Dining etiquette to dine “fine”

Your birthday, your graduation day, your parent’s anniversary, etc. the list of occasions to go to a fancy dining is unending. You might have been a regular at your neighborhood restaurant or you know almost everyone at the family dining some blocks away from your place and you find these places pretty comfortable. You are at ease, you’ve let your guard down and eat and laugh aloud at some joke your dad cracks. All these are pretty normal when you dine out with your family and there are no protocols to be followed in such casual restaurants.

However, you might face your worst nightmare when your boss decides to hold a business meeting at some fancy fine dining restaurant or you would be meeting your fiance’s parents for the first time at a similar place. If you are not familiar with table manners then chances are high that you might end up doing what Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman did – she flicks snails across the room! These fiascoes can be avoided if you knew what you are expected to do. You can adhere to the following dining etiquette mentioned here and not look like a novice at such events.

  • Dress appropriately, i.e, dress as per the event. If you are attending a business meet, dress elegantly. Do not under any circumstances waltz into a fine dining with your cargo shorts. You would be the recipient of disapproving glances
  • Do not keep your elbows or your phone on the table. It’s distracting for other guests when you are checking your phone every 5 minutes
  • If you are the host, make sure you decide the menu prior to your party and in such cases it is advisable to set up the payment ahead of time. Or if this was one of your surprise plans, make sure your guests are the ones who do the honor of placing the order. You wouldn’t want to come across as a dominating host
  • Do not return the wine once it is opened for you. This is considered to be rude since they opened the bottle only for you. Contrary to this, if your food is not cooked as per your liking, send it back but without creating a ruckus
  • Do not yell for the waiter, wait till you catch his eye. Also, do not lean over to taste your companion’s food. It looks uncouth
  • Last but not the least, do not chew with your mouth open. Chew like you have a secret

So, these are some really important dining etiquette that would save you from any embarrassing situation. Make sure your fine dining experience is really a FINE one!

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