It’s a classic dining gripe – you’re sitting at the table, finally digging into that burger you’ve been craving, and just as you’re about to take the biggest bite, the waiter appears out of nowhere.
“How’s everything going?” they’ll ask.
It’s almost as if they’re trained to catch you mid-chew, leaving you scrambling to swallow before you mumble some form of approval.
“Good thanks,” you might muster.
The comedy duo, The Inspired Unemployed, have nailed this exact feeling in their latest TikTok, roasting the classic ‘mid-bite check-in’ in a clip that resonated with thousands.
Their skit shows them sitting at the Aussie pub, Old Mates, in New York City, and as they keep eating, their “waiter” pops up by their seat to ask if they’re getting along okay.
As the skit unfolds, they keep trying to swallow their food faster every time to answer the waiter’s question, to the point that their food ends up all over them.
The comments flooded in quickly, with everyone shocked that this was such a universal experience.
“Literally. Can’t we stop this?” one asked.
“This just happened to me and a mate,” said someone else, and another viewer mentioned that, “waiters have that same trait everywhere in the world”.
Meanwhile, plenty of Aussies agreed this is a common occurrence, with one saying, “They always do this”.
“Every single time,” shared another.
But one person claimed it happens more in the US, maybe to boost tips.
“They see us in our most vulnerable states,” admitted another. “Or in the middle of a deep conversation”.
“When I take a huge bite out of a burger, and sauce starts dripping down my beard, and the waiter comes over and asks, ‘Is everything good?’… would I eat the way I do if I had a problem with the food?” joked someone.
Some said they’d rather be left alone – until, of course, they genuinely need something, and the waitstaff seems to disappear into thin air.
To be fair to the waiters, it’s actually considered hospitality best practice to check in with diners early, so they can ensure everything’s up to scratch before it’s too late to fix.
Many use the “two bites, two sips, or two minutes” rule to know when to check on a table.
But in reality, no matter when they come over, it always feels like it’s in the middle of your biggest, messiest mouthful.
So, is there a better way?
Some people suggested alternatives – such as a subtle thumbs-up from a distance, or at least checking to see if diners are between bites before coming over.
However, some were less bothered by the act, and urged waiters to continue doing their job as normal.
“If asking how you are is a buzzkill, then yikes,” said one.
“If a waiter checking in to make sure you’re okay really ruins a conversation for you, you need to be having those conversations elsewhere,” another noted.
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