What Should A Restaurant Waitstaff Do When A Rat Is Weaving Through The Tables?

Last night we dined outside at a patio restaurant when a freakish thing occurred: a full grown rat, the size of a small stuffed toy, weaved in and out of several tables filled with diners.

The rat looked straight out of a Gotham City sewer, and shy he was not.

At first sight of the rodent, the restaurant’s host shrieked like a banshee, but then collected himself, and tried to lure the critter off the premises, to no avail.

At that point the waitstaff, realizing that their overt reaction would cause a panic, tried to act as if nothing happened. Still, they were looking right and left in the dimmed lighting, trying not to step on the rat, as it scurried from table to table.

Some customers shrieked and gasped. Others seemed blissfully unaware of what was happening. As for our table, we were exchanging rat puns while vowing never to return (“They’re out of chocolate cake? RATS!”).

Later, after we left, we got into an argument: what should the waitstaff have done to minimize the impact of the rat? Should they have tried to catch it? Should they have ignored it (as they did miserably)? What was the right thing to do?

If you or someone you know works for a restaurant, we would love to know what advice you would have given to the waitstaff and management?