14 Things Every Diner Who's Never Worked In The Restaurant Industry Should Know

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Restaurants Are Rarely Seat Yourself

Not all restaurants have a sign that says "Please wait to be seated" at the entrance to their dining room. But it's pretty much an unstated rule that you should never just seat yourself wherever you want. As previously mentioned, restaurants typically follow a strict seating rotation and also sometimes set aside specific tables for reservations or groups. On top of that, don't sit down at dirty tables. There's nothing more awkward than trying to clean around people, and it also means the servers can't sweep underneath the table and chairs. The only time it's ever acceptable to seat yourself is if there's a sign telling you to do so!