The Best Time to Dine

When is the best time to dine in a fancy restaurant? When will you get the best service and the best food? Read on for the answer.

I can tell you when not to go. Do not go during the lunch time period. Great restaurants do not have their best kitchen personnel working during the day. Daytime is when they bring in junior chefs to give them experience. The same holds true for waiters and waitresses with no experience. People going out for lunch simply do not have time. If something is not perfect, they will not complain or send it back. They simply do not have enough time to make trouble and restaurants know this. A lunch "hour" is rarely more than an hour.

So by all means go out for dinner, but do not go early. The only ones who dine at five or six in the evening are seniors. They do have time and will complain if everything is not perfect. This drives the staff crazy.  They are usually in a foul mood. I do not advise dining during the early hours.

Of course, the busiest time of the evening is when the best food is served, but there can frequently be long delays. Don't risk your evening waiting for food. Avoid restaurants before 8:30. There is a reason this is called the "rush hour."

The best time to dine is at 8:30 P.M. The best chefs and waiters are all still working, yet the crowds have gone down somewhat. Also, it is rare for restaurants to run out of popular dishes before nine. Finally, no one in the kitchen or out in the dining room considers 8:30 working late. So they are all in pretty chipper moods.

Yes, for the best dining experience, make a reservation for 8:30 and be ready for a great time. This is a universal hint, no matter where you find yourself dining, from Paris to New York. Not too early and not too late means you will have a really fun date!