An executive recruiter from a global search firm made me gasp with this story about a lunch interview with a candidate for an executive position. (Keep in mind, when you get to the lunch stage, you have already cleared a few layers of interviews.)
The waitress set the glass of water on the interview candidate's left, instead of where it should have gone on the right. The candidate then said to the waitress, "I guess they must be hiring anyone as waitresses these days. The glass goes on the right."
Lunch went on, but the candidate's opportunity ended there. It's a cowardly act to berate or humiliate any staff persons who cannot defend themselves without risking the loss of their own job. And it's embarrassing to those you are dining with.
In any business meal, especially an interview, kill the wait staff with kindness. Waiting tables is hard work and there are a million things in a restaurant that can go wrong. How you treat the wait staff is a reflection of how you will treat others -- especially when seeking a management position.
From an interviewer's perspective, there is great value in an interview meal. It's a way to weed out candidates who will embarrass the organization in other ways: drinking too much, eating like a pig in a trough, ordering the priciest items on the menu or fussing about little things.
Remember, you are there to do business first and eat second. Have patience and focus on the business at hand.
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