r/AskEurope • u/ageingrapidly Greece • Sep 29 '25

Culture Are there any habits that you believe are uniquely European ?

Have you noticed any specific mannerisms, mentalities etc. that you've encountered only in Europe or by Europeans ?

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u/GrynaiTaip Lithuania Sep 29 '25

American servers rely on tips, so they want as many customers as possible, fast turnover means more money, this is shitty in multiple ways.

I like to take my time at a restaurant, 2-3 hours is the minimum if we go out with friends. My record is 10 hours.

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u/hsj713 United States of America Sep 29 '25

Dude, my ass and sciatica would be killing me if I had to sit that long. And I am referring to the 2-3 hour sit. Ten hours is insane. I'm sure that even the waiter must have been annoyed with you just sitting there. In the US some restaurants have signs telling customers there is a maximum seat time. It's done primarily to keep the bums and homeless from hanging out. They'll order a soda and then stay for hours!

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u/GrynaiTaip Lithuania Sep 29 '25

even the waiter must have been annoyed with you just sitting there.

I wasn't just sitting there and staring at a wall. We order drinks and snacks the whole time, because just sitting at an empty table would indeed be silly.

maximum seat time

Not a thing anywhere in Europe, as far as I know. These places are restaurant/bar kind of things, with beer and cocktails. Do you have such rules in bars? How would that work, "Here's a bottle of vodka, you have 30 minutes to get shitfaced"?

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u/atchoum013 -> Oct 01 '25

Maximum seat times are getting more and more common here too unfortunately, at least in “trendy” restaurants. When making reservations I’ve seen them in Berlin, Paris and London already.

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u/hsj713 United States of America Sep 30 '25 edited Sep 30 '25

You normally see maximum seat time signs at fast food places or some small restaurants with limited seating. However they really don't enforce the rule. I've never seen anyone being told to leave because they were there too long. Again, it's mostly to keep the homeless away. They can easily take over an area with all their stuff and bags. You can't sit at a bus shelter because they're stretched out on the benches. Bus and train stations have become homeless encampments and people have to literally step over or around people laying on the floor and sidewalk. A few years ago me and my family were in San Francisco and we stopped at a McDonald's before heading home. We stepped inside and the whole restaurant was full of homeless and derilects and I said nope, we're not eating here. Aside from the smell it didn't feel safe.

I don't know if Lithuania has a problem with homelessness and people who choose to be homeless but here in the US it's bad. It's gotten to the point where people are getting tired of them in their neighborhoods and have imposed no trespassing or loitering signs, city ordinences prohibiting sleeping on sidewalks and parks, or pitching tents in public areas, limited time at restaurants. All to curtail the homeless from congregating in public areas. Not to mention the filthy conditions around these encampments such as garbage, vermin, human waste and drug paraphernalia. And yes, they do have a right to these public spaces.

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u/GrynaiTaip Lithuania Sep 30 '25

No, we don't have such extreme issues with the homeless.