Hats at the Restaurant

[ken100]

No hooks

If there are no hooks for your lid, you should carefully wrap your hat in tinfoil,, and place it in the middle of the nearest empty table and place police tape around the whole area declaring it a crime scene. Anyone questioning your actions should be politley asked to move on and then shot through the lung. Harsh maybe... or is it?

 

[tortswon]

Ledges

After this thread picked up intensity, I made a conscious effort to look around restaurants in the center city Philadelphia area. It came as something of a surprise to me to see how many restaurants have ledges incorporated into their interior design. I spoke with some of the restauranteurs (many of whom are friends because I teach hospitality management part-time), and they informed me that it is a conscious decision made when restaurants are designed primarily so women have a safe place to put their handbags.

Some of the top end restaurants even have stools for handbags and the restaurant managers at those establishments told me that they had no problem providing them to gentlemen for their hats.

 

[Dr Doran]

Some of the top end restaurants even have stools for handbags and the restaurant managers at those establishments told me that they had no problem providing them to gentlemen for their hats.

Well, that's good to know, and I'll ask next time I'm in a top end restaurant, which doesn't happen often. Let's hope the medium end restaurants have experienced a trickle down effect of this excellent practice.

 

[harbilly]

.....I'm not sure I want handbag stool on my hat!lol

Okay. I've gone too far. Sorry.

Some good ideas here though. We all have our ways that work and sharing is good.

 

[Woodfluter]

Thanks for bringing this up! Great ideas here, plus a satisfying modicum of silliness. I do like the super suction hook idea.

Here's a solution, when nothing else offers.

1. Sometimes I want to hang up a coat but don't want the hat on a shelf (if there is one) where it is very visible and tempting to light fingers. Putting it on the coat and hanging it up leaves it out of sight.


2. This can be adapted to the restaurant situation by hanging your coat backwards on the chair, and then buttoning or zipping it.


You do have to be careful where you sit, so the waitperson doesn't keep bumping into it!

- Bill

 

[NonEntity]

Excellent technique, Woodfluter. That's definitely going into my bag of tricks.

 

[Ray-Vigo]

The Bob Evans I was at had a full array of swiveling coat and hat hooks.

There's an old diner near where I live, that has plenty of hooks.

Booths usually have enough space or ledge to store the hat.

If the place is overcrowded or really busy, I leave my hat on the backseat of my car. I don't drive or ride in the car with the hat on because all the cars I ride in or drive have the modern high back bucket seats. So if the hat is off in the car to begin with, then I just don't put it back on if the place is crowded or particularly unfriendly to hats.

Regardless of the eatery, men do not wear hats at the table when dining with another person. Dining alone or at the counter and if there's nowhere to stash the hat, I could see leaving it on. But in a civil dinner with another person the hat always comes off-- no hats at the table with company.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I feel funny wearing a hat even when I am alone, diner or restaurant.

That is just my gut feeling so I always remove my hat when seated in an eatery....

 

[Flatch]

Pardon a newbie's chime, but my fedora rarely comes off my head wherever I go...that IS why I spent good dough on it, after all: to wear it. Unless the wife and I find ourselves in a swanky joint where gentlemanly hat etiquette of yore is still observed - we know no such places locally and probably couldn't afford to go if we did - why take it off? Ballcaps are still everywhere, on men of all ages, and I can't recall seeing one come off at the table if it came through the door. My 2 cents, worth probably less than that. [huh]

 

[pplepic]

The hanky idea sounds fine, but my wife already thinks I'm obsessed now to mention weird, and spreading a hanky out for my hat might just be the last straw.

 

[Erik]

Another guy who usually just wears it or sets it nearby.

"Excellent technique, Woodfluter. That's definitely going into my bag of tricks."

X2

 

[dnjan]

Ballcaps are still everywhere, on men of all ages, and I can't recall seeing one come off at the table if it came through the door.

Here's to hoping that civilized society never decends to the level of ballcap wearers.

