Mojo In The Morning

Restaurant Eating Etiquette

12 min
Apr 2, 2026about 2 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

The hosts discuss restaurant dining etiquette, specifically whether it's rude to start eating when one person's food hasn't arrived yet. The conversation includes personal anecdotes about a disappointing Mexican restaurant experience, baked potato cooking methods, and relationship advice shared during a lunch outing.

Insights
  • Food temperature management is a key consideration in dining etiquette decisions—hot foods like tacos and nachos deteriorate quickly, justifying earlier consumption
  • Clear communication between diners about food delays reduces social friction and allows people to eat without guilt
  • Restaurant quality and staff changes significantly impact customer experience and loyalty, with ownership changes often leading to service degradation
  • Personal dining standards and expectations should be established early in relationships to avoid resentment later
Trends
Growing consumer awareness of restaurant quality decline following chain acquisitions and ownership changesShift toward more casual, flexible dining etiquette among younger generations compared to traditional family dinner customsIncreased focus on food quality and freshness over rigid social dining conventionsRise of specialty dining concepts (e.g., baked potato-focused restaurants) targeting niche market preferences
Topics
Restaurant dining etiquette and social normsFood temperature and quality preservation during mealsRestaurant ownership changes and service quality impactFamily dinner traditions and generational differencesRelationship communication and standard-settingFast casual restaurant experiencesBaked potato preparation methodsSpecialty restaurant concepts
Companies
Mood.com
Cannabis delivery service advertised as offering federally legal products with 20% discount for listeners
Wendy's
Referenced for their baked potato offerings and traditional menu staple status
Tickle Frado
Specialty baked potato restaurant located in Midtown mentioned as unique dining concept
People
Mojo
Co-host who experienced delayed tortilla soup at Mexican restaurant and discussed dining etiquette
Shannon
Co-host who gave restaurant recommendation and shared dining etiquette perspectives
Bianca
Lunch companion who received relationship advice and experienced delayed taco service
Lydia
Lunch companion who shared rice milk experience and participated in relationship discussion
Chelsea
Friend who dined at the Mexican restaurant previously and gave parking-related feedback
Jamie
Caller from Cleveland who contributed perspective on dining etiquette and family dinner traditions
Cam
Caller who shared experience working at fast food restaurant with specialty baked potato oven
Kevin
Referenced as someone who insists on prayer before meals and has traditional dining customs
West
Referenced as someone who leads prayer before family meals
Quotes
"Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy, or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about Mood.com."
Host (Ad read)Opening
"I'm a believer of like, I'll do what Shannon does, and I get yelled at by a chelsea for this. I'll like grab one bite and go, oh, jeez, I'm sorry, I didn't notice that you don't have your meal."
MojoMid-episode
"A baked potato needs to have a crispy outside and it's got to be good. Wait your hour. I don't want the radiation in my food."
MojoMid-episode
"If you don't set the standards now, then you're not going to set the standards because you're going to say, well, you know what, then he'll get comfortable."
ShannonLate episode
"Eat while it's hot. Especially at a place like that."
Jamie (Caller)Late episode
Full Transcript
Let's be honest, buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy, or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about Mood.com. That's M-O-O-D.com. Mood ships federally legal cannabis straight to your door. No medical card, no hassle. And here's the kicker. The quality is better than anything you'll find at your local dispensary. Yeah, I said it. Whether you're into edibles, concentrates, flour, or just looking to explore, you'll find it all at Mood. And it's not just the variety that makes them stand out. Every product is sourced from small, American-owned family farms that care deeply about what they grow. It's cannabis you can trust, delivered discreetly, and ready to elevate your mood. And because you're a listener, you get 20% off your first order. Just head to Mood.com. That's M-O-O-D.com to get started. I went to lunch with Bianca and Lydia yesterday. I saw that on the set. Girls' Day. It was good, except the only problem is the restaurant that we went to was Mexican. And I felt it the rest of the day. Oh, God. What did you learn? That's what I thought it was. I thought it was the actual stomach. And it wasn't even the restaurant that usually gives it to me. It was a different restaurant. It was a higher class Mexican restaurant if they ever have that. He made us try rice milk yesterday. Oh, I love rice milk. Oh, yeah. I've never had that. That was great. Yeah, they looked at me like I was crazy. They were like, why would I drink milk? Like, no, no, no. And then all of a sudden they're like... It's the best thing ever. It was like crack afterwards. We had three straws of one cup. We're all passing to her. That was the cutest part. It was. We shared a milkshake together, basically. Three of y'all in one cup. Why y'all do that? Maybe that's what got me sick yesterday. Maybe it wasn't the Mexican food. Maybe it was the fact that we all got each other's germs or something. Yeah, we're on a triple day. I'm sure the waitress was like, what is going on? I don't know how to describe that. And they brought