The document provides etiquette guidelines for dining in various contexts. It discusses proper dining etiquette at home, including arriving on time with an appropriate hostess gift, waiting to be seated, and sending a thank you note. Table manners covered include keeping elbows off the table, chewing with your mouth closed, turning off phones, and asking servers to clean spills. The document also outlines etiquette for eating, such as cutting food into bites, using the proper utensils, pacing your eating, and placing used utensils on the plate. Restaurant tipping etiquette and guidelines for various courses of a meal are also summarized.

1. DINING ETIQUETTES
SUNIL KUMAR
DAV COLLEGE FOR GIRLS
YAMUNA NAGAR
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2. Dining Etiquette
 A set of rules that govern the expectations of social and dining behavior
in a workplace, group or society.
 Table manners are visible signs that you are a polished and
knowledgeable professional.
 Put napkin on lap as soon as host does. Napkins remain on your lap until
completion of meal.
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3. A dinner party at someone’s home:
Dress Code: Follow whatever dress code is requested on the invitation or
suggested by the host/hostess.
Arrival: Arrive at least 10 minutes early unless otherwise specified. Never
arrive late!
Hostess Gift: It is proper to bring a small hostess gift, one that the hostess is
not obliged to use that very evening. Gifts such as flowers, candy, wine, or
dessert, are not good hostess gifts, as the hostess will feel that it must put it
out immediately. You must not never expect your gift to be served at the dinner
party.
Seating: At a dinner party, wait for the host or hostess sits down before
taking your seat. If the host/hostess asks you to sit, then do. At a very formal
dinner party, if there are no name cards at the table, wait until the host
indicates where you should sit. The seating will typically be man-woman-man-
woman with the women seated to the right of the men.
Thank You Note: After a formal dinner party, a thank you note should be sent to the
hostess. Depending on how well you know your hosts, a telephone call is also acceptable.
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4. Table Manners:
 Unfold your napkin and place it on your lap. When you are finished,
place it loosely on the table, not on the plate and never on your chair.
If you leave the table during the meal place your napkin in the chair.
 Keep elbows off the table. Keep your unused hand in your lap. Do not
talk with your mouth full. Chew with your mouth closed.
 Guests should do their best to mingle and make light conversation
with everyone. Do not talk excessively loud. Give others equal
opportunities for conversation. Talk about cheerful, pleasant things at
the table.
 Don't clean up spills with your own napkin and don't touch items that
have dropped on the floor. You can use your napkin to protect yourself
from spills. Then, simply and politely ask your server to clean up and
to bring you a replacement for the soiled napkin or dirty utensil.
 Loud eating noises such as slurping and burping are very impolite. The
number one sin of dinner table etiquette!
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5. Table Manners, cont’d.
 Do not blow your nose at the dinner table. Excuse yourself to visit the restroom. Wash
your hands before returning to the dining room. If you cough, cover your mouth with
your napkin to stop the spread of germs and muffle the noise. If your cough becomes
unmanageable, excuse yourself to visit the restroom. Wash your hands before returning
to the dining room.
 Turn off your cell phone or switch it to silent or vibrate mode before sitting
down to eat, and leave it in your pocket or purse. It is impolite to answer a phone
during dinner. If you must make or take a call, excuse yourself from the table and step
outside of the restaurant.
 Do not use a toothpick or apply makeup at the table.
 Say "Excuse me," or "I'll be right back," before leaving the table. Do not say that you are
going to the restroom.
 Whenever a woman leaves the table or returns to sit, all men seated with her should
stand up.
 Do not push your dishes away from you or stack them for the waiter when you are
finished. Leave plates and glasses where they are.
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6. Eating:
 Do NOT talk with food in your mouth! This is very rude and
distasteful to watch! Wait until you have swallowed the food in your
mouth.
 Always taste your food before seasoning it. Usually the hostess has gone
to a lot of work making sure the food served is delicious to her
standards. It is very rude to add salt and pepper before tasting the
food.
 Don't blow on your food to cool it off. If it is too hot to eat, take the hint
and wait until it cools.
 Always scoop food, using the proper utensil, away from you.
 Cut only enough food for the next mouthful (cut no more than two
bites of food at a time). Eat in small bites and slowly.
 Don't make an issue if you don't like something or can't eat it – keep
silence.
 Break your bread into small bites and then butter it.
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7.  Bread and rolls should be broken with your
fingers, in small pieces and buttered one
piece at a time.
 Cut several pieces of meat(or main course)
at a time.
 Use your knife to cut lettuce if needed.
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8. Eating cont’d.
 Even if you have dietary restrictions, it is inappropriate to request
food other than that which is being served by the host at a
private function. If you have serious dietary restrictions or
allergies, let your host know in advance of the dinner.
 Do not "play with" your food or utensils. Never wave or point
silverware. Do not hold food on the fork or spoon while talking,
nor wave your silverware in the air or point with it.
