I think Americans in general, both servers and diners, go about the dining experience all wrong. Anywhere I've been in Europe is a better dining experience than in the U.S.
1) Tipping. Servers should be paid a wage upon which they can live a comfortable life, and tipping should not exist. Bartending is a different story, but the tipping culture blows my mind. It causes servers to rush their customers out, it causes problems when people don't tip, and it creates issues when you have multiple people getting tipped out of the same pot.
2) High end restaurants and the bootlicker server. This is also wrong. A server at a Michelin rated restaurant will understand his customers needs without being told. When I ate at a 1-star place in France, we had a team of servers that swooped in simultaneously when they could tell everyone was finished with each course, removed all applicable tableware swiftly and with little to no conversation. This is, of course, also a result of the fact that they have reasonable portion sizes spread across more courses. I got the sense that the service there was a rehearsed art, not unlike a play being executed in several acts. Whereas in the U.S. I feel like they're all trying to kiss your ass for a big tip and make you feel like you owe them because you were SO helpful.
3) Casual restaurants need to get your food quickly. Again, this comes back to many things being heaped on one plate. When you go to a cafe in Europe, you are expected to hang out for a lot longer. There's no rush to get the table free. You are welcomed as family, you will make friends with the proprietor or the servers. It's a much more truly casual dining experience, and I often found that I'd skip plans to visit X Y or Z because I was enjoying having a few snacks and drinks with the owner exchanging stories and taking in the atmosphere.