Restaurants with Dress Codes: Take Back The Night! - Page 4

Admittedly, a lot of people have this attitude. They are entitled to it but I think it's a shame as they are missing out. Some of us, at least occasionally, go to restaurants with much higher expectations. We are seeking an experience, not satiation. I am going to repost one of the most compelling defenses of dress codes that I have ever read. - - The people who object to dress codes are missing the point. Why should everything be reduced to the lowest common denominator? There is plenty of space for people who want to dress casually when they dine. I do it myself. But there should also be a space for people who want to dine with a certain elan. There is a certain pleasure in attending black tie events if you enjoy that sort of thing. There is a sense of camaraderie — an unspoken understanding that, for tonight, we are a community with certain shared values. It would be inappropriate to attend wearing shorts, not only because it would be rude to the host but because it creates a jarring note in what should be a harmonious evening. By wearing shorts you are declaring that there is no community, no shared values. Perhaps this camaraderie is just an illusion, but it’s a pleasant one and you’re ruining it for everyone else. The same idea, albeit somewhat weakened, applies in restaurants with dress codes. By ignoring the dress code, you’re attacking the values of those who do follow it. “I spit on your bourgeois manners and outmoded sensibilities! I do what I want!” This may not be the message those who ignore dress codes intend to send but it’s the message those who follow them get. I don’t think this is something that people who ignore dress codes really understand but it explains a lot of the vehemence on the part of those who sometimes like to dress for dinner. - - I will add a couple of reasons of my own. First, when you are choosing a restaurant, do you consider the decor? Are you really indifferent to eating in a 16th century French chateau v. a McDonald's? For many of us, the ambiance can be an important part of the experience and your fellow diners are, for better or worse, a part of it. If you can ignore the guy sitting at the next table wearing a baseball cap with an outline of a naked lady on it and a "Kiss My Ass!" T-shirt while concentrating on the artwork on the walls, good for you. But some of us lack these powers of concentration. Second, I assume that everyone here has an interest in tailored clothing. Is it so wrong to want an excuse to wear it once in a while? You would -- or at least I would -- feel pretty stupid dressing up in a DJ and then going to eat at McDonalds. I'd feel almost equally ridiculous in an allegedly nice restaurant where the better dressed people are wearing trainers. But that is what everything is becoming, the lowest common denominator. It's a sartorial version of Gresham's law: Bad clothing drives out good. We should promote every opportunity to encourage people to at least put on a jacket. I would hope that even the people here who have no interest in dress codes can appreciate why some people do. Every place doesn't have to be a sports bar. There are plenty of places to be casual. Is it so bad to encourage the few remaining places that try to promote a sense of occasion? BTW, someone suggested to me that I create a list in the OP of these restaurants. I think that's a great idea. I have to run to the airport now but I will get that done ASAP.