Austin Restaurant Attire

Austin has a reputation as a city where if a guy puts on a long sleeved shirt for dinner, he’s said to be dressing up. Only one restaurant in the city (Restaurant Jezebel) has a formal dress code and they’ve only got eight tables.

I don’t care to wear a jacket and tie when I dine out. Ditto for most men. But I do think that when you go to a brick and mortar restaurant, there should be some minimal standards. I saw a guy the other night at 2nd with raggedy cut offs, a tee shirt, and flip flops. Did I mention he had a gimme cap on. If he’s at a hot dog stand, that’s one thing. But at 2nd? I mean does he really need to be told? (Obviously in his case.) His female companion was also uber-casual in her attire.

Was I offended? Not really. I mean it’s their business. But in a place like that I do think it lowered the atmosphere a trifle.

This is not rocket science. If you’re at a fine dining restaurant, a shirt with a collar and slacks (or tailored shorts in summer) for guys are fine. For women, well you really don’t have to tell most women how to dress to the occasion. They mostly intuitively get it.

I’m all for keeping dining in our city comfortably casual. Just consider where you’re going and dress appropriately. Feel free to share your thoughts on this by dropping us an email at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com.