Valentine's Day: Restaurant staff reveal their most awkward stories

Dates on Valentine's Day can be a bit awkward can't they?

You have restaurants full of couples all over each other, or even worse, sitting in complete silence on their phones.

But what's it like for the waiting staff who have to work on the day of love?

Newsbeat spoke to three people who've all been on the front line on Valentine's Day.

When it doesn't start well

Max has waited tables on Valentine's Day for the last two years

Max Norris, 19, lives in Bournemouth and works at Pizza Hut.

"I kind of ruined one date. It was a boyfriend and a girlfriend and when he was at the door I said 'Oh funny seeing you here again with another girl'.

"The girl just looked at him like 'Hold on a minute you were here this week with someone else?'

"The waitress serving them said the rest of the date was really, really awkward. I shoved them in another section so I didn't have to talk to them."

Hannah Dobson, who is 25 and works in a hotel restaurant in Worksop, also had a couple which got off on the wrong foot.

Hannah works as a waitress in a hotel restaurant

"They came down for a three-course meal and both seemed a little tipsy.

"They were arguing from the minute they arrived and became louder and louder.

"They ate their starters and then the woman ran off to the 'bathroom' and never returned.

"The gentleman ate his and her main and the desserts before returning to his room alone."

Public Displays of Affection (PDAs)

Hannah Marie says she's been ignored by loved-up couples

Hannah Marie Fryer is 20 and works in a country pub in South Wales. She said some couples can be a little too loved up.

"It can be very awkward, you sometimes have couples who are constantly kissing each other.

"You have to time it right so they aren't in the middle of something when you take their order.

"But I've had customers on numerous occasions ignore me because they're staring into each other's eyes."

Max has faced similar issues in Pizza Hut.

"There were these two middle-aged people who came in and just sat there cuddling and kissing as if no-one else was there.

"I went over and they stopped kissing but were still in each other's arms when speaking to me."

Paying the bill

Even if the date has gone well, it can always get a little awkward when it comes to who's paying.

Hannah Marie told us with one date she couldn't handle the tension.

"As I gave them the bill, the man turned to the girl and said 'How should we split this?'

"She started laughing thinking it was a joke and he turned to her and was like 'I'm serious'.

"I just awkwardly walked away."

First Dates

But not all the dates are awkward.

Max told us a lot of couples who go to his pizza restaurant on Valentine's Day are on their first ever date.

"One couple were so adorable. They were about 14 and he pulled out the chair for her, it was very cute.

"I don't think they'd ever been out for a meal on their own before, so I helped them through it."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here