Dinner Date Etiquette for 1960’s Teens

A gentleman assists his date with her chair as they leave. He also takes care of the check, leaving a tip for the waitress equal to about 15 per cent of the bill. 

   Etiquette For Dinner Party

Teenagers who are concerned over the etiquette of eating out on their first dinner date will be heartened to learn that only a few simple rules are involved.

Etiquette tips are brought out in an educational film called "Date For Dinner," produced by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The movie stars a teen-age girl who has been invited on her first dinner date. The movie gives her these hints:

• A gentleman holds the door for the girl and lets her precede him into the restaurant. They both go to the hat check stand where it is proper, if the girl desires, to check her coat. Or, she can keep it and drape it over her chair after she is seated.
• Both wait at the entrance of the dinning room for the hostess to guide them to the table. The hostess goes first, then the girl, and the man follows. Usually the hostess will indicate to the girl the chair that provides the most desir- able view. The girl sits down slowly, giving her escort chance to hold her chair.
• The girl should carry a small purse that rests easily in her lap because she never places her purse on the table. The young man gives both orders to the waitress. A well trained waitress seldom, if ever, asks the girl a direct question,
• If an accident like dropping a fork occurs, it's not the end of the world. It can happen to anyone. The gentleman should call the waitress to pick up the fork and replace it. In any case, the situation should be handled without fuss or undue embarrassment and quickly dropped from the conversation.
• When the meal is finished place the napkin, unfolded, beside the plate. 
• Most boys prefer that girls confine their face fixing to the powder room.
• A gentleman assists his date with her chair as they leave. He also takes care of the check, leaving a tip for the waitress equal to about 15 per cent of the bill. – From the “Date for Dinner” film, 1964

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