The seven things you're doing in restaurants that make you look common without you realising your mistakes

The Sun

6 days ago

WHEN it comes to eating out at restaurants, your dining habits may make you look more common without you realising.
According to an etiquette expert, there are some telltale signs that you aren't as posh as you may think - and there are some traps to avoid.
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Laura Windsor, the Queen of Etiquette, told Fabulous: "They say that a person's education can largely be seen from his or her behaviour at the table.
"The rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness, and making others feel repulsed or disgusted.
"Have you seen yourself eating in the mirror? Perhaps it's time that you do remembering these tips while you are at it."
Here are seven things you should immediately stop doing, according to Laura, if you want to look more upper class…
1. STACKING PLATES
Do not stack plates to help the waiters. Are you the waiter? Do you need a job?
You are disrupting the aesthetics of the table, you are implying the waiter doesn't know how to do their job, as well as hinting that you want the waiter to hurry up and clear the table.
They have their own method of clearing the table and it can be dangerous.
If you don't place your cutlery properly, you might just find a knife has stabbed you in the leg.
Don't interfere with someone else's job, they are the professionals.
2. ARRIVING HUNGRY
Don't come to the table as if you haven't eaten for a week.
Etiquette expert Jo Bryant reveals the right way to use a knife and fork
We don't need to go hunting anymore, there are supermarkets.
Anything that shows greed is uncouth - smacking your lips, eating with your mouth open and scoffing as much into it as possible likens you to a wild animal.
3. ADDING SALT FIRST
Do not sprinkle salt all over your food, especially without tasting it first.
This shows that you are on automatic, why not try the food first before you change the taste of it.
If you are a guest at someone's house, you may offend them as it is implying that they don't know how to correctly flavour their food.
4. NAPKIN IN COLLAR
Don't put your napkin around your neck unless you have time-travelled from the 1600 when men wore ruffled shirts and you needed to keep them pristine.
That is reserved for babies alone.
When you are out of nappies, then napkins go on your LAP.
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5. INSISTING ON PAYING THE BILL
There is nothing worse than (for those generous enough) competing to pay the bill.
Hearing "oh no, let me pay" from one person and the other saying the exact same thing can be embarrassing for those at the table and their neighbours.
Control and decorum is always appreciated.
6. OVERUSING NAPKIN
Don't spit food into your napkin, or cough into it or use it to blow your nose.
It's not there to use as a facecloth, a dustbin or a handkerchief.
It's there to dab your lips and collect whatever falls into your lap. You are not an animal.
If you need to remove something from your mouth, use one hand to cover the mouth and the other to remove the unwanted grizzle, bone etc, and place it under some other food such as lettuce, for example.
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7. POINTING WITH FORK
Don't gesticulate with your knife and fork.
During the Middle Ages you wouldn't have survived the meal, literally, as knives were used both as utensils and weapons.
It's pretty inelegant to see someone talk and gesticulate with cutlery.
Gesticulating with empty hands is one thing, with cutlery it looks as if you are out of control.
So while chewing, place your knife and fork on the plate, fork tines facing down and over the knife in a 4:20 position, if the rim of the plate were a clock.
Dinner party and guest etiquette
Whether it's your first time hosting friends at your new house, or you're a regular dinner party invitee...
Fabulous' Associate Editor, Rebecca Miller, has put together a list of do's and don'ts when it comes to dinner parties and guest etiquette - and it doesn't include sending a guest a bill at the end of the night!
Do show up on time - a 10-minute grace period is allowed, but anything longer without letting the host know, is just plain rude.
Don't show up empty handed - unless you're popping round for a quick coffee, you should always show up with a small token of your appreciation for the host and their efforts. Flowers, a bottle of wine, candle, or contribute to the dinner by making dessert.
Don't start eating until everyone is seated - what might be an obvious rule, it's one many forget. Cooking a meal for a group of people takes a lot of effort, so wait for the host to park themselves, thank them, and await instruction.
Don't do the dishes, do clear the table - everyone has their way of cleaning and tidying up. If you swan into the kitchen and start scrubbing, it could be seen as an insult. So help clear the table, and ask if there's anything else you can do - perhaps top up everyone's glass?
Get off your phone - few things can make a person feel less seen or important than coming second to a mobile. Leave it in your pocket, and check anything urgent during toilet breaks.