05/04/2007

The ideal server in a restaurant is a mature Mediterranean woman while the least popular is a young British bloke, according to a recent survey.

More than a third of the diners also admitted flirting with a waiter or waitress, the study found, with men marginally more likely to have misbehaved than women.

The survey of 600 diners, conducted by the Mystery Dining Company, also suggested that the Mediterranean produces the best waiters and waitresses while Britain, followed by Eastern Europe, is responsible for the worst.

The Mystery Dining Company sends dozens of volunteer diners to eat at a number of restaurants, both in the UK and overseas, and rate them on everything from their speed of service, friendliness of staff to the quality of the food and cleanliness of the toilets.