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This is a great piece about how the trend now is to quickly rush people by taking plates away before every diner has finished. I thought I was the only one who dislike this but apparently it has been going on for some time. The most annoying restaurant trend happening today - The Washington Post
I saw the explanation as simple - the server is impatient.
The sooner he/she can get you out of here and collect your tip, the sooner they can get another party seated at the table and collect that party's tip.
I have little sympathy for "the plight" of servers who have attitudes like this.
This thread immediately reminded me of hotel room cleaning staff which almost universally come to clean one's room too early in the morning... seriously it's 8:30.. get the heck out of here! As a night shift worker I've come to appreciate that not everyone is up at 5AM but they seem to think so.. my check out time is 10AM.. I don't want to see you around before I leave.
Haha, one time my GF and I were eating at a nice restaurant and we decided to both go to the bathroom half way through. When we got back, we couldn't find our table and realized it had totally been cleared off and reset ! The server came up and asked if she could help and we told her we were only half done eating, so they rushed around and got us seated and ordered an entirely new meal for us. Then the manager came by and told us our dinners were free and here is a coupon for two more free dinners in the future !
My GF joked to me that we had found a way to score free meals in the future, just go to the bathroom and wait for them to clean off the table ! But we were very impressed that they went out of their way to please us and we ate there a lot more times after that.
I am a very fast eater (compared to most people) so I actually like having my plate cleared away if I'm done before others. I find that most servers (at least where I am) will ask if they can take my plate before they do, which I prefer.
I don't eat fast but my usual dinner partner is a very slow eater. I often push my empty plates to the edge of the table for a server/busboy to grab on the way past me. My dinner partner gets annoyed as they invariably ask her if she is done as they grab my empty plates.
I don't want an empty plate in front of me but she doesn't want me to push the plates to the side and get asked if she is done. I often wondered who is in the "right". According to the article, I guess I am in the wrong.
Oh and how slow is she? We went out the other night to a teppanyaki place where you sit with about 5 other people. So our table had 3 parties not related to each other. There were also kids. We ALL finished completely with her only halfway through. The other 2 parties ordered dessert and left. She was about 3/4 done. And the server was hovering over her with a take out container asking if she wanted to plate up the rest of her food. She declined and kept eating.
The sooner he/she can get you out of here and collect your tip, the sooner they can get another party seated at the table and collect that party's tip.
I have little sympathy for "the plight" of servers who have attitudes like this.
Really? Maybe you aren't aware that they are at work. The place where they make money to live.
Do you begrudge a taxi driver who wants you to get out of his car after you have reached your destination, or do you say, "Hey, what a nice day. Drive me through the park. Off the meter, if you please." Or maybe you go to the Doctor's office and sit on an examination table while the waiting room is packed?
I understand both sides. My wife eats slower than I do, so I feel like it's rude for them to take my plate and leave her to finish her meal "alone". On the other hand, if I am eating bar food, chicken wings for instance, and I don't have a means to cover the "destruction", I don't feel it's polite to have the remaining guests have to stare at a plate of mangled chicken parts while they finish their meal.
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The server came up and asked if she could help and we told her we were only half done eating, so they rushed around and got us seated and ordered an entirely new meal for us. Then the manager came by and told us our dinners were free and here is a coupon for two more free dinners in the future ! 
