Why you should wait to be seated and served in France

While self-service might be common in many cultures, there are still certain situations in France when it is frowned upon, as Cathy Collins from the US discovered.

“When I first came to France, I was staying in Paris with a friend and we went out for dinner. It was around 19:00 and there were only a couple of diners in the restaurant when we walked in, so we headed over to a corner table by the window.

“We were about to sit down when a waiter appeared out of nowhere and started wagging his finger at us and shaking his head, talking to us in rapid-fire French and gesturing that we should go back to the entrance.

“We were confused and pretty embarrassed, not least because our French wasn’t good enough to understand him, but we followed him. He seated us at a different table and shoved menus in our hands before walking off, shaking his head and still muttering.

“He was so rude. The only thing I did understand was ‘les américains’ and I could tell it wasn’t complimentary!

“The next day, we spoke about this to our hotel receptionist and she diplomatically explained that in France, when you go into a restaurant you should wait at the entrance for a member of staff to seat you. Suddenly the whole incident made a lot more sense and I’ve never made that mistake again!”

Wait to be served

In most French towns, there is a similar unspoken rule that applies to fresh produce at a market stall.

You are not supposed to help yourself to the apples, bananas or avocados. Instead, you should wait for the stall holder to serve you, and if you particularly want certain items, you can point them out.

Selecting them yourself is generally regarded as a faux pas in most markets.