No matter where you work, it seems there are always some of ‘those people’ in the bunch when the gang goes for lunch. You know who I mean:

‘Those people’ who accidentally (on purpose) forget their wallets but only mention it after they’ve eaten $60 worth of food and have seen that you have your credit card with you.

‘Those people’ who can’t make up their mind about menu items and run the service person ragged with silly questions and requests for substitutions.

‘Those people’ who never tip, even when both the food and service are excellent.

‘Those people’ who “aren’t that hungry” so don’t order an entrée for themselves and then proceed to nibble on and share everyone else’s food.

‘Those people’ who have to talk incessantly about food additives, calories, cooking methods, and the like and just can’t let you enjoy your food.

‘Those people’ who insist on being in charge of the bill every time and think no one notices that they are in the habit of gathering up everyone else’s cash and using the tip money others gave to cover their own portion of the bill.

‘Those people’ who speak candidly, amidst forkfuls, about their recent gastric bypass, bowel dysfunctions, chronic gas, and other far too personal and certainly unappetizing issues.

‘Those people’ who have the worst table manners ever and somehow always end up sitting beside you, burping and slurping through the whole meal.

‘Those people’ are the reason you frequently choose to brown bag lunch it in a cramped cubicle or feign illness in an effort to escape the same old, embarrassing menu of bad manners.

An uncomfortable situation that is only made worse when one of ‘Those people’ is your boss, or ‘those people’ always choose your brother-in-laws restaurant, or when ‘those people’ actually think you are the rude one for not joining them.

So how do you handle the discourteous diner? Making a scene might not be good for your digestion but here are some tips from Canada’s etiquette experts that you can try:

• Tell the co-worker who frequently and seemingly accidentally on purpose leaves his/her wallet at home that you are on a tight budget and unable to pay for his/her meal.

• For the person who is either attention-seeking or oblivious that the entire meal doesn’t revolve around him/her, say aloud that the serviceperson is working hard and so not to give him/her a hard time.

• When you dine often with someone who never tips, maybe ask that person why he/she doesn’t tip and remind him/her that rewarding good service is customary.

• If you are seated by a “sharer”, simply say aloud when you are ordering that you intend to eat your whole portion or that you do not like to share.

• When someone talks about an inappropriate or unappetizing topic, simply ask him/her to change the subject or state that you find the subject in question inappropriate for mealtime.

• When you know someone regularly steals tips from the server, just insist that you will manage the bill this time and proceed to collect everyone’s share or ask the server to make separate bills for each individual.

Often people with terrible table manners do not even realize they are behaving badly. If you are friendly with those you are dining with, smile and make a joke about being seen in public or be honest and let your co-diner know they are messy or sloppy or downright rude.

Alternatively, stock up on pocket-size etiquette books which make great Secret Santa gifts.