How do I choose the right restaurant for my dinner date?
If you're making a meal of picking the best place for your dinner date then we hand it to you on a plate. Tuck in to our guide for ensuring that you have a dinner you will want to remember.
You've spoken to someone on the phone or over the internet and you've arranged to meet them. The date is all lined up but you're worried that you will make the impression you'd like to make. You know that this is your big chance so how can you make sure that you are ready for the date?Here are some simple rules to follow to ensure that you choose the right restaurant for your dinner date and also that, when you are there, you make the best impression possible on your partner.
- Read this checklist thoroughly at least 24 hours before your date. That way, if you need to scout out a location, you can.
- Choose somewhere that is romantic rather than formal. If you go for a posh restaurant with sniffy waiters you (or your date) will be out of your depth and on edge the whole time. If it's a black-tie kind of place, leave it for the 'Hooray-Henry' brigade.
- Don't pick a restaurant that is a long drive away or difficult to get to no matter how exciting or interesting it might be. It sounds like an ideal location for a third or fourth date when you know each other better.
- Ask around and find somewhere where the food is good. This is far more important than the setting.
- If possible pick a place where you have eaten before and were comfortable.
- A restaurant with a lively crowd of other diners will reassure your date that they are in good company. If it's just the two of you, it could come across as being a bit creepy.
- Find out the cost of a typical menu so that you know what you are letting yourself in for and so that you have enough cash on hand to pay. Don't forget the wine and service charges.
- Ring back (don't do it in the same phone call as you asked the price in as this will get you labelled a cheapskate) and reserve a table. Don't turn up with your date 'hoping'.
- Unless you have agreed otherwise, don't pick a specialist restaurant. For example, you may enjoy Sushi, curries or Mexican food but your date may not. One with a good selection on the set menu will give sufficient choice and also fix the price.
- If you can't get an early sitting, move on. Preferably find a restaurant that has only one sitting (so that you have time to talk) but that may be difficult. Never book a late sitting unless you have agreed to do so with your date.
- A restaurant with an interesting history (that you can fully research beforehand) will give you both something to talk about and maybe involve the restaurant staff in, too. This will show you as having intelligence and social skills.
- Only if you can completely justify the choice, should you select a restaurant just around the corner from where you live. It suggests that you are expecting sex after the meal and will make your date feel uncomfortable.
- Don't lose sight of the fact that the dinner is supposed to be a social occasion and neither an excuse for a free meal (if you aren't paying) nor an opportunity to show off. Find a restaurant which serves food in a way that will put you both at ease.