My biggest pet peeves with restaurant service staff:

[ddeclue]

1) Wait staff that is busy talking to each other or on their cell phone or watching the game or something instead of greeting me, getting me a place to sit or taking my order.

2) Wait staff that hovers over me asking me every few seconds how things are - I appreciate the point that they are paying attention but it can become annoying.

3) Wait staff that takes my food never comes back until bill time and doesn't refill my drink.

4) Wait staff that wants to take me to a tiny uncomfortable table when I am alone instead of giving me a booth.

5) Wait staff that wants to offer me the dessert menu when it is clear that I couldn't finish the food they brought me already.

It's not really the wait staff's fault but rather management that desserts seem to almost be antiquated these days because most chain restaurants make the main course portions so big and charge you so much that you really feel obligated to finish it. Sometimes I'll get the food to go but really they should provide less food and charge less for it.

6) Wait staff that tries to rush me out of the restaurant so that they can turn the table.

What impresses me?

Wait staff that:

1) remembers me
2) remembers my name
3) knows what drink(s) I like
4) knows what my favorite dishes are
5) is pleasant to me, has a sense of humor and talks to me about more than just my order
6) takes my order quickly and delivers it from the kitchen quickly (by this I don't mean to blame wait staff for kitchen staff slowness but I sometimes will see my order sitting in the pickup window for a noticeable amount of time.)

I generaly tip 25-35% when I'm working and 15-20% when I'm not but I always tip at least the 15%.