Restaurant Etiquette: Black Napkins

6 years ago I’ll never forget attending a brunch at The Four Seasons and the attentive waiter asking me if I would prefer a white or a black napkin. I looked at him quizzically and asked why I was given a choice. He patiently responded “We’ll Miss, your wearing a black dress and using a black napkin will avoid getting white lint on your beautiful dress.” What a brilliant idea I thought…Why doesn’t every restaurant offer this special treatment?

Granted every restaurant does not have the 5 star service compared to the Four Seasons, but the smart ones seem to be catching on. “When a restaurant offers me a black napkin, it shows a level of detail to the entire dining experience, which isn’t just about the food.” Now whenever I find myself wearing dark colors, I cringe when only white napkins are available to use. No matter how many odd looks I get from waiters and eye rolls I get from friends for being “high maintenance,”  I always find it a necessity to request a black napkin. So next time you find yourself in this situation request one for yourself and one more lint roller sheet will be saved! Bonus… you also won’t see lipstick stains on a black napkins too. – Taryn Cox for THE WIFE

9 comments ↓

#1 Beth D. on 10.23.12 at 4:16 am

OMG! i never thought of this

#2 Stephanie on 10.23.12 at 5:30 am

Wow nice!

#3 Di on 10.23.12 at 12:54 pm

Ok why haven’t I thought of this before? I also think the contrast of the white tablecloth, white plates with the black napkins must be “tres chic”

#4 Whitney White on 10.23.12 at 7:57 pm

I’m going to try this out tonight when my husband takes me to dinner.

#5 Lori MacRae on 10.24.12 at 1:06 am

Taryn you are just soooooo cool!!!!! Love it when someone thinks of “everything”!!!!!!

#6 Brandy on 10.24.12 at 6:11 pm

soo smart!!!

#7 Sanchez on 02.21.14 at 11:17 pm

What? Are you serious? I had no idea people like you actually existed. What a privileged asshole!

#8 Monica on 12.17.14 at 10:23 pm

I hate to break it to you, but the truth is that on black napkins you don’t see the print of your lipstick (which is very difficult to take off white ones)!

#9 Big Babe on 12.18.16 at 7:31 pm

I’d rather have lipstick on my napkin than on my wine glass. Hello ladies. Get the clue. Hehehe 😈 😈 😈.

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