Good Manners
It’s not old fashioned; it’s just common courtesy…
I’m sure we’ve all been in situations where we really just didn’t know if what we were doing was the “right thing”. Or, we’ve seen someone do something so blatantly rude that we’ve been appalled beyond words. Here, are some of the most common mistakes made, in a “manner” of speaking, some advice on how to prevent them from happening to you and how to overcome an etiquette faux pas.
Dining
- When dining, use utensils starting from the outside in. Place settings are arranged so that your soup spoon and salad fork are on the outside. The utensils for your main course, inside.
- Always place a napkin in your lap, unless you’re eating at McDonalds or at a similar “casual” restaurant. For a formal dinner, if you need to leave the table during your meal, place your napkin on the seat. When you place your napkin to the left of your place, it indicates to the wait staff that you are finished with your meal. If your napkin is paper, placing it over your plate is acceptable. This is never acceptable if you use a cloth napkin.
- Whether you’re throwing a dinner party, or attending one, or if you’re out to dinner, it is never appropriate to take a telephone call in the middle of the dinner.
- Don’t chew with your mouth open. Also, don’t pick at your teeth, either with your finger or a toothpick at the table. All together now, “EW!”
- Blowing your nose at the table in a restaurant is a no no, excuse yourself to the bathroom.
Tipping
- Tip between 15 and 20 percent of your bill to the wait staff when dining. If service is really bad, or you’ve had serious issues with the quality of food, low, or no tipping is accepted only if you ask to speak to the management and tell them your problems. Bad tipping without explanation is bad form.
- Bartenders should be tipped between 10 and 20 percent of the tab, based on service. However, if you get a cranky bartender that barely speaks to you, don’t feel obliged to leave a tip at all.
- It is common practice to tip a bellhop between $1 and $2 for each piece of luggage they haul.
- Hotel maids should be tipped $1 to $2 per day of service. Although this is not a common practice in the US, it is required in Europe and in many other countries.
- For salon services, tip between 10 and 20 percent of the cost of the service. If your service was just completely outstanding, and you can afford it, higher percentage tips are common.
- You only need to tip between $1 and $2 for a valet attendant.
- For your pizza delivery, a tip of about $5 is generous. Unless, you’re ordering 25 pizzas for a huge party… In that case, a larger tip is appropriate.
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