Chef D's Kitchen: Top 10 Points of Restaurant Etiquette

Chicago Defender › August 19, 2009

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Summary

According to the 2006 Zagat Survey Guide, over two dozen restaurants in New York City still require gentlemen to wear jackets and ties. But these are exceptions in a restaurant world where jeans and sneakers have become the new casual-chic. As fine dining restaurants move away from the old jacketrequired policy, it raises the question of just what exactly is appropriate to wear when dining out. Casual attire to one person may mean jeans and a sweatshirt; to another, khakis and a polo shirt. If you're headed to a restaurant for the first time and are unsure about how to dress, call and ask the host outright what the dress code is. When in doubt, it's safer to wear something more conservative.

How should an underdressed guest be treated? Rough question, trust me, I know. The general manager of a famous, very expensive Chicago restaurant once told me that he didn't enforce a dress code among patrons because if Michael Jordan showed up in sweat pants and Air Force Ones, they wouldn't refuse him service. Just because a customer is underdressed doesn't mean he doesn't have money to spend or fine taste in food and wine. Chances are they will take in the dress of the other patrons and realize how much they stick out.

The latest popular diet, not to mention diners' peculiar food preferences, should never be dismissed by the wait staff. Servers should make reasonable substitutions and accommodations to customers' requests without grumbling about them. Often the unwillingness to accommodate a diner's request when ordering is driven by the kitchen and chef and has nothing to do with the waiter. If that is the case, the waiter should say so.

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Chef D's Kitchen: Top 10 Points of Restaurant Etiquette

A certain amount of decorum is appropriate when sitting down to any meal in a restaurant, but these days it seems like people have thrown good manners by the wayside. Over the last 20 years, there has been an increase in the percentage of personal income spent on eating awa...

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