The One Reaction You Should Never Have When Glass Breaks At A Restaurant

It's a sound that jars the nerves or can cause you to jump at your table when sitting at a restaurant. It's that tell-tale sound of breaking glass. But for those who regularly enjoy a meal at a restaurant, it's quite a common occurrence, as waiters bustle about the venue serving food and drinks, whizzing past each other (and customers), and sometimes losing control of a glass or tray with glassware on it.

People respond to breaking glass in different ways, but the one reaction you should try to avoid is clapping when someone accidentally breaks a glass. Whether the shattering glass is courtesy of the serving staff or a fellow customer, the situation is embarrassing as it is. Like dropping your heavy pencil case in the silent exam hall and having everyone's eyes locked on you in distaste, having people in the restaurant make the dropper the center of attention in an already uncomfortable situation is discourteous and plain bad manners. Mistakes do happen — we've all been there — so calling a person out for it is just not good restaurant etiquette.

With that said, applauding when a glass breaks in a restaurant is actually quite a common thing to do in restaurants the world over. Why do people do it? Well, there are various theories.

One of the theories is that it helps cover the embarrassment the glass-breaker feels. Instead of sitting in awkward silence and feeling other patrons' or staff's eyes flit over you accusingly, the clapping breaks the tension in an almost playful way, indicating a kind of solidarity in "we've all been there and done that." In theory, it short-circuits the embarrassment so the glass can be cleaned away without much further attention. Along with this, people may cheer and whistle; or if a patron breaks a glass (generally an alcoholic beverage), there may be good-natured calls for a taxi as an indication that the person may have imbibed one too many and it's time to go home. All may be done with good intentions, but they never have that intended affect. 

In some cultures, glass breaking is a sign or omen of bad luck. So, another theory is that clapping chases the bad luck away, so it's considered a most welcome thing to do. In the Jewish culture, glass was intentionally broken at weddings to symbolize the destruction of the Jewish temples, to guard against bad luck, and to invite good luck in. Similarly, in Greek culture, breaking glasses and plates at a wedding is seen as a way to ward off evil and add to the boisterousness of a joyous celebration. While the partygoers may not clap after the breaking, they will inevitably cheer with cries of "Opa!" 

Still, unless you're observing the glass breaking at one of the above cultural celebrations, keep the clapping and cheering to yourself. The one thing you should do when glass breaks? If it's near your table, make sure that you are safe and can't be cut by the broken shards. Don't try and pick up the pieces yourself, but rather let a waiter with protective gloves and his or her dustpan clear up properly.