17 Most Annoying Habits of American Tourists at Restaurants Abroad
Have you considered how your American dining habits will result in a different restaurant experience abroad? Exploring new cultures and cuisines is an incredible opportunity to enrich our lives, and we certainly don’t want to infringe on this opportunity. Still, by being mindful of our actions impact on locals and restaurant staff, we can minimize our inadvertent irritation of local people and restaurant staff.
According to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, almost 73% of international travelers think it’s essential to respect local customs for a trip to be successful.
Here are 17 everyday habits of American tourists in international restaurants that have already left a few footprints and how to correct them to give everyone a pleasant dining experience.
Loud Conversations and Laughter
Americans are known for energetic, loud conversation; most cultures consider restaurant noise a distraction. Lowering the volume is good manners.
Tipping Practices
There is a lot of tipping variation across countries. It’s standard in the U.S. to have 15%-20%, but that’s unnecessary or even disrespectful in countries like Japan or France, where service charges are included in the bill. Knowing local tipping norms will avoid awkward encounters.
Special Orders and Menu Modifications
Customizing dishes (“Can I get this without meat?”) is common in the U.S., but it’s seen as disrespecting the chef’s expertise in countries like Italy or France. Instead, choose dishes that better reflect your dietary wishes.
Ignoring Local Cuisine in Favor of Familiar Dishes
For chefs and locals who care about their culinary heritage, most nomads seeking burgers or Starbucks in Paris or Bangkok are very irritating. When you try local dishes, it helps you add something to enrich your experience of the culture.
Using Phones at the Table
This behavior is frowned upon in Japan or Argentina. Pew research concluded that 82% of Spaniards think phone use at the table is disrespectful. Devices are always tucked away, and that’s being mindful of local etiquette.
Dress Code Disregard
While most casual U.S. dining attire is acceptable for restaurants overseas, the more formal cultures of Italy, South Korea, and others beg to differ.
Dressing appropriately can leave a good impression, and respecting local customs will make dining more pleasant.
Expecting Fast Service
Speed of service differs around the world. Fast service is standard in the U.S., but dining abroad is typically leisurely. Take Spain, for example—their meal could be hours long. Please don’t rush the staff; it’s all part of the experience!
Requesting Split Checks
Splitting the bill may be something we do pretty frequently in the U.S., but it can tear up workflow in restaurants where the norm is a communal payment approach (Sweden and China, for example). Instead, be ready to put it on one bill as one group, and then you can sort out the finances later.
Lack of Understanding of Local Customs
Dining is just a small part of cultural awareness. In Thailand, for example, people rarely use a fork; they use a spoon instead.
Researching basic dining customs beforehand is recommended to display respect and help interactions turn out smoothly.
Overly Critical Behavior
Yelling about being served poorly, having been served too little food, or having food not up to standard is uncouth abroad.
In Japan and elsewhere, people are expected to respect each other politely and disapprove of public criticism. Please provide discreet feedback if there’s an issue.
Not Respecting Reservation Times
Punctuality matters! Being late for a reservation is considered disrespectful in a country like Germany or Switzerland. Reserved tables are a privilege and need to be respected.
Wasting Food
In China or India, for example, leaving Food on people’s plates offends them. Never order more than you can consume, or you risk unintentional offense.
Asking for Tap Water with Ice
Most restaurants outside of America don’t usually expect a patron to ask for cold tap water. For example, water is often served at room temperature in Europe, and bottled mineral water is in many European countries.
Sharing Plates without Permission
Regarding Food in the U.S., sharing appetizers is almost the norm, but in places like France, Food is more individualized. If you’re unsure, ask the waiter whether it’s okay to share plates (you don’t want to do this if it is not!)
Not Using “Please” and “Thank You” in Local Language
Language is for politeness. Failing to say “por favor” in Spain or “Grazie” in Italy can signal a lack of appreciation. A little head start on a few simple phrases goes a long way to goodwill.
Overly Familiar Behavior with Staff
In countries like Japan, Americans’ friendliness can be dangerous because formal interactions are much more common. Friendliness can be read as inappropriate familiarity. Politely, not too friendly, but not too cool, will make you look more professional.
Leaving Messy Tables
It shows a disregard for their effort for us to expect waitstaff to clean excessively messy tables. In a culture limited to neat presentation, such as Japan, keeping your area clean or neat indicates respect.
When eating abroad, your next dining experience should give you a taste of local culture. It’s as rewarding for your taste buds as it is for your soul.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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