Secrets Your Waiter Will Never Tell You

From Reader's Digest:

Ever wish you could step inside the kitchen at your favorite restaurant, to find out the secret tricks of the trade? Here are some secrets your waiter will never tell you. Knowing about them could keep you healthy – and help you get much better service.

• There are no sick days in the restaurant business. The fact is, all those jokes about “struggling waiters” are true. Whether they’re working to pay their way through school, or earning tips to fund a budding acting career, waiters can’t afford to miss a day of work. So they’ll still show up for work to deliver your food – even if they’ve got a cold, the flu, or a bad case of strep throat! Bon apetit.
  
  
• Another secret waiters won’t tell you: Ordering NON-menu meals is a recipe for disaster. Why? Basically, you’re passing up entrees the chef has made thousands of times, and asking him to cook something he’s not accustomed to. Not only does that raise the risk that he won’t cook it well, it’s going to put the chef in a bad mood. After all, he wouldn’t put all those other things on the menu if people didn’t like them. So what’s your problem with his food?
  
  
• A 3rd secret waiters won’t ever tell you: It’s unhealthy to go to a restaurant 10 minutes before closing time. By “unhealthy,” we don’t mean you should worry about a tired and disgruntled chef spitting in your food because you’ve made him work late. The truth is, that rarely happens. However, you should worry about the kitchen help who are cleaning and mopping the floor while your late-night meal is being cooked. Because that means your food is simmering among all the industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents wafting nearby.
  
  
• Always double-check your tip. Many restaurants tack on an automatic 15% tip if you’re dining with a party of 6 or more. If your waiter doesn’t point that out, you may go ahead and calculate an additional tip on top of that amount! In other words: Bingo, you’ve just tipped your waiter 30% or more.