Notifying Server of Eating and Drinking Alcohol

Interesting, as we were just in Paris in April, and as we were seated in brasseries, bistros or cafes I do recall being asked if we would be eating or just there for drinks.

I should add, we only had wonderful service and were treated with wonderful hospitality everywhere we ate.

Fantastic, thank you! Sounds like even if I'm not asked, it'll be a good idea to let them know.

If you are talking about outdoor cafes, you don't sit at set tables unless you are ordering food. But it is up to the waiter to inquire if it matters to their accounting systems. Not something to worry about. I have spent months in Paris and have yet to have this be an issue. You just got a jerk for a waiter. ANd obviously once you sat down and ordered it was obvious and any adjustment that needed to be made could be made then.

Yup, saw the table set rule in the guidebook. I mean, it's not the craziest thing to hear a Parisian server might have been mean. LOL Thanks for the info!

At mealtimes, tables in a specific area are set for meals. You simply indicate if you are there for a meal or not before sitting down.

Is it possible you have misinterpreted the waiter?

I cannot imagine why a waiter would care what you drink, if anything at all. What you should be sensitive to is where you sit. Ask to sit at any table that has a place setting, inside or outside. If a table on the terrace has no place setting, it is generally OK to just site down to order drinks. Just sitting yourself down at a table setup for dining, then only ordering drinks, will not be appreciated by staff.

To be sure, I always signal the waiter before I sit anywhere.

Waitstaff simply asks people to move to the appropriate table and it’s over and done, no dust up.

My exhausted Latina daughter-in-law once sat at a table to rest on an empty cafe terrace in a regional town and told the French-speaking waiter in English and Spanish that she didn’t want anything. She thought it was like sitting at a mall table so she started arguing.. My son had to come flying out of the adjoining patisserie to cool down the situation. We normally don’t get into shouting matches or nasty encounters in France. The bonjours, mercis, c’est gentil expressions and eye contact keep things calmed.

FWIW. in years of visiting France we have only had a few jerk waiters. they were each memorable -- but it is not the norm.