A lot of times, the host might seat you next to very loud or unruly customers. This happened to me once. The host just didn't seem to care about the type of environment they were putting us in. It was so hard to enjoy our food with all the chaos next to us. They should be more aware of such things when seating guests.
Well, there are those situations where the host is overly pushy about the specials. They keep coming back to the table every few minutes trying to get you to order something you don't really want. It feels like they're just trying to make more money off you rather than providing a good dining experience. It can be really off - putting and ruin your time at the restaurant.
One common horror story is when the host forgets your reservation. You show up excited for your meal, but they have no record of it. Then they either make you wait a long time or turn you away. It's really frustrating.
Rudeness is a common one. Like when a host is short - tempered and snaps at customers for no good reason. Another is incompetence, such as getting the reservation details wrong. And then there's the case of the host showing favoritism. For example, seating regular customers in the best spots while making new customers wait for no good reason.
One horror story is when a restaurant host was extremely rude to a family with small children. The host refused to seat them near an exit as they requested for easy access with a stroller. Instead, the host made snide remarks about how they should have planned better. It made the family's dining experience start off on a very bad note.
There was this one restaurant where the host seemed to be in a very bad mood all the time. He was short - tempered and snapped at us when we asked for a different table because the one we were assigned was near the kitchen and very noisy. His attitude just made the whole dining experience unpleasant.
Bad customer service is also a big one. I went to a chain place where the waitress was rude. She rolled her eyes when we asked for more water and took forever to bring the check. It made the whole dining experience unpleasant.
Rude customers are a common theme. Like customers who yell at waiters for no good reason, just because they had a bad day themselves. Another theme is unfair complaints, such as blaming the waiter for things like the kitchen being slow or the food not being exactly as they imagined when they ordered something very custom.
Bad attitude from the staff is a common one. Like when they act impatient or rude towards customers. Another is getting the order wrong, whether it's the food or drinks. And slow service is also very typical. It can make the whole dining experience really unpleasant.
Well, overcharging is another one. Some restaurants add extra charges without proper explanation. I know of a case where a customer was charged double for a dish that was not supposed to be that expensive. And when they questioned it, the staff was very uncooperative, trying to make the customer feel like it was their fault for not understanding the menu properly.
One common element is lack of privacy. Host families might go through your stuff or not respect your personal space.
Often, in these horror stories, there are issues with cleanliness. Guests arrive to find dirty rooms, bathrooms, or kitchens. Also, unexpected and unpleasant noises are common, whether it's from machinery, animals in a way that's not pleasant, or just noisy neighbors that the host didn't mention. And sometimes, the host has a lot of rules that they don't communicate clearly until the guests are already there and it becomes a source of conflict.
One common element is a lack of respect for the guest's privacy. For example, the host family might enter the guest's room without permission.