I have four rules for efficient dining out. These rules have been developed over years of dining out with co-workers, friends, and family. The rules are designed to make dining out in groups as efficient and painless as possible. The rules are as follows, they or ordered in the order you will most likely need to invoke them:
When choosing a place to dine out as a group, be proactive in suggesting a place to eat. Not being the first to make a good suggestion, could result in eating at a stake house. In my experience, the first suggestion (if it is a good one) is generally the one that is chosen. Even if it is not chosen, it generally directs the discussion and a similar destination is chosen. When going out in a group multiple times, be sure to make a different suggestion each time you dine out to keep your suggestions relevant.
After arriving at the restaurant, do not delay ordering if at least about 80% of your party is present. This rule will not apply if the person you are waiting for is the guest of honor. This rule can also be tricky to apply if you are not the leader or "alpha" of the group. If this is the case, be prepared to "suggest" going ahead with the ordering process to get the discussion started before the waiter arrives.
If everyone has had access to a menu for a reasonable amount of time, say "yes" when the waiter asks if you are ready to order. If you do not do this, inevitably, after a short pause, the waiter will say, "I'll give you a few more minutes", and delay your meal. This hurts dining efficiency. Also note, you need to actually be ready to order at this time. This rule can also be tricky to apply when you are not the party leader or group "alpha". You can "help" the group to be ready by asking people what they intend to order before the waiter arrives.
Even if your party is not ready to order, having the waiter take their order will force them to make a decision and move your dining experience along. Since your party should have had a reasonable amount of time to review the menu, this should not be too much of a problem for them. Note, if rule #2 above was applied, rule #3 can generally be directly applied as well.
When in doubt, split up the tab. If you will have a bunch of complex splits and groups for your bill, split everything up and re-combine as necessary when it is time to pay. This is not always an option, but it can help make things simpler when it is available.
That's all for now. If I think of more, I will add them. Follow these rules for efficient dining. If among friends, feel free to loudly cite each rule by number as you invoke it.
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