Restaurants are in many ways the epicenter of etiquette, places where old norms are tested and new ones are created, and servers are on the frontline.

As it’s tradition for waiters to bring out everyone’s food at the same time, doesn’t it also follow that they shouldn’t clear someone’s plate while others are still eating? Factors to consider include how many people are in your party, how fancy the eatery in question is, and how much you actually care about such things — some might be bothered by it, while others wouldn’t even notice.