Table manners dealbreaker: quarter of Dutch people judge date on eating behaviour

From slow service to clingy behaviour: this bothers Dutch people even more in restaurants

Atmosphere and manners can have quite an impact on a restaurant experience. Table mates also have an influence on this, especially when there is some tension in the air, like on a date. Over a quarter of Dutch people (27%) say their date's behaviour in a restaurant influences their opinion of the person. This is according to surveys by checkout and payment platform Lightspeed (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), conducted among 1,371 and 1,100 restaurant customers in the Netherlands. Incidentally, should the spark do spread during the date, it may bother the rest of the restaurant. Eighteen per cent, in fact, report finding sticky behaviour distasteful.

Irritation is in a small corner

Service also influences the experience at catering establishments. For almost three in 10 diners (both 29%), a long wait for service and a dish served cold are the biggest annoyances, with potentially major consequences for restaurants. A quarter (24%) would leave the restaurant if they had to wait too long for service and 38 per cent would not even return to a restaurant at all after their visit if they were served food that was too cold. Furthermore, restaurant goers are most annoyed by sticky tables or menus (25%) and music that is too loud (21%). 

Words that undermine perception

Not only what happens at the table, but also what the service says can make or break guests“ experience. Three in ten hospitality guests (29%) find the sentence ”I'm sorry, I don't speak Dutch“ the most irritating to hear at the table. The statements ”We do not serve tap water“ and ”You may order via the QR code on the table" (both 18%) also evoke irritation. With that, hospitality often turns out to be in seemingly small choices in language and service.

“Even the best dish gets a bitter aftertaste when the experience is not right,” says Emine Youssef, director of hospitality for Western Europe at Lightspeed. “The small moments can make or break a restaurant experience: how quickly someone is helped, how clearly communication is handled and whether processes run smoothly. Hospitality can take the lead when these details are right. Intuitive technology can actually help hospitality entrepreneurs to better control these details, giving staff more space to focus on what makes the difference for guests: good service, clear communication and genuine attention.”