By: BryAna Stearns
With prom right around the corner, the “Do’s
and Don’ts” of acting in a restaurant need a crucial reminder. Many people are confused on picking up vs.
meeting there, social interactions, paying, and many other things besides which
fork to use. Hopefully after reading you
will find some clarification. Let’s
start from the beginning of the meal.
First, you need to get to your dinner. If you know your date, then it should be
proper for them to pick you up, but if it’s a blind date, you might want to
meet them there to avoid an awkward car ride or to escape your date. Plan ahead to avoid confusion.
Once at the restaurant you will most likely
order your drinks first. Anytime you are
ordering, please say, “I would like (insert beverage/meal), please.” and also
say “Thank you.” When ordering, do try
to pronounce your meal correctly. Some
restaurants perceive mispronunciation as a sign of disrespect, especially if
the restaurant takes its culture seriously.
For example, if you are at a Mexican restaurant “tortilla” is
pronounced: “tor-tee-ya” not “tor-til-a.”
If you truly do not know, order in a questioning tone, and the waiter
will most likely pronounce the name right.
After
ordering, begin to talk with your date.
This means you must refrain from all phone use. Constantly checking your phone can make you
come off as bored and rude (if you are bored, at least fake being
interested). If you are at dinner with
just some friends and not a date, some phone use is acceptable, but keep it at
a minimum. A common complaint at
restaurants is people being obnoxiously loud.
If the noise level of the room is loud, then speaking loudly is
unavoidable, but do not deliberately force the whole restaurant into listening
to your conversation.
Once you get your food (side note: the
smaller or outside fork is your salad fork), proceed to eat. Continue conversation, this will avoid an
awkward silence. Do not obnoxiously
slurp. Be sure to thank the waiter. If your order is wrong, politely tell the
waiter. If it is only a minor issue, it is
polite to just go ahead and eat the meal.
If it is the completely wrong meal, and if you like it, eat it; if not
then ask for your correct order.
The most confusing topic of meals is who
pays. If you are with a group of
friends, it is easier for everyone to pay for their own meal. If it is a date, then in the past tradition
says the man pays. Lately though, the
man still pays, but it is ok for the girl to pay the tip. If you are in a situation where the checks
are split, tell the waiter ahead of time to avoid confusion.
The main points to take from this are to
always be polite and communicate with the waiter. Follow these rules and there should be no
confusion during your date.
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