I broke an 'unspoken rule' while ordering at a café and now my wife won't speak to me

A husband has revealed the 'innocent' comment that got him in hot water with his wife - and she refused to speak to him for two days afterwards.

The couple went to a café for brunch but he never expected his request to order food and coffee at the same time would see him labelled 'arrogant' and 'selfish'.

'It wasn't an evening meal to sit back and enjoy the experience; it was a place to get some food, hang with my wife and catch up, then go to work. Nothing fancy,' he said on Reddit.

The man and his wife had already discussed what they wanted to eat, so he told the waitress they were ready to order food when she came up to them.

'The waitress hesitated and said that they were supposed to only take food orders after the drinks had been delivered. But I asked to order at the same time because I had to get to work and I knew what I wanted - I didn't even need a menu,' he said.

The waitress eventually took their orders and left, which caused the man to turn to his wife and share his thoughts on the bizarre policy. 

'I understand cafés and restaurants want you to drink once while you wait and then when your food comes, to order another drink, but I find it annoying to be manipulated like that,' he said to his wife.

'I always order both at the same time and wait until the food comes to sip my drink. It's also a shorter time from arrival to leaving as I order as soon as I get there rather than being made to wait ten extra minutes.'

However, his wife saw red.

'My wife called me arrogant for [ordering coffee and breakfast at the same time]. She's a waitress and said what I did meant I was jumping the queue and making others wait for their food longer,' he said.

'I said I wasn't jumping any queue as if there were others who hadn't ordered yet, they weren't in line. I didn't demand my food be made before everyone else. I just wanted to be in and out of the café as fast as possible to get to work.

'My wife was furious I didn't see it the same way. I think I'm ordering my food and waiting for it, but saving myself ten unnecessary minutes.'

Still, the couple couldn't see eye-to-eye on the matter.

Many shared their thoughts on the issue.

'I spent plenty of time as a waitress. I loved tables like this. Fewer trips and faster table turnover for more tips. His wife is completely out of line,' one said.

'Despite it being the café's policy to make you wait longer to try to sell you more, I don't see anything wrong with getting in and out fast, giving them your money, and freeing up the table for someone else to then make their own orders,' another said.

'I actually like ordering drinks and food at the same time. I feel like it gives the servers a bit of a break, putting two trips into one,' a third wrote.

But some saw the wife's point of view. 

'The wife may have wanted it to feel like more of a "date" than a rushed bite to eat,' one argued.

'There's a reason it's a policy - it might be easier and more efficient for the restaurant to stagger out orders,' another wrote. 'It's disrespectful of you to think you know more about something she has more experience with.'