Restaurants with Dress Codes: Take Back The Night!

[ljrcustom]

Originally Posted by RSS

I'll always recall sitting next to a well-dressed couple at the Four Seasons in New York. Within minutes of their being seated ... the man decided the time was right to tell his wife of many years that he was leaving her for "a babe" half her age.
I'm sure that was a fun interaction to witness. -LR

 

[Twotone]

A real gentleman always waits until the desert course before breaking such news. I'll always recall sitting next to a well-dressed couple at the Four Seasons in New York. Within minutes of their being seated ... the man decided the time was right to tell his wife of many years that he was leaving her for "a babe" half her age.

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by Bounder

Admittedly, a lot of people have this attitude. They are entitled to it but I think it's a shame as they are missing out. Some of us, at least occasionally, go to restaurants with much higher expectations. We are seeking an experience, not satiation. I am going to repost one of the most compelling defenses of dress codes that I have ever read.

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The people who object to dress codes are missing the point. Why should everything be reduced to the lowest common denominator? There is plenty of space for people who want to dress casually when they dine. I do it myself. But there should also be a space for people who want to dine with a certain elan. There is a certain pleasure in attending black tie events if you enjoy that sort of thing. There is a sense of camaraderie "” an unspoken understanding that, for tonight, we are a community with certain shared values. It would be inappropriate to attend wearing shorts, not only because it would be rude to the host but because it creates a jarring note in what should be a harmonious evening. By wearing shorts you are declaring that there is no community, no shared values. Perhaps this camaraderie is just an illusion, but it's a pleasant one and you're ruining it for everyone else.

The same idea, albeit somewhat weakened, applies in restaurants with dress codes. By ignoring the dress code, you're attacking the values of those who do follow it. "I spit on your bourgeois manners and outmoded sensibilities! I do what I want!"

This may not be the message those who ignore dress codes intend to send but it's the message those who follow them get. I don't think this is something that people who ignore dress codes really understand but it explains a lot of the vehemence on the part of those who sometimes like to dress for dinner.

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I will add a couple of reasons of my own. First, when you are choosing a restaurant, do you consider the decor? Are you really indifferent to eating in a 16th century French chateau v. a McDonald's? For many of us, the ambiance can be an important part of the experience and your fellow diners are, for better or worse, a part of it. If you can ignore the guy sitting at the next table wearing a baseball cap with an outline of a naked lady on it and a "Kiss ******!" T-shirt while concentrating on the artwork on the walls, good for you. But some of us lack these powers of concentration.

Second, I assume that everyone here has an interest in tailored clothing. Is it so wrong to want an excuse to wear it once in a while? You would -- or at least I would -- feel pretty stupid dressing up in a DJ and then going to eat at McDonalds. I'd feel almost equally ridiculous in an allegedly nice restaurant where the better dressed people are wearing trainers. But that is what everything is becoming, the lowest common denominator. It's a sartorial version of Gresham's law: Bad clothing drives out good. We should promote every opportunity to encourage people to at least put on a jacket.

I would hope that even the people here who have no interest in dress codes can appreciate why some people do. Every place doesn't have to be a sports bar. There are plenty of places to be casual. Is it so bad to encourage the few remaining places that try to promote a sense of occasion?

BTW, someone suggested to me that I create a list in the OP of these restaurants. I think that's a great idea. I have to run to the airport now but I will get that done ASAP.

+1

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by Twotone

A real gentleman always waits until the desert course before breaking such news.

I'll always recall sitting next to a well-dressed couple at the Four Seasons in New York. Within minutes of their being seated ... the man decided the time was right to tell his wife of many years that he was leaving her for "a babe" half her age.


How'd that turn out?

 

[leftover_salmon]

I'm not a fan of a strict dress code -- looking neat should do, in my opinion. I don't want to eat a damn meal in my suit and tie or even a jacket. It's not comfortable or pleasurable.

 

[RSS]

Originally Posted by dragon8

How'd that turn out?
I excused myself ... found the maÃ

tre d'hôtel ... made certain he could see the crisply folded bill in my palm ... he extended his hand ... and we got a new table.

