys" by the waitstaff. I am not a guy, and I am tired of being called one. Besides being inaccurate, it also implies that a casual relationship exists between myself and the server. I worked for years as a waitperson, and now own a food business, and the word "you" is sufficient for singles or parties of mixed gender...much less distracting, and inclusive more inclusive, to boot!

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This is a childish article. The writer needs to either go to a fast food outlet where no one will try to inform or upsell , or find a better restaurant whose staff is a little more artful in their sales technique.

Restaurants operate on tight margins and service staff make almost nothing for putting up with self important patrons who cannot seems to reign in their arrogant opinions.

All businesses need some sales and marketing. Some are better than others at doing it. Usually you get what you pay for.

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Terrible article, very typical of AOL. The author hates having a server tell him the specials? Hates being offered PEPPER? Stick to McDonalds and stop writing articles.

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