Culture Shock! Austria - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

132 CultureShock! Austria

Dining Out

Because most restaurants and Beiseln are family-operated,

they observe a Ruhetag one day of the week, when the

restaurant is closed so the owners and employees can

‘rest’. Many restaurants have Sunday and holidays as

their Ruhetag, yet this is not necessarily the norm. Some

restaurants may close for a break between lunch and

dinner, and you’ll be pushed out the door as closing time

approaches. Even if they remain open, you may find your

options limited during non-peak hours. Susan and her mother

sat down to eat lunch at 3:00 pm once and were forced to

order the same meal so that the

cook wouldn’t have to dirty too

many pans. Most restaurants

and Beiseln close at around

midnight, but tend to empty out

well beforehand.

Once you’ve arrived at your

chosen restaurant, seat yourself,

making sure the table you select

is not reserved with a card

reading reserviert. Not every

restaurant has a non-smoking

section, and if it does, it may be

so close to the smoking section that it makes little difference.

So if cigarette smoke affects you, try more spacious

restaurants, dine during off-peak hours, or sit at outdoor

tables in summer.

The server will appear relatively soon to take your order.

Water does not automatically come with your meal, so ask

for Leitungswasser if you want tap water, or Mineralwasser

if you want mineral water. Once served, the waitstaff tends

to leave the customers alone to eat in peace; there is no

checking every five minutes to see if you need anything. It

may take a long time to get your waiter if you need another

drink or even when you want the bill. When clearing away

your meal, the waiter or waitress will ask if you enjoyed your

meal (“Hat’s Ihnen geschmeckt?”), and if you’ve left food on

your plate, they’ll ask you if you didn’t like it.

Etiquette

If you are dining with Austrians,
be sure to say Mahlzeit before
digging in. To start eating before
wishing everyone else at the table
a good meal would be rude. In
several restaurants, dishes are
served in the order in which they
are prepared. Wait for others at
your table to invite you to begin
eating before you dig in. Also,
keep in mind that Austrians eat
with their knives and forks, even
for pizza.