"Your most unhappy customer is your greatest source of learning" - Bill Gates

The third of my life spent working as a host has taught me two things; there's no better feeling than the crumple and toss of a four page wait, and most restaurant goers personally sign their names on the shit list of the waiting staff. Take this with a grain of salt, or continue to take the container of salt. It's up to you. But here's how to really peel back the skin of a host/hostess.

You just got your name onto an hour an a half wait list, you have three options; leave scowling in the wake of successful business, sit down and wait for your treat, or tell a joke. Two of the three make the host or hostess only managably irate, the other explodes like a grenade with its shrapnel composed of annoyance. Don't tell your host the same old exhausted jokes when they're in the weeds. As funny as it may seem, your host has called a name on the wait, had them not respond, and had someone giddily  shout "We can be Margie!" They've heard it six thousand times, just stop.

Don't get mad at the host. It's their job description to get as many people in and out of a restaurant in an efficient manner. That being said, telling a customer a longer wait than they're actually anticipating actually makes their job harder! So if we say an hour, were sorry (actually not), but that's just how long we think it'll be!

Overall, just treat your waiting staff with respect, and PATIENCE. After all, it is your food they're dealing with.