Dumb waiters a thing of the past

British diners are being advised to curb their offensive manner as the staff serving them are likely to be smarter than they think.



According to new research from Caterer.com the hospitality recruitment website, Britainís bars, restaurants and hotels play host to a wealth of talent, with a hefty 58 per cent of hospitality staff holding non-vocational qualifications ranging from Classics degrees to air traffic control certificates.

However despite the brains behind Britainís bars and waiting stations, 91 per cent of staff have experienced condescending customers and one in ten face patronising behaviour on a daily basis.

Rather than asking politely, customers prefer to click their fingers to get attention, with some staff complaining of being íwhistled at like a dogí. Throwing food is also popular with boorish diners. As well as general rudeness, a small minority of customers step way over the line, with some hotel receptionists and waiting staff reporting that they had suffered sexual harassment.

When asked to name their worst case of patronising behaviour, respondents reported complaints ranging from íone gentleman wouldnít let me have his credit card details as he thought I would go on a shopping spree with ití, to another worker serving a family celebration for a daughterís A-level results who was told íthatís more than youíll ever getí.

But employees are using their brains to fight back with one in three shaming arrogant customers with their superior knowledge. Male workers are also keen to make patronising patrons learn some manners with 24 per cent making such people wait longer for service. And one in ten female workers prefer to rise above condescending customers by ignoring them.

It appears that hospitality workers in Scotland and the North West are most likely to experience patronising behaviour with 60 per cent facing pompous customers on a regular basis. In comparison, South West patrons seem to be the least at fault with only 38 per cent of respondents regularly experiencing snobbish behaviour.

Simon Taylorson, commercial director for Caterer.com says: Unfortunately too many customers fail to treat hospitality workers with the courtesy that they deserve. For many, a career in hospitality is a rewarding profession, rather than the stop-gap job that it is often perceived to be. We would advise customers to show respect to the people that mix their drinks, serve their dinner and take their hotel bookings - theyíre likely to be more multi-talented than you think.

Some additional stories of condescending behaviour:

One customer called me a silly little girl (Iím 20) and assked to speak to someone with some life experience

One customer told me that I must be stupid as I work in a fast food restaurant

I am the restaurant manager and one customer asked to speak to the írealí manager because I was female