Not To-Be- Missed Things At a Restaurant

Listen Here Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Every place, party or a get together has different people, atmosphere and nature. It is quite important to know how to react and behave in those environment. A dinner date with your partner can never be attended as you attend your dinner parties with colleagues; and so goes otherwise.  Here are a few simple things to keep in mind while going out to a restaurant with friends and family.

Order the Same Course as Your Guest

“Atithi Devo Bhawa” (Guest is our God). We, in India, not just say it but also believe in it completely. We try to present best of what we can to our guest and the same applies when we step out to dine with them. Amidst this, remember to make your guest as comfortable as possible; and this also applies on the dinner table. Always order the same number of course as your guest. Not a single more or less. Doing so may make your guest feel awkward as he won’t want to sit alone and eat while you watch him and neither would he appreciate watching you grab your extra course of meal.

Let the Guest Order first

It is your prime duty to let your guest order first. You may give your recommendations when asked for. Also if you are the guest, remember not to ask the host to order whatever he wishes to. You may simply ask for his recommendations if you seem to be confused while ordering. But the line “Order whatever you like” is a strict No-No. This appears as if you aren’t really interested in the moment and you wouldn’t want to present that; would you?

Don’t Reach Across the Table to Sample Food

There are times when we as a group or even when with a friend, order 2 different dishes with the intention of sharing it. While this may seem fine, it, at times, doesn’t look good for you to reach across the table to sample other’s dish. It’s better to add a portion of your dish in a quarter plate and offer to the other and for the other to do the same. It isn’t considered good to pop your folk into someone’s plate and equally rude to not offer your meal (especially in India). So the best way out is to offer a portion in a small plate to others.

Cutlery One’s Used Doesn’t go back on The Table

Once you start having your food and the cutlery is brought into use, never keep them back on the table. The used cutlery is meant to be on the plate during and post meal, of course there are surely some basic cutlery use etiquettes that shouldn’t be missed. Once you start with your meal, the folk and knife (or any other cutlery that you may have used) should be kept on the plate itself. While having a 3 course or 6 course meal, the waiter will (most probably) change your used plate and clear the used stuff time to time, but if he doesn’t there is no harm in asking to get the same done to avoid having a messy table. You also should have (at least) a basic knowledge of the use of cutlery to avoid any kind of awkwardness.

The Host Always Pays

A point to be kept in mind, always. It is always the host who has to settle the bill of the dinner. You, as a guest, should never force to pay for the dinner hosted by someone else for it may make your appear flaunting your money. Host to pay rule goes without saying.

Settle Payments Ahead

If you are the one hosting the dinner, make sure you handover your card beforehand to the manager. In case you are willing to pay for the food by cash, talk to the manager well in advance so that he doesn’t get the bill on the table and do he accept the payment from anyone but you.