Why do American waitstaff congratulate you on food choice, finishing meals?

This is definitely not just an American thing - I've had plenty of people say 'good choice' or something similar when placing an order at restaurants in the UK. It's building rapport.

I've never been congratulated on finishing a meal though. That's strange. Were you wearing a bib? Or a propellor hat?
 
I've lived in the USA for the entirety of my almost 21 years on Earth and I've never had a waiter congratulate me on what I order or finishing my meal.
 
I had a waitress complaining that I didn't eat the whole meal in Madrid. Literraly saying, with a not friendly/funny tone 'come on, eat everything man!'

i hate these 2 course meals in europe. give me my lonely all in one Brazilian plate
 
MudoSkills said:
This is definitely not just an American thing - I've had plenty of people say 'good choice' or something similar when placing an order at restaurants in the UK. It's building rapport.

I've never been congratulated on finishing a meal though. That's strange. Were you wearing a bib? Or a propellor hat?
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Yeah great choice is just them trying to say what you picked is good, some people even ask the waiter/waitress for recommendations.

The congratulating you on finishing though, that's odd. Did they clap too?
 
Frozenprince said:
Friendly service is generally the expectation everywhere.
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I don't find systematically congratuling you on any choice friendly, but hypocrite or something like this.

If I had friends that would keep saying things to me while thinking something else, I would change them ASAP...

I find it weird, though I don't mind. But I disagree on the idea you need to do this for a friendly service.
 
hydrophilic attack said:
So I'm on a road trip in the US (Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and now finishing up in California) and one thing that feels a bit weird is how waiters and waitresses respond to you when you tell them what you want on the menu. It's always "awesome", "great choice", "that's my favourite" and "cheddar's better" (after saying I wanted cheddar on my omelette).

And even weirder is that they sometimes congratulate me on finishing my meal. Today my (very nice and attentive) waiter congratulated me on finishing all my fish tacos as if I was a six years old kid. The fact that I can so easily devour those huge-ass portions is testament to my being a pig and not really cause for celebration, in my opinion.

I don't really mind but I find it fascinating. So am I imagining stuff or is this actually a thing? Why?
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It's all an effort to make you clap louder when you're finished eating.

Princess Viola said:
I've lived in the USA for the entirety of my almost 21 years on Earth and I've never had a waiter congratulate me on what I order or finishing my meal.
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Ditto to that
 
What else is there to talk about when this person's single goal is for you to give them more money?

I hate tipping. I'd rather tip the kitchen staff and pick it up myself than a guy who wants to congratulate me for finishing an overpriced frozen turkey burger.

Edit: I should add I haven't had people put it on so thick very often. It's like making annoying small talk with people who want your money, but it's not as often such a brown nosing that they do the congratulation thing, really.
 
I've never been congratulated for finishing a meal

Granted, I don't often finish them because our portion sizes are stupid
 
I hate how fake my interactions are with American service staff. The most fake smiles, the fake words, the fake demeanours.

I recently went to Russia. Those people are honest as fuck. They don't smile, they don't tell you to have a nice day. They just groan at your order and get your shit, then throw it down on the table. It was a shock at first, but man, it was refreshing.
 
American Dad covered this in style.

300
 
Are you going to road diners, chains, and buffets? I've never heard of this. Go to a US food mecca (NYC, Chicago, SF, New Orleans) and I doubt this will happen.
 
Never been congratulated and I eat out every Friday pretty much. I got the excellent choice thing but they won't do it for every item it helps that I only go to restaurants where almost everything is good. And one time, when I didn't like it, the waiter said they'd put the meal on them.
 
Do wait staff in your home country mirthlessly throw the check on your table as they pass by, a look of indifference upon their face?
 
You say it is a great choice if you feel that they have some hesitancy about their order, but you know it is a fine selection or if it is one of your personal favorites. Congratulations for finishing the plate sounds like a bit of a tease or a nudge wink that it must have been good or something to this effect.

Servers are encouraged to be personable in most places, so its not uncommon to get a 'mr. or ms. personality' waiting your table.
 
I've never been congratulated on finishing a meal. That doesn't seem common.

The rest, though? The wait staff are being extra nice to you because they want a 20+% tip.
 
Admiral Woofington said:
Someone made a similar thread like a year or two ago of "why do Americans clap after finishing a meal" and it became a gaf maymay

I don't know why anybody feels the obligation to make "why Americans different than my culture? Why not everybody same?"
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Its weird because American culture is so visible through film and tv that gets exported around the world that you'd think what happens in the US wouldn't be such a mystery yet we get clapping threads, orange cheese threads, this thread, America doesn't have good (name anything) threads, etc etc. And its not just relegated to Neogaf either. I see this nonsense on Reddit too.
 
Disingenuous and ultimately just Noise pollution.

I prefer the British way of food being placed with silent withering contempt.

🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
 
Not going to say this isn't a thing (except the congratulations at the end?), but people again people really get worked up over differences between countries/cultures.

Also this is almost non-existent if you don't go to some lame chain like Applebee's or TGI Fridays. Sorry but people are kinda outting themselves as having bad taste in here.
 
As a 27 year old who has always had a ridiculously tiny appetite, struggles to eat, and can't remember the last time he finished I meal, must be nice.
 
I don't think I have ever been congratulated for completing my meal, because thats weird. But the rest is fine. They just want a good tip, because they probably get paid like shit.
 
As someone who has resided in the US for 28 years, I can confirm that this isn't a usual occurrence.

Rizific said:
So you encountered an enthusiastic waiter, and now this is the dining experience in all of the US.
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I just operate under the assumption that any person who starts threads like this have never interacted with any human being before, so they need to characterize every experience they have as something that happens to everyone.
 
I actually prefer the service at US restaurants since they actually engage with me instead of looking irritated because im there. Sure you need to leave a tip but i dont mind leaving a tip if i get friendly and fast service!
 
hydrophilic attack said:
So I'm on a road trip in the US (Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and now finishing up in California) and one thing that feels a bit weird is how waiters and waitresses respond to you when you tell them what you want on the menu. It's always "awesome", "great choice", "that's my favourite" and "cheddar's better" (after saying I wanted cheddar on my omelette).
Click to expand...

They're being friendly.

And even weirder is that they sometimes congratulate me on finishing my meal. Today my (very nice and attentive) waiter congratulated me on finishing all my fish tacos as if I was a six years old kid. The fact that I can so easily devour those huge-ass portions is testament to my being a pig and not really cause for celebration, in my opinion.
Click to expand...

This isn't something I've ever experienced. Not once, never. Eaten all over the place in the US as well. Live here, too.
 
I mean, they could always call you out on your meal choices. "That dish is bad." "Eww, you eat that?" "That shit's gross, would you like anything else?" And, technically, you could still tip them because they could have offered you a better choice.
 
The only thing I see wrong in the op is that you skipped New Mexico. Damn good food there, and totally worth celebrating. The other states are jealous, so they talk up their own food.
 
A friendly waiter usually gets a bigger tip. I remember this one time I ordered the beef stroganoff and the waiter smirked and said "hahaha, you fucking idiot," turned, and farted as he left. I only tipped him 15% instead of 18%.
 
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