Dining Etiquette 101

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Have you ever held an informal or formal dinner party at your home but at times felt unsure of what was required for proper dinning etiquette?  Or have your ever invited someone to dine out and neglected to exhibit the proper table manners?  Today we're going to cover the basic of dinning etiquette that will make your next informal or formal dinning experience a success!






















Firstly let's cover some of the top basic rules when dinning adapted for 12 Essential Steps to Mastering Table Manners from Etiquette Scholar:

- As you've been invited to take your seat, spread your napkin across your lap.  If your need to excuse your self from the table place your napkin on your seat until you return

- Be sure to turn off your cell phone, or at minimum place it on silent.  It is not acceptable to leave your cell phone resting on the dinner table

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- Wait for everyone to be served or for your host to invite you to start eating before taking your first bite

- Use your knife and fork to cut your meal into bite sized pieces

- Cut your food one bite at a time

- Please do keep your mouth closed while eating and refrain from speaking while your mouth is full

- Do not pick at your teeth while seated at the table

- Do remember to say "excuse me" if you need to step away from the table for any reason

Seating Your Guests

As the host be sure to guide your guests to their seats. However if your are the guest let your host escort you to where you will sit for your meal.

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Setting Your Table 

Have you ever had trouble setting your dinner table? Does all the cutlery/utensils confuse you?  Take note of this easy guide for either formal or informal table settings.

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For further details please view the following video.  We found it quite helpful and easy to follow.

Video Courtesy TED-Ed

Resting your Utensils 


Proper placement of your utensils is key as it tells your server if you are resting between bites or if you are finished with your course.

Photo Courtesy Gentlemen's Gazette LLC

We trust that this will make your next dinner experience a hit!  But there is so much more to learn when it comes to Dinning Etiquette.  Is there any particular aspect that you would like to hear more about. Publish your comments below!