 Try to pace your eating so that you don’t finish before others are
halfway through. If you are a slow eater, try to speed up a bit on
this occasion so you don’t hold everyone up. Never continue to
eat long after others have stopped.
 Once used, your utensils, including the handles, must not touch
the table again. Always rest forks, knives, and spoons on the side
of your plate or on the saucer of a bowl.
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9.  Take small bites, keep your mouth closed and
finish chewing before continuing your
conversation.
 Try not to gulp your food, it isn't very
attractive.
 Do not blow on food that is hot. Wait until it
cools or eat from the side of the bowl, when
having soup.
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10. Proper tipping etiquette in a restaurant:
 At a restaurant, always leave a tip. Tips can vary from 15% to 25%.
 Waiter: 15% to 20% of the bill; 25% for extraordinary service
Wine steward: 15% of wine bill
Bartender: 10% to 15% of bar bill
Coat check: $1.00 per coat
Car attendant: $2.00 to $5.00
 Remember that the amount you tip reflects the total price before any coupons,
gift certificates, etc. Just because you get a discount, does not mean that your
server did not serve up the full order.
 Buffets - Remember that someone has to clear your table, refill your drink and
bring you more plates. Ten percent is the usual amount to tip in these
restaurants.
 Cafes and coffeehouses -Typically, it's appropriate at cafés and coffeehouses to
contribute 10 to 15 percent to the countertop tip jar.
 http://whatscookingamerica.net/Menu/DiningEtiquetteGuide,
htmhttp://people.howstuffworks.com/tipping2.htm
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11. Table cover layout
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13. Holding utensils
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14. How to hold your dining utensils correctly
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15. Dining style
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18. Posture and Elbows
 Sit straight and try not to lean on the table.
 Keep your elbows off the table and close to the body
when you are eating.
 However, when you stop to talk, it is okay to rest your
elbows on the table and lean forward.
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19. Courses
Appetizer
Soup
Salad
Entrée
Dessert
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20. Ordering
 Take your lead from your host when ordering.
 Do not order the most expensive item on the menu.
 Order something that will be easy to eat and not messy – no spaghetti,
chicken wings, ribs, etc.
 Do not order alcohol! If the host orders a bottle of wine and insists, only
have ONE glass.
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21. Utensils
 Do not make a fist around the handle of the utensil.
 Continental style: cut food one bite at a time, use the fork in left hand, tines
down, to spear the food and bring to mouth.
 American Standard style: cut food a few bites at a time, lay the knife across
the plate (sharp edges toward you), and switch fork to right hand to eat.
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22. Service
 Wait for your host/hostess to pick up his/her fork to eat first.
 Wait until everyone at the table has been served before beginning to eat.
 Never reach across the table for something, always ask for it to be passed.
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23. Service
 Salt and pepper are always passed together.
 Food is served from the left and dishes are cleared from the right.
 Everything gets passed to the right. If you are first to take the bread basket, offer
to your left first, take your piece, then pass to the right.
 Do not talk with food in your mouth.
 Chew with your mouth closed.
 Do not blow on your soup to cool it; stir it gently to cool off. Spoon soup away
from you to eat.
 Do not leave the spoon in the bowl – put it on the saucer/platter.
 Eat rolls by tearing off bite size pieces and buttering only one piece at a time.
 Cut your salad if the leaves are too large.
 Never rest your elbows on the table – forearms are ok.
 Taste your food before seasoning itSUNIL KUMAR 09996000499
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24. Even More Eating Tips
 If you need to remove food from your mouth, remove it the same way it went
in. Do not spit it into a napkin.
 For hard to scoop items, use your knife or a piece of bread to push the items
onto your fork.
 If you don’t like something, don’t eat it, but don’t make a big deal out of it.
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25. When You Are Finished
 Lay your fork and knife (sharp side of knife inward), at the 4:00/10:00
position.
 Leave plate where it is – don’t push it away.
 Used napkin goes next to your plate, not on top of the plate.
 Do not ask for a doggy bag or to-go bag.
 Do not ask for a toothpick.
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26. Common Sense Etiquette
 Turn off phone before any meal or interview.
 Men should never wear a hat at the table.
 Do not smoke before or at an interview meal.
 Excuse yourself to go to the restroom to blow your nose – don’t blow your
nose into your napkin.
 If you drop a utensil, pick it up and ask for a new one. If you can’t reach it,
let the server know it’s down there.
 Take small bites as you will be answering questions.
 If you need to excuse yourself, put your napkin on your seat or next to your
plate.
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27. Additional Tips
 If you drop a utensil, pick it up and ask for a new one. If you can’t reach it,
let the server know it’s down there.
 Take small bites as you will be answering interview questions.
 If you need to excuse yourself, put your napkin on your seat or next to your
plate.
 Use “please” and “thank-you” and always be polite to the wait staff
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