Is it ok to eat at a restaurant alone and do waitresses hate that?

Question

I like to eat out alone, which means I order less than a big party and therefore there is less tip for the waitress. I notice at some restaurants they rotate who takes the next group. So when I walk in I'm just one person and the waitress might not like that as opposed to say a party of 4.

So my question is, do waitresses hate guys who walk into restaurants and eat alone? I hope not as I would like to continue eating out but then again I don't want any hateful energy directed toward me so if that's the case I'll just stop.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Answer 1

As a waitress, here's my dish on this. :)

Where I work, I have lots of tables. It's a buffet style, so we get more than full service since we don't have to take orders. I don't mind at all. I don't know that any of us do, but if you're there during a rush, it's thoughtful for you not to sit for a long time. This is true for any number of people, though. And if you're a regular and you leave a decent tip, you'll always get good service for sure... alone or not. But also, for restaurants like the one I work at, where you can seat yourself, don't sit at a big table if a small one is available. That does really get to us. If you're a long guy sitting at a table for 4 or 6, we can seriously lose money.

Now, for a full-service where the server only has 4 tables, they may be a little annoyed (but I don't know), but again, if you're a tipping regular, you should always get good service.

Answer 2

If you like to eat out alone, that is your prerogative. No waitperson should have a reason to not like "lone diners".

Look at it this way. It has been my experience that wait staff make better tip percentages with single diners, because these people are very likely to tip 5 or 6 dollars on a burger and fries. Bigger groups however tend to each put in 1 or 2 bucks in for the tip.

If I was a waiter, I would rather have a single diner who will probably tip 5 or 6 bucks than a table of four who will probably tip six or seven.

Now if the restaurant automatically adds the tip, that's a different story. However, a wait person's job is to serve anyone who comes into the restaurant. This is the job they chose.

Bon Apetit

Answer 3

I am a waitress and can honestly say that no I don't hate serving one person. Obviously I know that the bill is going to be smaller and the tip will most likely be smaller but I still give great service. I like to eat out alone too sometimes.

Answer 4

As a fellow lone diner and someone in the restaurant business I say of course it is fine to eat out alone, and most servers don't have an issue with this. I actaully prefer to sit at the bar and eat, I get converstaion with the bartender if I am in the mood, or I can just sit and read, or watch whatever sports event happens to be on TV. It is okay to sit at a bar and eat, as most restaurants offer full menu in their bar area, and you don't need to drink alcohol either. but if that is not your cup of tea then dining in the dining room is fine as well. I had a server staff that i got so sick of listening to them complain about not having a larger sections, or only have 2 2 top tables and 1 4 top, That I made them all a bet, that I would let them pick whatever section they wanted in the dining room, and I would take the smallest section (which was 2 tables for 2 and 1 table for 4, and that I would be able to sell more food dollar wise per person then they could, and I would get more tips then they could. Only 2 servers took me up on the bet. We did this on a friday night, with a full house. I beat the closest server by $2.23 per person average and made $33 more in tips, and had only 23 customers total all night and they had an average of 41 customers total for the night. The reason was that i was able to spend more quality times with my table, providing better service, had more time to upsell drinks, appetizers, and desserts, and did it with less stress. Unfortunately not everyone understands that it's not the quantity of tables you get, it's the quality of service you provide that gets you more tips for you effort. So don't worry about offending a server.... if you tip well for you experience, it will be them in the end that will appreciate you more.

Answer 5

Dining alone is fine. The waitress will spend far less time with you than a party of 4 or more, so the tip thing should balance out. I like to make my requests at the start, so I don't need to call her over. Once she brings the food, extra napkins or whatever, I can just settle down to eating.

Answer 6

I love your question!!!!!

I have waited tables for 20 years and worked at Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chili's and, currently, Applebee's. I would totally rather wait on a party of one or two than a party of four or more. The reason...they require much less work and I can make a higher percentage of a tip for the work I do...plus the smaller parties are usually nicer, you're able to have more fun with them.
So...any server that would give you "hateful energy" is really just stupid, I'm sorry to say. The only advice I would give is, if the service is good, leave at least 20% of the bill for a tip, and if your bill is less than $10 leave at least a $2 tip. The reason...I'm always satisfied with $2 off of a single person party if their bill is $10 or less, anything more than $2 and I you just put a bigger smile on my face.

Oh!Oh!Oh! Just thought of this...If you really want to get those nasty servers leave them like $5 for a tip, even if the service was bad. Why? Servers talk. They will tell their coworkers that they got a 30% tip off of you. The other, good, servers will remember you next time you come in and want you to sit in their section. Remember...single customer=less work, you tip "fat" they'll WANT to wait on you. Servers are competitors!

Answer 7

Of course, it is ok to eat at a restaurant alone. By all means, you should continue to eat alone in restaurants, since you enjoy this. Please allow me to explain from the point of view of a former waiter, me. First of all, please relax! I perceive you as a good person, for one, you are considerate of others by being concerned about waitresses.

Waitresses/waiters are humans too so like others this group has its share of "the good", "the bad", and "the ugly". You are correct to say that are resentful waitresses who would rather not serve a person who is by himself. However, there are a whole lot more waitresses/waiters who would NOT resent to serve just one person. What good is it to serve a party of say 12 people if they are rude, disrespectful, aloof, nasty, and worst of all, leave a one dollar tip for an outstanding service that lasted perhaps a good couple of hours with a food bill of $140.00? I believe, waitresses/waiters would rather have served one solitary person who was so nice, considerate, respectful, said thank you for your outstanding service and then left the average ongoing tip or more?

I am an old guy and have done a variety of jobs in my life. From being a janitor, houseboy, waiter, cook, to soldier, sailor, security guard, delivery driver, college student, government employee, a career counselor, and Personnel Director, and a few more, yes, I did all these to have food, clothing, shelter and education. I don't consider myself the "Lone Ranger" in this regard because there are many, many people working and doing what I've done plus more in order to better their lives and their loved ones. It is not the quantity of people I served that was important, but rather the quality of people. I found out too that most people are nice and considerate than those who are not nice and considerate. So, there you are, I respectfully rest my case as a former waiter. You are the kind of customer who would be a pleasure to serve because you are mindful of others and not just yourself. Finally, nowadays, I always leave a more than average tip for the waitress/waiter, barber, hotel bellhop, taxi driver, and others in a similar service occupation. People who are in this type of work usually don't have much money and have loved ones to support or are struggling students and others who are working these jobs as a steppingstone to success. I find it a joy to give a generous tip when they do a great job. I too was a recipient of many people's generosity and kindness and now I am just passing it on when I have the opportunity and privilege..

Finally, please be aware that your positive energy can and will overcome negative energy whenever the need arises.Enjoy your dining in restaurants and as they say, "Bon Apettit !!

Answer 8

I can't speak for waiters, but I don't think you should stop eating out for something like that. You have as much right to go out and enjoy the food you're paying as has any individual on a party of 4, or of 40!
As long as you're a nice customer, I see no reason why waiters should hate you (unless they're mean, but that's something you can't control). Live and let live! :)

Answer 9

Are you nuts???!!! Of course they don't hate it. I eat out alone about half the time and have many, many friends who are waitresses. When eating alone I always sit at the counter, treat them courteously and tip them well. They love to see me come in!

Answer 10

i would say they dont care much, im sure if its extremely busy on a friday night or something and theres a bunch of big parties walking in they woudl rather have a large group, but on other days the average is like 2 people so who cares dont stop, its there job.