# In defense of sitting next to your date

> A writer who loves restaurant etiquette makes the case for the one seating choice everyone calls corny.
- Title: In defense of sitting next to your date · Eater | Shortify
- Summary: A writer who loves restaurant etiquette makes the case for the one seating choice everyone calls corny. Side-by-side seating is easier to hear, better for…
- Keywords: dining out, restaurants, etiquette, relationships, nyc, food, culture, defense, sitting, next, date, Eater
- Source: Eater — https://eater.com/dining-out/981844/is-it-ok-to-dine-side-by-side-in-a-restaurant
- Author: Francky Knapp
- Published: 2026-08-27T16:20:21+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: dining out, restaurants, etiquette, relationships, nyc, food, culture
## A rule follower confesses
Francky Knapp loves restaurant decorum: dressing up, waiting at the host stand, quietly redistributing small plates as the meal goes on. Gold stars all around.

> I enjoy the martyrdom role of reorganizing the table's contents as the meal unfolds
## Except about seating
Every one of those rules goes out the window at one moment: choosing where to sit. Given the chance, Knapp takes the seat next to their companion, not across from them.
## The server noticed
"Oh, so you're side-by-side people," a cocktail bar server said. Harmless, maybe, but it scratched at a real shame around sitting next to whoever you came with.

> Oh, so you're side-by-side people
## Cringe or codependent
Critics treat it as PDA, a tier or two below making out at the bar. Knapp's answer: haven't you ever given in to the corniness of love?

> Haven't you ever given in to the corniness of love?
## A restaurant built for it
At Cynthia, a tasting-menu spot in the West Village, the side-by-side tables have plush settees and ceiling curtains that half-hide the sides for privacy.

> My partner and I try to sit side by side in any restaurant we can
## The practical case
Eater colleagues piled on in Slack. You can hear your friend in a loud room without shouting, and their old picnic T-shirt stays out of your food photos.
## Blame the pilgrims
Knapp pins the shame on buttoned-up American roots. The French do not treat it as a taboo, and neither should anyone sweating over a table for two.
## In cahoots beats across
Sitting side by side turns two people into a team, like the Muppet hecklers in the balcony. Less island of propriety, more shared conspiracy over dinner.

> I'm having dinner, but most of all, I'm in cahoots.
## Key takeaway

Side-by-side seating is easier to hear, better for photos, and nobody's business but yours.