Dinner Date Master Class

Step 1: The venue

It's unlikely you'll get the right ambiance if you take her for a kebab.

Pick a place you've been to before,

so you are confident that the service isn't terrible,

and the food isn't horrible.

TOP TIP If it's somewhere you've taken a lot of other dates to,
make sure the staff are discreet.

Step 2: Prepare

Book a table to ensure you don't get turned away at the door.

This is especially important if your attempts to blag your way in fail to impress.

Make sure you arrive on time

as being late is unpardonable, and it leaves your date at the mercy of prowling single diners.

TOP TIP: When booking, ask for a quiet table,

so you aren't near any thoroughfares from the kitchen or the loos

as this can take the shine off any meal.

Step 3: Lasting impressions

You want your date to remember you for your witty repartee, and your ability to make them feel at ease.

So don't be crass by ordering the restaurant staff around.

Equally, if you don't know much about wine,

don't pretend you do, and order the 1978 Grand Chateau de rip off,

just because it's the most expensive thing on the menu.

Step 4: Eating

Some food is impossible to eat attractively.

If you're a messy eater, avoid spaghetti,

shellfish,

soup,

spinach,

or anything else that might splash,

or spray,

or require a tucked-in napkin.

Don't order massive quantities of food,

as your date is unlikely to be impressed with the size of your appetite,

or by showing everyone how much you've enjoyed your meal.

Step 5: Complaining

If the service is genuinely awful, and you have to wait ages for your meals..

and the waiter's more worried about presentation than hygiene...

and the meals are cold….

Be a man and complain.

Ask for your food to be changed.

Don't be aggressive, just firm, and manly.

She'll love that.

If there is an accident, be gracious,

and accept apologies with a smile.

If you can see the funny side, it'll put everybody at ease...
and sometimes it is little incidents like these that break the ice and bring you closer.

Step 6: Paying

If you're the man, pay.

Don't get your calculator out and explain that you should pay less as you didn't have a coffee.

She'll offer to split the bill, but she's expecting to be talked out of this.

And if she insists it may be a bad sign:

she doesn't want to have to go on another date.

Once you've paid, make sure you leave a generous tip. Generosity is an attractive quality in a man and your date may be generous back.