The customer may always be right, but that doesn't mean the wait staff isn't secretly retaliating against diners who are rude or difficult! "There's a lot that can go wrong with your food if you're not nice to your waiter," admits former waitress Rose MacDowell. "I've been a revenge waiter... a few times when I was waiting on someone who wasn't nice and I was hungry, which was often, I would stop on my way to the table and eat a few morsels off the plate before I delivered it to the table. I was partial to [slices of] steak and asparagus."

Rose and her sister Heather, authors of Turning Tables, are sharing their tips for all diners:

• Make a reservation and cancel if you can't make it to the restaurant.

• Treat your wait staff like professionals and you'll be treated nicely.

• Don't ask personal questions even if you have a friendly rapport with your waiter. "If you wouldn't ask it of your doctor or mailman, don't ask your waiter," Rose says, pointing out that some servers may avoid your table because of the intrusion.

• Never snap with your fingers to get a waiter's attention. If you need service, just ask.

• Never touch the waiter; your waiter may avoid your table if he/she finds it offensive. "It's hugely inappropriate," adds Rachael, "even if you think you're just being friendly."

• Don't take too many liberties with the menu by requesting multiple substitions. Your server has to go back to the kitchen and explain it to the chef, who's not likely to be happy.

Heather sums up her advice: "You can be a demanding customer but smiling, being polite, and a good tip goes a long way."