When out in public, do you sit where you can see the door?
 

I don’t consciously do that but wifey says I do most of the time. I’m not even sure what influenced me to begin that habit or why.

I often do, but I don't have to. My dad always did.

Proper etiquette is to seat the lady so she has the best view or most comfortable seating. At restaurants, that's most often the seat facing into the dining area, and door. Exceptions are allowed if you're Bill Hickock or Wyatt Earp.

I alway sit facing the door, I look for exit signs while sitting down and notice everyone within about 300' of me, every single time.

We eat out on a regular basis. I open the door for my wife, and the hostess (or host) shows us to a table, or booth. My wife prefers a booth, and I just follow her to the table, and let her choose which side to side she wants. I really don't care at all. I know where the door is, and where the exit is.

The only exception is when we go to Sunday breakfast, and our favorite breakfast place has the F1 race on. I am recording it to watch at home, so I don't want to see anything about the race at the restaurant. I will get the side that does not have a direct view of the TV, and I avoid looking.

Watching the door is not something I worry about. I am 100% certain no girlfriends will enter as I have no such thing. I don't go to bars or strip joints, and most of my friends are from the Porsche club, or former work friends. She knows all of them.

I laugh in the face of danger, hahahahaha!!!!

I never even think about it. As stated above, I know where the door is, so...
I, too, open the door for my wife and greet the hostess. The wife then follows the hostess, and I follow behind the wife. I have always felt this was the way to do it, as I can keep a protective eye on things. When ordering food, the lady orders first.
It is the way!

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Same here. Virtually all waitresses or waiters look at her first to take an order. When we are out with other couples, often they take the ladies orders first.

And for some reason they always put the bill right in front of me, not her. And of course except on my birthday, I pay the tab.

This is how I was taught. She sits where she can see and be seen.

Dam right I keep an eye on the door. Tony Soprano was right.

It depends on how bad I have to go.
If not bad, I wait until I'm sure it's empty. :)

Nope. I do look for the exit row on airplanes however.

My 11-year-old wanted to stop off at McDonalds a couple days ago. We had just been talking about some questionable-looking kids whom we had seen walking through our neighborhood. I picked up our order. He went to select a table. I found him sitting in the corner just hidden from the front door, so that he could see one entrance before anyone walking in could see him. :D

In residency, we had one guy who was always working the angle on the young nurses/nursing students (not entirely creepy, because we were all in our 20s back then). We used to tease him that he was trying to get a girlfriend on every floor of the hospital. At one hospital, the cafeteria had a full-length mirror as the back wall. This resident actually made it a point to sit facing away from the door--towards the mirror--so he could check out all the women walking in without being too obvious.

I attended a Fire Science program right out of High School and in the intro class the Coconut Grove Club fire in Florida where many folks died was studied. One thing the instructor stressed was to always look for the EXIT lamps when in a crowded place and have a plan. Older buildings are often not equipped with the exit capacities required in newer ones, so they are even a bigger problem. He also mentioned that a huge percentage of people in a hurried evacuation will head for the door they entered from creating a bottle neck so locate one with that in mind.

So funny seeing this today. I went to a midget wrestling event at a bar Thursday night that was packed, likely waaaay beyond the legal capacity (so Tuolumne County) and mentioned to my chick this very thing. Pointed out the EXIT we would head to, away from the crowd rushing the entrance and was close to where we were seated. I've always since that night in class done this when in crowded venues.

The midget wrestling was a really good time.

I always face out, back to the wall, with a view of the place and exit. And look at everyone.

I’ve watched and read to many spy novels! 😂

My wife was a LEO so she has to sit watching the door.

"Proper etiquette" sounds a lot like 1955....Hummm.
I never pay much attention to the direction as long as it's the best seat in the house.
Given a recent revelation, outside is often the best option.
It's not that I hate people, but generally, I feel better when they stay away.

As for "her" best view, the women I'm with are generally more interested in me than the surroundings...the view......just saying. If I can't keep her attention, what's the point?

BTW:Bill Hickock was a degenerate gambler, a sometimes lawman who killed pretty indiscriminately and Wyatt Earp was a disgraced lawman who bottled out and may actually have pimped the woman he called his wife.
Opps, I guess we shouldn't judge.

50 years of forced “equality” - and yet this.

You want to be equal or equal but better?

Relationships should be more complicated than you’re making them.

I would look for a female partner that appreciates being treated like a lady without needing to be.

T, you never fail to crack me up

I remember my great grandfather telling about his father, a sheep herder. He always wore 2 pistols, always sat in a corner, never in front of a window, and always had a view of the door. You know, in case one of them cowardly cowboys wanted to plug him or somethin

Never given it a thought. Any restaurant I go to has a bar. I always sit at at the bar, diners included. I get better & faster service there. I've converted my sons & wife.

You do you. I found mine.

My comment was about etiquette and female expectations.

We’ve gone from like a fish needs a bicycle to seat the lady with the best view because etiquette in 50 years. It’s either want equality - so treated the same - or don’t. Not pick and choose when it’s most advantageous.

Did you see Byron?

When out in public, do you sit where you can see the door?
 

I disagree that it’s one or the other but to each their own.

I want to treat someone the way I do because “I” like to, not because it’s needed or expected.

That's why I always sit across the table from my wife and never next to her. ;)

I also prefer sitting with my back to a wall.

Old High School habit..... always sit in the back row, with back to the wall !

Never gave it any thought. I am lucky to get a seat. If there's a window, I always like to sit by it especially if it has a view.

Me too. I'd hate to miss out on a (discrete) look at someone nice.

With my wife I always let her pick her preferred seat. But I would always choose to be back to a wall, facing the door.

So what's the proper etiquette if your girlfriend is a midget wrestler?

If you're ever in a bar, dealt Aces & Eights, suggest you move to a corner seat, with a loaded pistol, immediately.

Grandpa Flatbutt ALWAYS sat near the back facing the door. When I was still under the thrall of Dad and Grandpa I did the same. Now that I'm my own man ....I still keep an eye on the front and kitchen doors. Ya never know if they're gonna come at you sideways.

The first thing I do walking into any building is to look for the exits and I always take a seat with my back to the wall so I can see what is going on, coming, etc. I taught my son to do the same and he still does.

Yep, I don't always get my preferred seat, but I'm with my preferred person so it's a small price to pay.

Lap, always on the lap.

Reading a couple of the comments on this thread reminded me of this...

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Same here. I blame that on watching too many westerns as a kid.

might miss, then what?