If You Get Stage Fright and Are Never Ready to Order at a Restaurant, Read This

Are you one of those people who goes to a restaurant and freezes up when it’s time to order? You eke out “I’ll go last” as the server takes the order for everyone else who knows exactly what they want. How can they order so flippantly? 

Deciding what to eat at a restaurant takes time and thoughtfulness. Did they study the menu online before they got there or are they regulars who always get the exact same thing and have no need to consider other options? You scan the menu, but there are so many things you want to eat. And then you hear, “And what can I get for you?” 

It’s your turn and you still don’t know what to order. Everyone is staring at you with expectation. You can see your server’s eyes darting around the dining room contemplating all the other things they need to be doing at that moment. This is when people at the table start chiming in to help, telling you what they ordered like that’s going to make a difference. But just because Kendall ordered the grilled branzino doesn’t mean you want the grilled branzino. Then the server pipes in reminding you of the specials, like you didn’t hear those just minutes earlier. Everyone’s eyes are upon you and you can feel beads of sweat beginning to form on your forehead. You’re about to make a rash decision and possibly regret what you have for dinner but you don’t want that to happen, so what do you do? 

You take a breath and say, “I’m gonna need a few more minutes.”

So what if your friends already know what they want? And if it throws off the server’s rotation, that’s OK too. Eating out is an expensive luxury these days and you don’t want to rush to judgment. If you do that, you run the risk of serious FOMO when the food is delivered and somebody else’s entree looks better than yours. You’ll kick yourself for ordering in a hurry. 

Do your menu homework ahead of time

If you are habitually the last one to decide what they want and it makes you uncomfortable, it might not hurt to do a little research the next time you go out to eat. Go to the website and narrow down your choices so you aren’t overwhelmed when your server is standing in front of you, order pad in hand, bated breath in lungs. Peruse the online menu at your leisure. This is an especially good idea if you go to a place like The Cheesecake Factory with their notoriously long menu of 21 pages and about 250 items. You may as well be reading War and Peace. 

Don’t put down the menu

Another way to avoid the awkwardness of everyone waiting for you to order is to keep your menu in your hand until you know what you want. Servers rely on nonverbal cues all the time, and setting the menu down is an indication that the customer is ready to order. Even if everyone else at the table has decided, as long as you are continuing to look at the menu, the server probably won’t approach the table. This may not appease your impatient friends, but at least you won’t have to endure the wrath of a waiter who thought you were ready to order when you’re not.

Live with your limitations, and take your time

The final option that will help you decide what to order more quickly is to be like me and live your life with a very limited palate. I like boneless chicken breast, hamburgers, and pasta as long as it’s not full of mushrooms. I can scan a menu and know what I want to order in two minutes flat. This solution may not work for everyone because some people like lamb, salmon, duck, or any number of foods that won’t pass my lips. 

Remember that you can always take as much time as you want before deciding what to order. This is your dining experience and if you want to take 20 minutes that’s your right. Just know that if you’re eating with me, I’ll be ready to order the mac and cheese whenever you’ve figured it out.