up something really interesting yesterday. I don't know how you guys are. Tell me what your etiquette is on this. What is the etiquette if one person at the table doesn't have their meal yet, but yet everybody else has their meal? Do you go ahead and eat while it's hot, or do you sit there and wait for everybody? Well, did the person who didn't have the meal say just eat, eat, eat while you're food? Yes, that was Mojo. Oh, that was you. Okay, so I will take a bite, because I'm usually so hungry, and then I'll put my fork. I feel like I got to have it just a bite. Here was the circumstances. The circumstances was, I think what I ordered, they actually didn't even have like out, because I ordered tortilla soup. They have really good tortilla soup, and they have a big bowl of it, so it's like a full meal. And the ladies, Lydia and Bianca, they ordered tacos. So the tacos come out, and I'm not kidding you when I say this to you, that they were sitting there not eating their food for the longest time, that the refried beans turned hard. You know how they turn out of play to them? You got to keep those when they're hot. Yeah, like when it's hot, it's kind of like nice, and it looks good, and then all of a sudden it's getting crusty on the top. Yeah, it's okay. So I'm a believer of like, I'll do what Shannon does, and I get yelled at by a chelse for this. I'll like grab one bite and go, oh, jeez, I'm sorry, I didn't notice that you don't have your meal. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And then I'll sit there and go, all right, let's see how it goes. And I'm not lying, and you guys test to this one and tell me, what did it take, like 15 minutes for my food to come out after your food was in? Yeah, it took a minute. We were still munching on the chips. Like we probably went through a couple more baskets of chips. It was like, I was like, don't worry, Mojo, I'm not hungry, I'm still eating the chips right now. I mean, we were like waiting for the food to come, and we were just like, I'm looking for chips on other people's tables, and I'm looking at the waitress, and the waitress is not even like panicking. Like she doesn't even look like she's... That restaurant got sold, because I know what restaurant you went to. It used to be my fave. Oh, really? It's not as good anymore? I will not go there anymore. Why didn't you tell us that? I did, I gave you a recommendation for somewhere else. You gave us a recommendation for a restaurant that it takes forever to find parking at, and I was like, I don't want it. I know, I was like, Mojo, how'd you find the spot? He said, Shannon said it was so great. Yeah, well, we went to what it was, and then it got sold, and it got bought by like a chain. How long ago did it get sold? And it got so expensive and yucky. Maybe like a year? Oh, wow, because... They fired the staff, which I loved. Oh, really? So Chelsea and I ate there maybe a year ago, and I said to Chelsea, I go, this is a Shannon fine, and Chelsea and I were both like, this is really good. It's a little bit of a hike from our house, but it's in between where I live and where Bianca and Lydia live. So it was like equal distance, like 25 minutes or so. But long story short, with the food, I'm going to go back to the food thing, and ask the listeners this question. Is it rude, is it rude, because these girls literally are the nicest people ever, is it rude to just start eating your food? Because I was like, eat your food. I would have, at the point that it gets to five minutes, like when the table next to us got their food and dessert. Yeah, I want you to enjoy your food when it's hot and good. So I did it, so I, obviously, for respect of you, I didn't eat my food yet, but when I went out to eat with my friends last week, their food came out wrong, so they had to go take their food back, and then it took another 20 minutes. So I was waiting probably like 10 minutes for them, and I was like, you know, guys, I love you so much, but I'm just going to eat my food now. And they're like, yeah, go ahead. Wait, why were you so polite with me, I guess, and you're a big pig with them? Because they, I had nachos, and so nachos are really bad when they're cold, and I was like, I cannot eat this nachos cold. The tacos, they were great cold. Really? Yeah, it was great. I'll give you a little bit of time, but my food not about to get cold. I'm just like, that's not on me, bro. Especially if I'm hungry, like I'm going to do it enough to where you can understand that I respect, you know, the moment that we're sharing. But outside of that, like I'm not about to wait for ever for you, bro. That's on them. Like the bite may turn into like a couple other bites as I get hungry. And I'll offer you some of mine. Let me ask you, do you ever feel like it's always the same person that gets the food either wrong or it's the person that doesn't get their food? Because it happens to me all the time. What? What are you ordering? I ordered a tortilla soup and then a week ago I ordered a filet. Actually, the funny thing is I've been at the tables before where people get the same thing that I got and mine's not ready yet and they said, oh, I'm sorry, but we had to make it special for you. I'm like, make it special for me. I mean, it was crazy. No, but it wasn't even the gluten thing because like a steak and a baked potato is whatever. Normal off the menu. They told me one time, this is no joke, but I'm not going to do this. But how long do you think a baked potato takes to cook? Five minutes in a marked list? No, it could microwave baked potatoes are horrible. No, they don't. In the oven? In the oven for sure. I never make them in the oven. And restaurants should only make them in ovens. And they said to me, they go, I'm so sorry, but your baked