1. Avoid eating out on holidays and Saturday nights. The sheer volume of customers guarantees that most kitchens will be pushed beyond their ability to produce a high-quality dish

1. 不要在节假日和周六晚上出门用餐。庞大的顾客量会令大多数的厨房无法负荷，同样也无法烹饪出高质量的食品。

2. There are almost never any sick days in the restaurant business. A busboy with a kid to support isn't going to stay home and miss out on $100 because he's got strep throat. And these are the people handling your food.

2. 在餐饮业从来没有所谓的病假。一名有孩子要抚养的餐馆工，是不会因为咽喉发炎而放弃$100的工资而待在家休息的。而这些人正是为你准备食物的人。（小编：意思就是说你很可能被某小二传染，自己当心吧！）

3. When customers'dissatisfaction devolves into personal attacks, adulterating food or drink is a convenient way for servers to exact covert¹ vengeance². Waiters can and do spit in people's food.

3. 当顾客的不满转化成人身攻击，在食物和饮料中掺假则是侍者用来报复的最简单的方法。服务员可能会向顾客的食物中吐口水，而且他们也的确这样做了。

4. Never say "I'm friends with the owner." Restaurant owners don't have friends. This marks you as a clueless poseur³ the moment you walk in the door.

4. 永远不要说“我是这家店老板的朋友。”餐馆老板没有朋友。你进一家餐厅要是这么做，只能说明你是个爱装腔作势的蠢蛋。

5. Treat others as you want to be treated. (Yes, people need to be reminded of this.)

5. 己所不欲，勿施于人。（没错，大家都该记住这一点。）

6. Don't snap your fingers to get our attention. Remember, we have shears⁴ that cut through bone in the kitchen.

6. 找服务员时，不要打响指。别忘了，厨房里有我们用来剁骨头用的菜刀。

7. Don't order meals that aren't on the menu. You're forcing the chef to cook something he doesn't make on a regular basis. If he makes the same entrée（小编按：法语，意为“前菜”） 10,000 times a month, the odds⁵ are good that the dish will be a home run every time.

7. 不要点菜单上没有的菜。你这是在强迫厨师烹饪他并非每天都在做的菜。如果在一个月中有一道前菜他做了1万次那么多，那么这道菜很可能每次都完美无缺。

8. Splitting entrées is okay, but don't ask for water, lemon, and sugar so you can make your own lemonade. What's next, grapes so you can press your own wine?

8. 你可以要求服务员把前餐分份，但别找我们要水、柠檬和砂糖来自己调一杯柠檬汁。然后呢，你准备要些葡萄来自己酿造葡萄酒吗？

9. If you find a waiter you like, always ask to be seated in his or her section. Tell all your friends so they'll start asking for that server as well. You've just made that waiter look indispensable to the owner. The server will be grateful and take good care of you.

9. 如果你对某个服务员比较满意的话，那就要求入座他/她的服务区域吧。告诉你所有的朋友，这样他们在用餐时也会找那名服务员。你让他/她成为一名对老板来说似乎是必不可缺的员工。同样，他/她也会感激你，服务也会更周到。

10. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you can't afford to eat in the restaurant. Servers could be giving 20 to 40 percent to the busboys, bartenders, maître d'（小编按：法语，意为“老板”）, or hostess.

10. 如果你付不起小费的话，那就别去餐厅了。服务员要上交小费的20%至40%给餐馆员，酒保，老板或者老板娘。

11. Always examine the check. Sometimes large parties are unaware⁶ that a gratuity⁷ has been added to the bill, so they tip on top of it. Waiters "facilitate" this error. It's dishonest, it's wrong-and I did it all the time.

11. 记得每次要检查账单。很多人有时会忘记账单上已附上小费的费用，于是会发生重复付小费的情况。服务员们对这种错误也表现得很“配合”。这是不诚实的行为，这么做是不对的——但是我过去一直这么干。

12. If you want to hang out, that's fine. But increase the tip to make up for money the server would have made if he or she had had another seating at that table.

12. 如果你想消磨时间，那很好。但是记得要增加小费来弥补服务员。因为如果在这里也有一桌客人的话，他/她也应该会有更多小费。

13. Never, ever come in 15 minutes before closing time. The cooks are tired and will cook your dinner right away. So while you're chitchatting over salads, your entrées will be languishing⁸ under the heat lamp while the dishwasher is spraying industrial-strength, carcinogenic cleaning solvents⁹ in their immediate¹⁰ vicinity.

13. 永远不要在餐馆关门前15分钟进门用餐。厨师已经很累了，肯定会立即将你的菜做好。当你正在就色拉东拉西扯时，前菜可能在温暖的灯光下变味了，洗碗机里工业用的洗涤剂则正泡沫四溅。