 

[harbilly]

As far as eateries go, I only keep my hat on when seated at a diner counter. I know a lot of the rules (yes, I own the books), and when I break them I know I am breaking them. This is my strength, and, perhaps, my downfall. But, nevertheless, diner counters only. I agree with all the ball cap comments, both those noting what their wearers do and those hoping they do not become a guide for our times. Today I mixed a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt (green) with a grey cashmere coat and a wide brimmed beaver. For this, some would be certain, I will burn in fashion hell. I can name several things wrong with my combination but I don't care. I was polite to all, gracious as warranted, respectful of my elders, appreciative of those who served me and chivalrous to the ladies. I imposed nothing but some blatant fashion faux pas on those I encountered and, I claim, that is a clean record. We can be, um, odd, without being crude. Unless those we encounter define crude in some weirdo way. And that would be, well, sort of solipsistic of them or something so I have no problem discounting stuff like that. But I'm full of myself at the best of times. Which partially explains the way I dress .

 

[harbilly]

Woodfluter: I kept finding myself going back to your last post. And going back and going back. I didn't know why. Now I do. I really like the buttons!!! I have changed out he buttons on more than one coat myself but never gone quite so bold. Perhaps your jacket came that way, lucky!!
I really like the buttons.
Inspired by that pic I'm going to go and do something expansive to a Harris tweed next weekend.
Yup.
And......

I just realized no one said anything about unshipping the trolly and wrapping the line around whatever was handy to tether the hat up and away from trouble. There's a thought.

 

[retro50]

Nice to see that my 28 year old brown cord sports jacket has just come back into style. And Harbilly, I can out do your green Hawaiian shirt and grey cashmere with my cargo shorts/sleeveless shirt/sandals/wide brimmed fedora outfit. Ah, bad fashion sense equals individuality.

 

[Woodfluter]

Woodfluter: I kept finding myself going back to your last post. And going back and going back. I didn't know why. Now I do. I really like the buttons!!!

What a relief...people are always telling me I've lost my buttons.

Leather knot buttons in this case, similar to what you'd find on many Harris tweeds, but this corduroy half-belt action pleat jacket from J. Peterman came that way. Just what was most handy for illustrative purposes. Wish I had an improbable romantic story to go along with it such as JP gives in his catalogs, the sort that might convince you that it really is back in style. If that matters!

 

[Tomasso]

I know a lot of the rules and when I break them I know I am breaking them. This is my strength, and, perhaps, my downfall..

Yep, it be a slippery slope.

 

[FATS88]

"I WANT A EXTRA CHAIR FOR MY NEW HAT" Fred G. Sanford

Fantastic innovations have been posted here.
I hope this isn't off topic, but this is a problem
for the hat wearing MEN of my Church.
I am the newest among them, and I asked for permission
to purchase a tasteful wooden hat/coat rack,
to be placed unobtrusively between the Deacon's and Usher's pews
at the rear of the Church, as I've seen hats under pews,
hung on the top of the arm rests etc.
I feel placing something you're going to wear on your head on the
floor is unsanitary,
Since I was turned down for no good reason, I'm going
to try one or more of the metioned solutions.
Then I'll reconsider finding a new Church home

 

[FATS88]

Thanks for bringing this up! Great ideas here, plus a satisfying modicum of silliness. I do like the super suction hook idea.

Here's a solution, when nothing else offers.

1. Sometimes I want to hang up a coat but don't want the hat on a shelf (if there is one) where it is very visible and tempting to light fingers. Putting it on the coat and hanging it up leaves it out of sight.


2. This can be adapted to the restaurant situation by hanging your coat backwards on the chair, and then buttoning or zipping it.


You do have to be careful where you sit, so the waitperson doesn't keep bumping into it!

- Bill

THAT'S COOL!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[ScionPI2005]

I just realized no one said anything about unshipping the trolly and wrapping the line around whatever was handy to tether the hat up and away from trouble. There's a thought.

Would that be a "hat anchor"?