 

[Metlin]

Originally Posted by RSS

Agree competely. That said ... I still do appreciate it when people dress -- and at least act -- the part for certain establishments. But given the choice of being seated next to well-dressed & crass or poorly-dress & well-mannered ... I'd choose the later. I'll always recall sitting next to a well-dressed couple at the Four Seasons in New York. Within minutes of their being seated ... the man decided the time was right to tell his wife of many years that he was leaving her for "a babe" half her age.
Hahaha! On a similar note, I was at a rather nice French restaurant in Cincinnati with my then fiancÃ

e (now wife). A few minutes later, a man we knew showed up with another woman that we also knew -- they were married, but not to each other. About 10 minutes into the dinner, despite the fact that they acknowledged that we knew them, they were... rather "free" with each other, to the point that they were not-so-politely asked by the maitre to be more cultured, if you will. It would have been a bad story in and of itself, except that the wife of the man walked in with some of her friends. Needless to say, it was bizarre at best to watch the subsequent exchange, and even be there (understandably, the wife was clearly embarrassed that others she knew had witnessed this).

 

[RSS]

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

I'm not a fan of a strict dress code -- looking neat should do, in my opinion. I don't want to eat a damn meal in my suit and tie or even a jacket. It's not comfortable or pleasurable.
Welcome to Ask Andy About Clothes. Are you Cruiser ... incognito, of course?

For what purpose do you use your "damn" suits and jackets? Oh ... I some how missed placed the modifier ... it's a "damn" meal.

 

[forsbergacct2000]

Originally Posted by Metlin

Your freedom ends where my nose begins. This may be antithetical to what most SF members believe in, but if an establishment cares more about the superficial elements (e.g. dress code), then I will simply take my business elsewhere.

I go to restaurants for food -- good quality food that is unique and nice. And while I certainly enjoy dressing up a little, I can relate to the other side of the story. I would certainly be more than a little peeved off if someone insisted that I wear a particular piece of attire to make them feel better.

An excellent example is a tie. I hate wearing ties whilst dining, and aside from the complete pointlessness of the tie other than as a decorative accessory, I would be ticked off if it were to be a required element to make some schmuck feel better about the ambiance. Really?





A simple solution for you is to avoid restaurants that do things you don't want (for instance a dress code.)

If you aren't in the restaurant, I don't see what your problem is related to those who enjoy dressing up and not sticking out for doing so. Why do you care?

 

[forsbergacct2000]

Originally Posted by leftover_salmon

I'm not a fan of a strict dress code -- looking neat should do, in my opinion. I don't want to eat a damn meal in my suit and tie or even a jacket. It's not comfortable or pleasurable.

Then don't eat there.

 

[Metlin]

Originally Posted by forsbergacct2000

A simple solution for you is to avoid restaurants that do things you don't want (for instance a dress code.)

If you aren't in the restaurant, I don't see what your problem is related to those who enjoy dressing up and not sticking out for doing so. Why do you care?

For the same reason you don't like to be dressed up in a chicken costume, or apparently don't like others to dress the way they wish to.

Pot, meet kettle.

 

[TheWraith]

Nothing wrong with wanting to eat in a high quality establishment with a dress code to match. Those that don't like a dress code, don't eat there. You have that choice, after all.

 

[forsbergacct2000]

Originally Posted by Metlin

For the same reason you don't like to be dressed up in a chicken costume, or apparently don't like others to dress the way they wish to.

Pot, meet kettle.

I have no problem with people who don't want to dress up. A lot of people in my church don't wear suits or sport coats. I just don't understand why it's a big deal to you that a restaurant might want to cater to a certain audience.

I've played keyboards and sang in a lot of bands. I have no problem with them not wanting me to scream a hard rock song in a country bar. If I have a problem with that, I should not take the country gig. If I don't have a gig a certain night and want to play, I go with the flow.

Your "Pot meet kettle" nonsense is meaningless.

 

[Kraken]

I wonder why there is a bunch of people stating that they don't like going to a restaurant with a dress code or they belive that such restaurants shouldn't exist. The purpose of this thread was to identify a list of restaurants WITH a dress code, not weither these should exist or not.

Are there any other places in the Ottawa region where they require a dress code, other than parliament's restaurant?

 

[acecow]

In the culture of slobs who equate wearing pajamas in public with freedom, it would be financial death for a restaurant to impose a strict dress code. That said, a moderate dress code does wonders. In a notoriously casual Los Angeles, Edison stands out largely due to a "no ripped jeans or sneakers" policy. Knowing that there is at least some dress code in place, many people end up wearing jackets and shirts when they normally wouldn't.