Have not a clue what that means.
As others have said, dressing up on occasion can be loads of fun. A fine dining experience is one of those occasions. Even my sons-in-law in their 30s put on their suits and ties at times.
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I guess I think of the attire of the other guests as part of the atmosphere. A stained tablecloth doesnât truly make the food taste not as good but it certainly effects the overall feeling about the meal. For me anyway.
Thatâs a good way to put it. You can serve me the same meal on a paper plate with wine in a plastic cup or on fine china and a crystal wine glass. Guess which one Iâll like better?
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Same as me. But your analogy is bollocks.
If I am at a high end, expensive restaurant I will enjoy the dinner if I, my dining companions and those around put some effort into their dress. I donât expect a suit and tie, but a jacket for the men and suitably dressed up for the women. If we are dressed and those around us arenât, I wonât feel itâs an âoccasionâ. You donât agree. You go to your restaurants and Iâll go to mine.
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We were in Seattle recently and there was a restaurant I wanted to try. But I had forgotten to pack some nice slacks. Only had âniceâ jeans. The resto wouldnât have minded at all but I would have so we didnât go.
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As you make a distinction that I wouldnt, I take it that your âhigh end expensiveâ restaurants require jackets. Whereas my âhigh end expensiveâ ones donât.
FWIW, Iâve eaten at what I believe to be the UKâs three most expensive restaurants. The 2 & 3 star places I mention above are two of them. Dinner at them is ÂŁ159 and ÂŁ160 respectively, excluding drinks, of course - Iâll let you do the currency conversion for wherever you are. As I have already mentioned, there are clearly cultural differences, on the jacket question, between where I am in the world and where you are. But, as weâve already agreed, in both places there are few restaurants that still have such outdated rules so I find it easy to avoid them.
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To be clear, you find the rules outdated, I do not.
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To be equally clear, it is the restaurant owners who have found the rules outdated, which is why they have changed them.
I have absolutely no problem with a restaurant setting whatever dress code it wishes. Customers can then decide whether they wish to eat there or not. Itâs no different from a restaurant deciding that it will, or will not, serve alcohol. Or serve meat. Or have a fixed no choice menu. It is entirely their business model.
By the by, my âeating outâ clothes are âproperâ trousers and shoes (not jeans and trainers) and a collared shirt. Thatâs what I wear whether itâs a Michelin 3* or the local pizza place. I think I look pretty good for a middle aged, fat bloke. 
Iâm not fussed what other customers might wear, so long as it conforms to the restaurantâs dress code and I donât have any problem if someone chooses to wear a suit and tie to Pizza Express.
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Since there is a sub-topic of dress code I will add I wear a jacket to dinner every night. I only wear a tie on the Captains night/dinner but a jacket every night. Surprisingly the ship doesnât have tuxedo rentals as some others Iâve cruised with in the past have had. I forgot my bow tie and was looking to rent one to no avail.
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Also the upgrade restaurant, Cagneyâs Steakhouse, was a vast improvement. Serving CAB not prime or aged, it was still far better than the quality (or lack there of) the normal dining room.
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Maybe thatâs where we went wrong. Our upgrade place was, allegedly, French. Dismal. Canât recall what it was called.
By the by, when we were there, the shipâs Maitre dâ stopped by and had a chat. Impressive job - in charge of all serving staff in the public restaurants, etc and the several crew dining facilities. Turned out he had started his career at a hotel literally five minutes away from home.
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Maybe itâs so important for US Americans to âdress upâ for restaurants, because at any other time, many think sweats are the perfect attire for everywhere else '-D
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Weâve cruised with Princess multiple times and Norwegian during our last one. We were so disappointed by Norwegianâs food that we decided never to cruise with them ever again. Completely unlike our previous experiences with Princess. We also did specialty dining for one night at their hibachi restaurant; that was probably our best meal there, but thatâs not really saying much.
That reminds me that we actually did try that French place as well. I donât think we ate anything that was above mediocre. Definitely not worth the extra price.
I first cruised with Norweigien 20+ years ago and was always more than pleased with the experience, food included. Norweigien and Royal Caribbean were my preferred lines over Celebrity or Carnival, but after this experience I really donât know if I would sail with them again.
I think you are overall correct, Americans in general have taken a significant decline in their acceptable fashion. It amazes me to watch sporting events from the 50âs or 60âs men in suits and ties in the stands watching the game, now itâs shorts and cut off t-shirts with they gut hanging out from under their shirt. We have become a very class-less society as a whole.
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I bet you got the sense of it, though.
And they keep on their Gimme caps when sitting down at an indoor table.
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I was about 15 years old. My Dad decided he wanted to visit his old stomping grounds to connect with the âkidsâ he grew up with. HE INVITED ME TO COME ALONG! I remember sitting on more than a few curbs waiting for him to finish a visit with his buds. I also remember wandering down to a true diner (while he slept in) to have my first taste of a real New York bagel. I remember being at the turnstiles at Acqueduct Race Track when the teller told us: âYour kids not wearing socks. He canât come in.â (I was wearing a white tee, cut off shorts and grungy sneakers) Dad paid $2 to get me a pair of knee-high black socks to wear. I remember the embarrassment sitting on the hot concrete approach to the track grandstand, peeling off those sneakers from sticky feet and meeting the dress code for admittance to the track.
Just shortly after, on the concourse, my Dad ran into a looong lost acquaintance. They did their meet-up salutations, and then this truly gruff guy glances at me and comments: " Hey, kid. That look doesnât work for you."
It was the Summer of 1961. It was the year I committed to never be underdressed for anything. Or, any place, ever again.
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