And finally…Scots too shy to ask for doggy bag

A new survey carried out by up market supermarket chain Waitrose, which publishes the Good Food Guide, has announced the findings of its Dining Out survey that also reveasl 26 per cent of Scottish restaurant goers would be ‘too embarrassed’ to ask to take home their leftovers.

Proving community matters, 25 per cent of Scottish diners also revealed that supporting the community was their main reason for dining at their local restaurant.

This was closely followed by 20 per cent of respondents in Scotland believing cuisine is far more authentic in their local establishment.

Local independent restaurants should simply offer a point of difference to larger chains, 44 per cent of Scots said this was all that was needed to keep their loyal custom.

A few incentives wouldn’t go amiss, though.

38 per cent of Scottish diners said a free glass of bubbles on their birthday would sweeten the deal too. This was closely followed by 37 per cent of diners also saying the championing of local produce on the menu was what they look for most when dining out in their neighbourhood eatery.

Despite the recent trend for ‘set menu only’ restaurants, over half (55 per cent) of diners said they preferred an à la carte menu because they like more flexibility in choosing what they want. Whether for environmental or price reasons, four out of five (80 per cent) said tap water should automatically be put on their table.

Across the UK, over half polled (52 per cent) said both customer service and the quality of the food are equally important when dining out.

The most annoying example of bad customer service? A quarter (26 per cent) said their biggest bugbear was waiters rushing them through their dinner, with another quarter saying getting your order wrong was the biggest no-no.

Waiters making diners feel they aren’t posh enough was another high choice (22 per cent) and one in ten said their biggest gripe was a waiter asking if a meal is ok when they have a mouthful of food.

When it comes to the bill, 59 per cent of disgruntled diners would ask to have the service charge removed from the bill after a bad dining experience. However younger generations are much more uncomfortable asking than older age groups: only 47 per cent of 18-24 year olds feel brave enough to ask, with this rising to 66 per cent in the 55-plus bracket.

Elizabeth Carter, Waitrose Good Food Guide Editor, said: “While there’s no doubt that diners are looking for excellent value from their local restaurants - 80 per cent said free tap water should automatically be put on the table – being rushed through a meal is their biggest annoyance.

“As a regular victim of the two-hour booking slot and that other common wheeze, the second sitting, I believe local restaurants can offer genuine value, and a point of difference, by giving diners the time to enjoy a meal at a pace that suits them.”