F2: Ordering in a Restaurant

Welcome again to Friday's Feast. Today I'll be sharing on how to order at a restaurant. If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution.

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Since I am on vacation this week, I thought I would talk about how to order at a restaurant. My father taught me a lot of these tips and I find them quite helpful when dining out.

Author's Note: I realize that when I learned these techniques that they were geared towards impressing a woman on a date. The person you could be dining with could be your spouse, your girlfriend/boyfriend, or even your partner— so I will try and use the term "date" to refer to the person across the table from you (unless you're dating yourself— then you're on your own). Ladies, you can either try and convince your boyfriend/husband to adopt these techniques— or even use them yourself to throw him off guard. Here we go:

Be sure to seat your date first.

This is crucial so that you can be in position to get at the wait staff first. If the table is by a wall, be sure that you are facing towards the middle of the room. It is difficult to see the wait staff if you are facing the wall, so be sure to seat your date accordingly.

When you first sit down— start discussing what's on the menu.

You do not want to fall into the trap of talking about other things and having to turn the wait staff away because you don't know what you want. Be sure to get right down to business and start discussing what looks good. During this time you can pretty much figure out what they will be having.

Figure out all the details to their order.

You need to figure out all the details that the wait staff will be asking when you order— so be sure to include in the conversation things like how they like their steak done, what kind of potato they would like, etc.

Be sure to order for your date.

Once the wait staff arrives, be sure to announce "allow me" and proceed with the ordering. Start with your date first "They will have…", then go to your own order. Be sure to remember all the details so that the wait staff does not have to ask.

Be sure to flag the waiter/waitress appropriately.

You don't want to flail your arms when trying to get the wait staff's attention. Be subtle and make eye contact with the staff so that they know you need them. This is why it is important to seat yourself facing into the room so that you can see the staff and flag them when needed.

Find out if your date is finished with their meal

You certainly do not want the wait staff to clear your date's place when they are not finished. You may want to announce to your date that you are finished and ask if they are too. If they need to have a doggy bag, be sure to find out and flag the wait staff.

Be sure to not let your date see the check.

When the wait staff arrives with the check make sure that you see it first. Even if you are going dutch, you should give the impression that you will be handling the check. Sometimes you may even suggest how much they can pay, or even suggest that they only cover the tip.

Thank you for partaking in this weeks feast. Please stop by on Sunday as that it my blogiversary and I wouldn't want you to miss the celebration.