When you decide to treat yourself and your significant other to a dinner date, you will want to make the occasion unique and memorable. Of course, things don’t always go according to plan, and sometimes your dinner date ends up becoming memorable for the wrong reasons!
Is there a special anniversary coming up? Perhaps you fancy treating your other half to an evening of good food, fine wine, and, of course, the excellent company? Whatever the reason, you want to make the event go off without a hitch. Without further ado, here’s a rough guide to dining out and choosing the best places for your dinner dates.
Check out places off the beaten track
Believe it or not, some of the best dining experiences you will have are most likely to be in places away from urban centres. The idea behind such a suggestion is simple: restaurant owners have lower rent costs away from town and city centres, and so can afford to invest more money into their meals.
In contrast, restaurants in places like shopping malls or central shopping locations will have higher rents to pay. As such, they can’t afford to be as adventurous or creative with their dishes.
Consider dining at new restaurants
Did you know that you’re going to get the best service from newly established restaurants? That’s because they are desperate to get positive reviews online and so have more regular custom each night. And if you visit a new restaurant owned by a reasonably well-known chef, that person is also most likely going to be there in person and working in the kitchen.
That’s not to say that restaurant quality and service goes downhill after a few months. New restaurants are more likely to go out of their way to provide you with an authentic and premium dining experience.
Take a look at the online reviews
It’s important that you check out what previous diners have said about restaurants on the Internet. Websites like TripAdvisor or even a restaurant’s own Facebook page can give you an insight into the typical dining experience.
You should use some common sense when browsing online reviews, as there will be times where fake reviews get posted up to either boost a restaurant’s reputation or damage it.
What to do when things go wrong
Despite your best efforts, there will be times where your dining experience won’t be what you expected. When things go wrong, it’s important to address any issues so they don’t completely ruin your dinner date.
For example, if your meals don’t seem freshly prepared or are cold, don’t hesitate to complain. And if you both get food poisoning from eating somewhere, contact the restaurant. If they don’t seem interested and the illness has caused you financial hardship, you may wish to consider legal recourse. It’s not uncommon for diners to sue restaurants, and it’s worth knowing that personal injury lawyers committed to your success can usually get you compensation. Especially if your food poisoning has meant a stay in your local hospital.
Last, but not least, be sure to make other potential diners aware of your experiences. Online reviews are an obvious starting place, but you can also describe your experiences to friends and family members that are considering visiting the same restaurant.
Hopefully, this blog post has given you some practical help and advice on choosing the best restaurants for your future dinner dates. Thanks for reading it!!