The point at arrival at the restaurant is your first opportunity to practice good behavior. Hopefully, your restaurant of choice will have a self-park lot. While valets can be a convince, they do add to the expense and stress of the evening. The horror stories of valets are almost a traditional lore with restaurant lovers. Tipping the valet upon arrival might facilitate extra care of your car, but this is not a guarantee. Generally, tipping the valet should be reserved for the end of the evening. (We will get to that later)

If you valet your car, the parking attendant should open the ladies door, if you self park it is still proper decorum for you to open her door. In this day and age, as chivalry wanes, you will find more and more women who, along with their male counterparts, discard proper gender etiquette for a more streamlined approach to male-female relations. When in doubt, gents, always opt for the more polite option. She’ll appreciate the attention, and if she doesn’t, she’ll let you know.

When entering the restaurant, men should hold the door for the ladies, and any guests of advanced age. Approach the maitre 'd or seating station and engage the host/hostess personally and in a civil manner. Introduce yourself and your companion/s if it is timely. If the restaurant seems remarkably busy, use your common sense and let the employee get you to your table with efficiency. Upon arriving at the table, allow the ladies to be seated first, pushing their chair in after them.

Meeting the server:

Your relationship with your server is the pivotal hinge of the meal. As your server arrives at the table introduce yourself and your party. If the server is a male, offer up a friendly handshake. (Men should only shake a ladies hand if they offer first). If the server respects and likes you, you will get better service. Food service professionals are just people. Their job is a hard one and they are under appreciated. Making their job easier will result in a better meal. Don't go out of the way to prove your culinary expertise. Don't send the server back to the kitchen 6 times because your mushrooms are overdone, er underdone ooops...dunno!

On the other hand, it's your meal. You are paying for it so you should have it the way you want it. If there is an aspect of your meal, which is truly not up to your standards, don't hesitate to get the servers attention. When addressing an issue like this it is important to keep a perspective. Don't be rude. Don't make a scene. Simply and politely inform your server of your issue. "Excuse me sir, I just bit into my salad and pulled out a Cadillac bumper." Or " I'm sorry to bother you but my Wellington just bit me back."