NYC Outdoor Dining & Drinking Etiquette

This is the first weekend of Phase Two outdoor dining in NYC.

Since you haven’t eaten out in a while, it’s a good time to get prepped for proper etiquette. 

Here’s how to be a good sidewalk eater and drinker and keep yourself, your friends and the waitstaff healthy and happy:

 More than 7,000 restaurants are open and serving.

Here’s where to find them on this official NYC map

Observe social distancing rules. The restaurant, cafe or bar has set the tables, counters and chairs to comply with the rules, so don’t move anything closer together.

Wear a facemask, including when seated, when you aren’t drinking or eating, and especially when ordering from the waitstaff.

Be aware of how much space is next to you and the next party.

Order everything you need at one time, since your server has to go inside and sometimes downstairs to get what you need. Don’t make them take more than one trip.

It’s also a good idea to check the menu online before first, so you can order the moment you are seated.

Order. Eat. Leave. There is limited seating, so don’t hang out, especially if you see people waiting to be seated. If you want to hang out, order more food and drink.

Here’s a quote from our friends at W42St.:

Don’t hog the table. This  is from Nicola at Mercury Bar.  She wants you there, she needs the customers, but with only four tables, you must dine and move. She said: “Please be aware that every restaurant is surviving on their outdoor seating. Please be mindful and help restaurants turn those tables over every hour. It’s the only way we will survive🙏🏻.” 

Pass dishes to the person on your right.

Pass the salt and pepper together. 

Used silverware should never touch the table; rather, they should rest on your plate.

Place your napkin on your chair if you leave the table during a meal.

Practice good hand hygiene.  Use hand sanitizer or wipes before and after eating.

Bathrooms are likely to be closed for sanitary reasons, even to patrons, so go before you go out.  If you think you’ll need to go potty while you are out, call the restaurant first to find out if their facilities are open, and if not, you might want to go elsewhere.

Tip well, at least 20%.

Remember that food service workers are essential workers putting their own health at risk for a paycheck, so that you can enjoy eating out almost like normal. 

 It’s been three months without a paycheck for most waitstaff.  They need the tips.

Your server probably does not have health insurance, and they’re probably more nervous about having to work during a pandemic than you are about eating out during a pandemic.

So tip more than you would have pre-Covid-19.  Or, think of eating out under Phase Two as a holiday, and tip the same generous way you would for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

photo courtesy Fifth Avenue Assn.

Let us know about a restaurant with an inventive way of marking off social distancing – add a comment below. 

Or, send us a photo.  info@nyconthecheap.com.