Restaurant Jezebel Initiates Mandatory Jacket Policy

Austin is the kind of town where the concept of “laid back” is ingrained into the daily fabric of life. The sartorial casualness that kind of flows from the campuses, tech firms and resonates outward has created a minimalist style of dining attire, even at the fine dining establishments, that occasionally shocks visitors from other cities who are used to dressing up.

The history of successful Austin restaurants that have required male customers to wear jackets is a very short one. It’s been tried several times, no doubt with the best of intentions. And each attempt has been a failure.

So, once more into the breach dear friends. Parind Vora’s pricey new Restaurant Jezebel on West 6th has instituted a jackets policy for men. No jacket or sportscoat, no entry. The management feels that Austin deserves a restaurant where people can dress up for a special evening. I agree. I like putting on a jacket or suit occasionally for a nice dinner. I’m just not sure it should be a mandate. And given the fierce level of competition among fine dining places for a relatively small potential audience, do you really want to turn away business because the guy lacks a jacket?

I would rather see some regulation on the other side of the fine dining continuum. For example, no tee-shirts, flip flops, cut offs, tank tops, etc. I’ve seen more than I care to of this kind of attire at places where you would think the patrons would know better. A dress or sports shirt and a nice pair of slacks would be fine with me, but maybe Vora has caught on to something here. What’s your take on this issue? Email us at info@diningoutwithrobbalon.com.