potato we didn't realize we didn't have it made. We're making it now. I'm going to be here for a freaking hour. I'm telling you, bro, get you a fork, poke some holes in it. It doesn't work. Put it in the microwave for five to seven minutes. It's not the same. A baked potato needs to have a crispy outside and it's got to be good. Wait your hour. I don't want the radiation in my food. You know what else we did yesterday at lunch? We did relationship conversation. We did relationship talk. Oh, we, oh, we, first off, I think I gave Bianca like her dad talk. Best dad advice. Mojo's giving me like a dad talk a couple of months ago and I said, I'm going to do dad talk yesterday. What was your biggest takeaway from the talk? Well, she doesn't want to probably go into what we were talking about. Fine. Well, it was just like make sure like he treats you well. He sets the standards for a man. Like he reaches my requirements and things I need. And honestly, And I said, do it now. Don't wait until you're actually in a long term in a relationship and you're comfortable. Because if you don't set the standards now, then you're not going to set the standards because you're going to say, well, you know what, then he'll get comfortable. So I feel like I'll say right now, we're not like the most traditional Kelly and couple where the man pays for everything. Like I feel like I pay for a lot of things too. So I feel like that was like an eye opener for Lydian Mojo, which is like, okay. So I did, I did go back. We talked to him. I talked to him about it and Oh, you talked last night to him about it. Yeah, I talked to him about it and I said, I think like we should come back and I told him I was like, I'm starting budgeting my stuff now. So we're not spending so much money on food. I'm not spending so much money and he understood. And I think I like that. Good for you. Cause I said to her, you can't expect the guy that's in college to have always been paying for you. But then the thing is you guys shouldn't be going out to eat all the time. Yeah. And I think that was a great conversation to have. Yeah. I said, just go and eat all his mom and dad's food. Eat out of their cupboards. What's going on, Jamie? How you doing? Hey, good morning. First time long time. And Jamie on the boat! I was actually just cracking up because Mojo, you just got so annoyed with Shannon that she didn't tell you that not to go to that place ahead of time, but you did not understand why Kevin was upset. Speak on it, Jamie! Speak on it, Jamie! And by the way, I did say that. Oh my God. I couldn't have said it better myself, Jamie. Mojo ain't no weed. He goes, how could you not tell me, Shannon? I was sitting over here like, that the fuck? Yeah. Oh my God. Get mad at his fucking prima donna ass. Jamie, why do you listen to this show so intently? What is going on with you? You know what? I actually listen from the Cleveland area every day on I Heart Radio. Love you guys. Thank you so much. Love you too. Question for you. If your food doesn't come to the table and the other people are there with their food, do you like when they eat or do you think it's rude if they just start chomping away? Now, see, my mom's rule is always just eat when it gets there. You know, like what Shannon was saying, I'll always take a bite and then just keep eating. Yeah. No, I get it. I think you got to eat while it's hot, right? Eat while it's hot. Especially at a place like that. Some people's face looks so sad though. Like watching you eat, you kind of almost... Stop looking at me. You know what? My family, my dad never came home on certain nights because he had late office hours. We would wait until my dad came home to eat dinner. There were some nights, and Wednesdays I always remember this for some reason, it was late, my dad wouldn't come home until like 8 or 8.15. We didn't eat dinner until 9 o'clock sometimes. Yeah. And it was crazy, but my mom was like, we're sitting at the table together as a family. And it's funny now because I don't think that stuff would happen nowadays. So speaking of family dinner, when we, we were in the middle, West loves to pray. And we're like, my kids and I, we just never really did that before dinner. So we all are like digging in. We were like halfway done, and then West finally sits down and he's like, okay, everybody hold hands. I'm like, oh my God. We're almost frickin' done. And now we're gonna pray. Kevin's like that too. I met Kevin over at the house, and I'm like ready to start chomping. He's like, all right, let's hold on. We're gonna hold hands and we're gonna pray. Cam, hi. Hi, how are you? We're good. What's going on? Um, just heading back home from dropping my husband off at work. Oh, what a wife you are. That's awesome. Yep. And then I have to go to work. Oh, that's cool. What's going on? We're talking about the restaurants. You wanted to comment on that? Yeah. So you were talking about the baked potato. Yeah. I worked at a fast food restaurant many years ago that had a special oven for baked potatoes that cooked it in last time, baked it. So it was still a baked potato. I know which one you're talking about, Wendy's. It's gotta be Wendy's, because Wendy's had the baked potatoes. They were so good. Well, actually, I do like Wendy's baked potatoes, but it wasn't Wendy's. It was Lyon's choice. Oh, I never know. Yeah. Do Wendy's still have baked potatoes? They have. Do they? That's a staple. They're the traditional. And then they had broccoli and cheese as one of them. And you could get chili. I love a baked potato. I want to actually open a restaurant that's just baked potatoes. They have that. The potato place. Where is it? It's in Midtown. And they put crazy things on it. How did they think of that before me? Tickle Frado. Tickle Frado.