Matt Preston reveals the 23 things you should never do in a restaurant

As a veteran food critic, food journalist and former judge on MasterChef Australia, he’s no stranger to restaurant etiquette. 

And Matt Preston has complied 23 of his biggest dining out no-no’s in his regular column for Delicious.

The 59-year-old’s number one golden rule for eating out at a restaurant was to never ‘click your fingers, or whistle at a waiter’ 

Rule book: Matt Preston has complied 23 of his biggest dining out no-no’s for Delicious

Another cardinal sin, according to the critic, was to ‘order the under-10s kids’ meals if the kids dining with you are wearing the local high-school uniform’. 

He then slammed patrons who ‘eat half the steak and then complain that 1) it’s not cooked the way you like it; 2) it’s disgusting; or 3) it’s cold’.

One oddly specific rule mentioned by Preston was number 15: ‘Don’t dry your hand on the waiter’s apron – even if there are no paper towels left in the bathroom.’

Matt also admonished diners who blow their noses on napkins or use them to wipe up blood, as well as customers who leave behind dirty nappies for staff to collect.

Rude: The 59-year-old’s number one golden rule for eating out at a restaurant was to never ‘click your fingers, or whistle at a waiter’

Don’t do it: He then slammed patrons who ‘eat half the steak and then complain that 1) it’s not cooked the way you like it; 2) it’s disgusting; or 3) it’s cold’

Preston recently reunited with former MasterChef judges George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan to raise money for India amid the country’s deadly wave of Covid-19.

The celebrity chefs announced the initiative via a joint Instagram video earlier this month. 

Gary, 54, appealed directly to his Instagram followers, citing India’s ‘more than 400,000 [coronavirus] cases a day and thousands dying every day’. 

Back behind the counter: Matt Preston (pictured), George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan are reuniting for a good cause: raising money for India amid the country’s deadly wave of Covid-19

The British-born chef urged his fans to ‘join @mattscravat @gcalombaris and me and many of our friends for a massive 12 hours of delicious cooking, food and fun…

‘Cooking4India is a a one of a kind live stream event via YouTube with one goal in mind….to raise as much money as we can..!’

Cooking4India will be live-streamed on YouTube from 3pm on Saturday, 19 June. 

Dream team: Gary, 54, appealed directly to his Instagram followers, citing India’s ‘more than 400,000 cases a day and thousands dying every day’. Pictured with George Calombaris (left)

Coming soon: Cooking4India will be live-streamed on YouTube from 3pm on Saturday, 19 June

Last year, Channel 10 took a gamble by replacing George, Gary and Matt as judges with Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen.  

The three were initially popular with fans in the Back to Win season, but this year the ratings appear to have taken a dive. 

On Monday, The Australian revealed the network was looking to revive Celebrity MasterChef in lieu of last year’s Junior MasterChef, which delivered poor ratings. 

New panel: Last year, George, Gary and Matt were replaced as MasterChef judges by Andy Allen (left), Melissa Leong (centre) and Jock Zonfrillo (right)