Often when I go to a sushi restaurant I will ask for a specialized set of utensils* most commonly seen in Japan…using them is considered a sign of coolness. I’ve done it so often that sometimes they put them down before I ask!
My moves must be pretty weak because no matter how I phrase it, half the time my Coke with no ice winds up with ice in it. 
It’s the set of your jaw, the glint in your eye, the firmness of your voice that makes you a true “veteran moves” player, TBG. Next time, don’t slouch and ask - stand up and demand!
It’s true. I never ever eat basil chicken without a fried egg on top. It’s not all that weird to omit it, but you don’t see it omitted often. They just goes together.
That, or you are two years old.
I guess I still am in need of studying the Art of Veteran Restaurant Moves at the feet of the rest of you Masters O’ Coolness.
However, there was one such Master whom we shall call “Mikha” (how I wish it was me) who achieved the following:
He went to a certain restaurant, ordered their *okonomiyaki, * (a Japanese delicacy) and asked them to add his own combination of three ingredients (cheese, onions, and kimchee, unless I am remembering incorrectly). Mikha made this his regular practice there.
It wasn’t long before they printed new menus featuring “Mikha’s Special” on them, which remain to this day, even though Master Mikha himself is long gone.
Whew! I have to go sit next to the fire now – I froze over just typing that.
I love fried eggs, and I think it’s awesome on basil chicken, but it’s almost always something you have to ask for here in the States. It’s never a default that I’ve seen, nor have I usually seen it listed as an option–it’s just something you need to know is normal to ask for. Like I said, it seems to work as code for “I like food Thai style, so when I say I want it Thai spicy, give it to me Thai spicy.”
You generally have to ask for it extra here too, but everyone almost always does.
Indian restaurant menus are really just a small selection of n! possible combinations, you can flip-it-book any combination. Shahi paneer, butter lamb, shrimp vindaloo…go for it! The staff will even often come out and coo and gawk over you, admiring your foodie-veteran coolness.
At almost any restaurant if you order a soda you can get unlimited refills, just ask!. That isn’t something they like to advertise, but its true!
I hate to say it, but I’ve got you beat. I’ve discovered that if you just apply heat to raw ingredients in the right order, food comes out! It’s amazing!
Holds up three fingers I’m this many.
Tell me about it. Frequently if I order “water, no lemon” or “sweet tea, no lemon” the beverages come with lemon anyway, and I have to send them back.
When I take a large party to a sitdown fast food dive like Logans or Applebees, I try to avoid the bill. However, when I am stuck with the bill, I proceed up front and buy enough Logans or Applebees bucks to pay the bill. You usually get $5 off on $25 of bucks.
But you suffered the torture that is Applebee’s food.
Very often when I order in a restaurant, the waiter admiringly tells me, “Excellent choice!”
On one now legendary trip to Arbys, I found myself craving a Beef N Cheddar but they don’t put enough meat on it. The Medium Roast Beef, on the other hand, has enough beef but they use that shitty cheese and a bun that’s not an Onion Bun. I appeared to be Calm, Cool, and Collected as I stepped up to the counter, but my heart was pounding. Would I be able to pull this off? "Medium Roast Beef on an onion bun. With the good cheddar." I stepped back, basking in the gasps of the people in line behind me. But the cashier didn’t bat an eye. A drink inquiry, some tapping on the register, then “Your total will be $4.53”. Women fainted and strong men stared with open mouths. I stepped to my right, and the next in line stepped up, knowing before he even opened his mouth that he couldn’t match my glory. He mumbled his order, unseen and unheard by any except the cashier.
We got it so bad. 
I really, really have to wonder what kind of places you guys go to where a simple request is ignored half the time or more. Seriously, I’ve had fuck ups like this from time-to-time, but on the order of 5% of the time, not 50%, like folks in this thread.
I am such a regular at several restaurants in my town that I don’t even need to wait for a seat at a table. If I ask, they will put my food in paper containers and let me take it with me to eat wherever I like. This smooth move allows me to avoid having to leave a tip for the wait-staff, saving me 5 to 10% of the price of the meal.