One of the stories getting a lot of attention on the web is entitled “Ten Worst Dining Trends of the Last Decade.” Look the year’s not even over yet; am certain we can all add our pet dining peeves. There’s still time for several others to top out. We haven’t even tried to enjoy our holiday party yet; trust me catering experiences lend themselves to all kinds of dining hahas!

I agree with a few of “The Ten“:

–foam on everything by everyone; laughable. You’ve had those meals where you had to ask the server, what’s that soapy looking thing. When it’s done right; it’s right. It can even be attractive!

–communal tables–I’d use Facebook if I wanted to friendster strangers or I’d go in search of those spots, but otherwise, not for me. I love a restaurant with well-spaced tables that lets me enjoy the atmosphere and my dining companion.

Let me add a few other dining disasters:

–restaurant reservation attitude. Not being able to get a table and being told they were “fully committed.” Not so much nowadays, but some places still have the host with the attitude. Get over yourself.

–the server as tablemate. This goes way beyond “my name is” and involves back patting and endless conversation about selections. If I wanted you to join my table, I would have selected the communal one!

We can all add to these lists as dining out often has pitfalls, but we need to concentrate on enjoying the concept of going out to eat. I think our efforts need to be focused on figuring out how to get diners in the dining room and how to get them committed to returning to the dining scene.

That’s the list we need to make: What can we do to improve the dining scene so more people enjoy the hospitality experience. That includes restaurants willing to accept a reservation and capable of honoring it within a reasonable amount of time. Not all of us can have 8:30.

If the economy is truly on a mend, not all diners and restaurants got the memo.

Let’s make dining out a pleasurable, affordable experience.

I’ll take the 8:30; thanks.