Etiquette Tuesday: Backroom Talk

[ 2 ] July 12, 2011 | Johnna

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

Recently on a late night run after too much rum, me and some good company took to the late night streets of the District to grub. With an appetite for destruction, we opted for all things eggs and bacon. All this to say, we were starving and the options were limited so we had to go with whatever was open. Lucky for us, there are 24/7 dining options in the District. Unlucky for us, these options are often accompanied with the type of attitude that should be throwing the silverware at us versus actually sitting it on the table.

Take for example our night on the town: We order our food, everything comes as ordered, all is well in the world. All is well in our world, but the table behind us must have pissed off the waitress to no avail because as soon as they walked out the door, she had thrown out every profane word under the sun. Granted these words were spoken to another co-worker but this did alert me to an Etiquette Tip for my waitstaff out there: Backroom Talk. Backroom talk is exactly what it implies: some conversations are best kept in the private areas only reserved for staff especially when they involve a patron.

Despite the fact that we had absolutely no privy to the table behind us, I was almost afraid to speak up about my lack of syrup and attention from our waitress during our meal for fear of being tossed out on her next rant. We all have things we want to say in our work place that are best kept with a certain audience and needless to say that audience is not the other patrons. Again, people this Etiquette Tuesday emphasizes discretion. Use caution…and the backroom.

Tags: dining etiquette, Etiquette Tuesday

Category: Etiquette Tuesday

About the Author (Author Profile)

Johnna French is a Harlem NY native with deep roots in Panama, Washington, DC and North Carolina. All four places have heavily influenced her life and the foods she loves today. After graduating Howard University School of Law and beginning her life as a young professional in the city she was led to start Johnna Knows Good Food in November 2007 to keep family, friends and colleagues updated on where to go and what to eat while dining in the nation’s capitol. French, who still practices law, leads a team of three writers to cover the ever expanding Washington, DC food scene. French has been featured in print and television, appearing in Washingtonian Magazine and is a regular contributor to various local TV affiliates including WUSA 9, FOX 5 DC and WJLA (ABC Affiliate) News Channel 8. During the 2016-2017 football season, Johnna aired on Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic (CSN) show, Redskins Life, as the weekly tailgate host. Johnna is currently a regular contributor to the FOX Baltimore Weekend morning show.