Proper etiquette for dining at the bar
February 26, 2008
How many people should dine together at a bar?
"Bars are for singles and couples," says Ted Allen (culinary maven on Bravo's "Queer Eye" and judge on that network's "Top Chef.") It gets awkward, logistically, when you get up to three people, in which case, advises Allen, "you should get a table."
Is it polite to read at the bar if you're alone?
"It's certainly more acceptable to read a newspaper when eating alone than when eating with somebody else," Allen says.
Is it OK to talk on a cell phone?
Cell phones, which are totally unacceptable in a dining room, are given some leeway at the bar. Restaurant consultant Clark Wolf of Manhattan feels that as long as you keep your voice down, talking discreetly into the cell phone shouldn't be a problem. Allen allows that cell phones "seem a little more acceptable at a bar," but he doesn't like them. "It's best to get up, show some decorum and take the call somewhere else."
How do you let the person next to you know you either do or don't want to socialize?
Wolf views the place setting (usually a spread-out linen napkin) as personal space. "At a bar, you're talking side to side, not face to face," he said. That means that you're free to politely answer a question and then turn to face forward. Or else fully engage.
What are the rules for tipping when dining at the bar?
Tip as you would in the restaurant's dining room.
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North Shore
