In here we do this

Eating out used to be so easy. 

You would wait to be seated. They sit you down, take your order and then, when finished, pay at the table. 

But nowadays there is so many different restaurants and each one of them is looking to be unique. It begs the question:

What kind of restaurant is this?

Can you make reservations? Or is it first come first serve?

If you’re waiting do you have to wait in the sitting area or are you allowed to wander and come back? Can you leave a name and number? Will they give you a buzzer to tell you when your table is ready? 

Are they going to take my order at the table? Do I have to go to the til? Do I enter it into a machine?

Do I pay before or after I get my food? Do I include a tip?

What would be great is if in each restaurant there was a list of norms and expected behaviours. Something that states:

“In here, we do this…”