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If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant – or more likely, even if you’ve ever been to a restaurant, you’ll know full well that there are ‘normal’ ways of doing things. If you’re at a place with table service, a member of the front of house team will usually seat you, before a server comes to your table to hand out menus, and then later to take your drink order. After they deliver your drinks they’ll take your food order, then take back your menus. Once you’ve enjoyed your meal they’ll take away the food before bringing you a dessert and coffee menu.

This is a well-oiled machine and the way that things have been done for a very long time. So, the server in this story is wondering, why are people increasingly trying to mix things up? Because not only is it weird for the diners, it’s downright inconvenient for servers and kitchen staff too.

Read on to find out more.

People at the table not ordering together

I’ve been seeing this happen more and more frequently.

This first example happened today, but similar situations have taken place.

I went to a table and asked if they were ready to order.

The first guy immediately gives me his order so then I ask the second guy what he’d like. Second guy says he’s not ready yet and needs more time.

Sure, this is normal, but the response the other guy gave next is not.

So I ask the first guy if he’d like me to wait so I can put both orders in at the same time.

First guy says no, put it in now.

When second guy decides and orders, first guy’s food is already being plated.

Obviously, the two meals come out to the table several minutes apart.

And the server was no stranger to this weird situaton.

Then, two days ago, a man and a woman were at a table, and the woman goes to the washroom.

I was going to wait for the woman to return before going to the table but the man waves me over.

He tells me he’s ready to order and tells me what he wants.

Then, I ask “and for the lady?” To which he replies “I don’t know. Ask her when she gets back.”

This is leaving the server increasingly confused.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s rude to order when the rest of the table isn’t ready.

If someone leaves the table, we wait for them to come back or ask if they want us to give the server their order.

Like, you made the effort to spend time and enjoy a meal together, so why not order together?

This server is right, that is very weird behaviour.

And it’s even stranger that it’s becoming more frequent, because they’re right, the whole point of going somewhere to eat together is actually eating together.

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Maybe this is the mark of an increasingly independent or impatient crowd?

Let’s see what folks on Reddit had to say about this.

This person thought that this new style of ordering was crazy.

While other servers explained that they were firmer on not letting tables order seperately.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who isn’t happy with the company’s new time tracking rules, so decides to find a way around them.

Meanwhile, this Redditor thought there were some valid reasons why you might order ahead of others.

It’s certainly the case that a lot of the folk who are ordering this way probably don’t understand the chaos this causes for the restaurant. Because frankly if they did know and they still did it? Well they’re not very good people at all. Because this makes so much extra work for the server first and foremost, who has to go to the table so many extra times, but also for the kitchen who have extra tickets to juggle and try to figure out the timing of.

Honestly, if you’re going to eat with people, unless you have a valid reason, you should all just be ordering together, which will ensure that your food arrives together, so that you can all sit and eat together and avoid the awkward situation where one person has to carry the entire conversation or else just sit in silence while they watch the others eat. It’s strange and awkward, and it really shouldn’t happen.

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Author

Kyra Piperides

Kyra Piperides, PhD | Contributing Science Writer

Dr. Kyra Piperides is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter, specializing in Science & Discovery. Holding a PhD in English with a dedicated focus on the intersections of science, politics, and literature, she brings over 12 years of professional writing and editorial expertise to her reporting.

Kyra possesses a highly authoritative background in academic publishing, having served as the editor of an academic journal for three years. She is also the published author of two books and numerous research-driven articles. At TwistedSifter, she leverages her rigorous academic background to translate complex scientific concepts, global tech innovations, and environmental breakthroughs into highly engaging, accessible narratives for a mainstream audience.

Based in the UK, Kyra is an avid backpacker who spends her free time immersing herself in different cultures across distant shores—a passion that brings a rich, global perspective to her writing about Earth and nature.

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