Common to see, many of us occupy the wrong chair in the restaurant unless we educated ourselves on the subject. Learn who sits where at the table and you won’t make a mistake in a presence of someone knowledgeable of dining etiquette rules. Furthermore, we’ll guide you on the problem of entering the restaurant (or a bar).
In countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, a woman is often the one who enters the restaurant first. But is this correct? Well, it depends.
If you are the host
Meaning you are the one who invited people out dining, you are the one who enters the restaurant first and finds the best table. There are a couple of situations to consider:
- if you are dining with a group of people
We mentioned above that you as a host enter the restaurant first and pick a table. Very important to know, one of your guests is a guest of honor. He or she is the most important person in the group (for example your boss, business partner, elderly person, or the oldest woman in the group). The guest of honor is the next one who enters the restaurant after you and then the other guests follow, ladies first then gentlemen. You have to point the guest of honor to the best seat by a simple hand signal. It’s usually the seat with the best view (view of the room or water view if applicable). After the guest of honor sits down, the rest of the guests follow.
- if you enter a restaurant with only one guest
Easier than dining in a group, you as a host walk in the restaurant (bar) first, and point your guest to a chair. In case you are a woman and you are the host (we live in the modern society), the man opens the door for you and you enter.
If there’s no host
In this event, the gentleman usually takes the lead, walks in first, and pulls away the chair for the lady. A gentleman helps the lady with the coat first, then he takes care of his own. Remember, walking inside an establishment and keeping your hat on is often rude.
Fact from the past
Elderly people often say that in the past, a gentleman was supposed to enter the bar first because of the possibility of fights. If it was safe for a lady to enter, she would follow. If it was not safe to enter, it was the gentleman who would get punched first.