“As a sommelier, I’m never judging your order. If you want your rosé with ice, go for it. You’re the one drinking it; do whatever you want with it.” Isobel*

“The worst place to sit in a restaurant is right next to where they keep the cutlery. You’ll have the clattering noise all throughout your meal and you won’t be able to hear each other. Everyone who works in restaurants knows that if you get placed there, you’re either a last-minute walk-in or someone the waiter gets bad energy from.” Polly*

“If a restaurant is suddenly closed when it should be open, it could be that there’s some sort of emergency, but in my experience, it’s because a dead rat was found. It’s happened in multiple places I’ve worked – you can’t open the restaurant because it just smells so horrific. Similarly, if you ever go into a restaurant and it smells weirdly fragrant, like air freshener, it’s them trying to cover up the smell of a dead rat.” Maggie*

“If you say your dish is too cold, when I take it back into the kitchen, it’s very rare that the chef will make you a whole new one. What they’re more likely to do is just heat up the hot elements of the dish you had and put it back on the plate.” Florence

“The nuts and olives you can order before your meal arrives are absolutely meant to make you order more drinks. Think about it: both will be heavily salted and will often arrive before your drinks order. That way, by the time your drinks arrive, you’ll be parched and drink quicker.” Gina

“I don’t think people spit in food anymore, but if a customer is really horrible to me, I would just find a way to charge them the maximum amount for what they’ve ordered. If someone’s nice, I probably won’t charge them for that extra dip or when they ask to add mushrooms to their pizza. If you’re mean to me, I am absolutely adding all of that to your bill.” Maggie

15 restaurant secrets only the waiting staff know, from where to sit to what you should never order