I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

janos petrik wrote:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

Don't think twice about it. I see people eating by themselves all
the time. Just make sure they don't sit you by the kitchen or
something, you have every right to be there. Let us know how it
goes?

nancy

janos petrik wrote:
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

Do not be embarrassed; there is no shame in dining alone!

One thing I would recommend, having run into this situation on a couple of
occasions, is this: if there is a party to be seated in line ahead of you,
stand back at a distance. Sometimes the host/hostess will mistakenly think
you are with the other party. This *can* cause some awkwardness.

But no, heck no, go eat by yourself. Enjoy your food. Take a book or just
take in the surroundings. Don't worry about what other people may think,
and certainly do NOT worry about what the wait staff may think. They are
paid to make *you* comfortable, not the other way around. Enjoy! Life is
too short!

Jill

On 3 Jul 2004 16:32:00 -0700, (janos petrik)
wrote:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Nothing special to being alone.

You might want to try going earlier or later than the rush hour if
that's convenient for you.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

(janos petrik) wrote in
om:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.


I'm not comfortable dining alone myself. But most if not all restaurants
will allow single dinners. The only etiquitte invovled is if reservations
are required then you must state part of one.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

janos petrik wrote:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

There is no need to call ahead of the place does not require reservations.
Lots of people dine alone in restaurants.

Not only is there no shame in dining alone, it is one of life's
pleasures. I adore sitting to an excellent meal with my own company
watching everything that goes on in a restaurant, glancing at my book if
I feel like it and not feeling obligated to amuse someone else. I don't
do this often enough.


Every now and then, you will run into a restaurant staff that has a
problem with this. They might give you the worst seat in the house.
They might seat other parties first and give the single diner the
leftovers. The one that drives me crazy is when the server or
restaurant owner gets it into their head that I'm dying for company and
won't leave me alone obviously thinking that I want them to amuse me. I
don't go back any place where I get bad service.


--Lia


janos petrik wrote:
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

hahabogus wrote in
:

I'm not comfortable dining alone myself. But most if not all
restaurants will allow single dinners. The only etiquitte invovled is
if reservations are required then you must state part of one.


OOOPS! that should read Party of One.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

(janos petrik) wrote in
om:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

There's absolutely no reason not to go alone. I see it frequently. If
the restaurant takes reservations, by all means make one. Otherwise,
just go and you'll be taken in order. You may even be seated sooner
since larger parties often take longer to arrange seating. I've also
seen single diners reading a book to accompany their meal, even in
somewhat fashionable restaurants. I think most things are acceptable
today except truly bad behavior. Unfortunately, I see that too.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.

"janos petrik" wrote in message
om...
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

Go and be happy; but you really need to make some friends.

janos petrik wrote:

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply?
I know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

You really shouldn't eat in a sit-down restaurant at all.
A fast-food place like McDonalds, sure, but not at a
real restaurant.

You are occupying a space that could and should be
occupied by two people. You are cutting in half the
amount of profit the restaurant owner makes. Not
only that, you are cutting in half the tips that the server
person makes.

You obviously don't realize that nearly all restaurants
operate on the barest of thin profit margins. In fact,
many are not actually profitable, which accounts for
restaurants being universally the form of business with
the highest bankruptcy rate.

You obviously don't realize the restaurant service
person survives largely on tips. If her tips are cut
in half, she can't make the rent or the phone bill.
You might be able to afford to spend $20 on a
small block of cheese (and then cut a quarter of it
away as rind and throw it in the trash), but for
your restaurant service person that might be an
evening's wages.

A selfish person like you doesn't deserve to eat
in a restaurant. After eating your tiny one-serving
meal, you'll probably proceed to pull out a cigar
and stink up the place for everybody else. People
like you make me sick. Hope this helps! :-)

"janos petrik" wrote in message
om...
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.


You can request a table for two. Make sure they leave two menus. To make
yourself look less conspicuous, carry on a conversation with your invisible
friend. Order for "both" of you when the waiter comes. At the end, tell
your "friend" you had a wonderful meal and urge him to leave a big tip when
he pays the bill.

"Mr. Wizard" spewed:

"janos petrik" wrote:
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Go and be happy; but you really need to make some friends.

Hmm, you must be an expert... because with your attitude you obviously have
none.


---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

"janos petrik" wrote in message
om...
I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

Thanks all.

I dine alone a few times a week, for various reasons and never thought twice
about it. I like both eating on my own and with others equally. Give it a
try. And don't worry, no one will be paying any attention and you'll
probably see other single diners around you.

Suzan

One dark day on Usenet, (janos petrik) said:

I've never gone to a restaurant alone. Should I call in advance and
ask if they accomodate single diners?

There's a new restaurant that I'd I'd like to try that doesn't require
reservations for lunch, but the truth is that I'm not comfortable
going to a fine restaurant by myself. Is there some kind of etiquitte
involved?

Could any restaurant owners, managers, wait staff members reply? I
know it must sound silly to some, but it would help me greatly.

I don't work at a restaurant, but here's my opinion anyway:

Although I have a family at home, I love to eat out on my own at times
(it's much quieter that way). I usually take a book. It never occured to
me to ask the staff if that was okay -- a single person's money spends
just as well as anyone else. If they don't require reservations, I can't
see how your being alone would matter. But it's nice of you to think of
how it might affect them...


--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
(COLD to HOT for e-mail)
"Why do my knees feel like the wanna tear up?"
- Carl, ATHF