Restaurants

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I really only ever go to IHOP and Chick-Fil-A and it's usually the drive-thru for Chick-Fil-A and as for IHOP I guess I'm lucky enough to have a friend that will eat there with me all the time since I like to get the same thing everytime...mmm swedish crepes... anyway, the one in my town is only very busy at lunch and so I avoid that time. But last week my mom talked me into going to a grand opening of some mexican restaurant and wow i thought my head was going to explode, it was so loud i couldn't hear the waiter and he was practically right in my face, then when the food came i just couldn't concentrate on eating, it was pretty horrible, actually trying to think back on it, it's all a blur like it was a dream or something.

I really don't go alone very often. I can cook and groceries are cheaper! If I am with someone, usually the guy I work with, I get absorbed into what we're talking about and tend to ignore the waitress, but not on purpose. It takes effort to shift my attention to the other person, and I am not sure how this comes across. I have figured out after the fact that sometimes the waitresses are looking to hitch onto a guy, but that's not what I came for, I'm not prepared for it, and it's not gonna happen in that setting.

The noise can be distracting, but for the most part it's not a problem for me. Oftentimes I'm like a bee when I eat...I don't pay attention to anything else. The biggest problem I have is when the host/hostess seats me at a table in the center of the room...I usually end up feeling like everyone is staring at me. Not cool. The embarassing thing is that it took a long time before I realized I could actually ask to be seated in a booth along the wall.

I always sit in a booth and I'm never the leader of the group, so I don't have to deal with people brushing past or asking me stuff all the time, I just sit and eat. :3 And I love new-tasting food and eating with friends, so I usually love to eat at restaurants.

Eating in restaurants is extremely hard for me. From the time I was 12-16 I could not eat in a restaurant because I would get constant panic attacks and meltdowns. I grew out of it for a while but it came back last year, which made business lunches really hard and embarrassing. I would get my food and not be able to eat one bite of it. I’ve found that hibachi grills are the absolute worst. I can’t handle the heat of the grill and the chef being right in front of me while I eat. I seriously thought I was going to die the last time I went to one.

I struggle with 'business' meals.

I don't seem to be able to balance the talking with the eating and unless I say nothing and just focus on eating (which I have done) I am ALWAYS the last person to finish.

I get stressed out if someone asks me a question when I have a mouthful of food and I start wishing that I could vanish into thin air

Add to this the fact that I do make a conscious effort to chew properly and slowly (and not bolt my food) and I have a perfect cocktail for anxiety.

I had coffee for my last 'business lunch' and even with AS, I could tell that the others at the meeting thought it was odd that I wasn't eating.

However I was able to balance (I don't mean that literally) the coffee and the talking with relative ease, while the others troughed down the contents of their plates (in between sentences) in what seemed to be a struggle on the scale of one of Hercules' labors

Which genius first came up with the idea of trying to conduct a meaningful business meeting surrounded by the second greatest distraction known to mankind

Is it really so radical to arrange an important meeting for people who AREN'T hungry

I don't like places that are too crowded and noisy.
I can't stand to have to stand in line just to be seated.
I don't like it when people bring their un-domesticated kids in and let them run wild: Either leave them at home or at least have the common courtesy to hog-tie them.
I like quick, efficient, and competent service but I don't need to have my ass kissed (take my order, bring my order, then vanish except for a refill of my drink and to bring the check).
A booth is usually preferable to a table.
I like to be somewhere where I can see what kind of people are coming and as much of the dining room as possible. If there are hooligans coming in or in there I want to see what they are doing.

I like the security of a booth in restaurants; inside corner seat of course

I'm fine with the noise, crowds, etc, but I hate the stupid social rules I have to conform to. When I am no longer living with my parents and I go out to eat, I can't wait to be able to act how I want without being moaned at.

I like eating out. The noise level does get to me at times as well as if the place is crowded. I just avoid place if there are lost of cars.

From my earliest memories, restaurants have been HARD. I won't start listing - a lot of my issues have already been mentioned; I will say, the two worst are being observed and having to choose from a menu with time pressure - wait staff standing by.

I manage - but I would aleways avoid it if possible. On trips alone, I have often just skipped meals - could not even decide which restaurant to go with.

Depends. Fast food restaurants are ok. I can just eat my meal alone and be on my way.
At more fancier places I tend to get more quiet and nervous. I'm constantly straightening cutlery but then I calm down and can eat and say maybe 1 or 2 things.
Sometimes I can get overloaded but it depends on my mood.

I can eat out at some restaurants, as long as they aren't too noisy. I agree with you about the kids though, I can't stand it either when they scream and run around, it drives me crazy. That's why we usually get takeout and eat in our own home.

If the place isn't too noisy, I for the most part, can handle restaurants.

I'm okay as long as there aren't any screaming/crying children nearby. That's like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Not much issue for me unless some parent decides to change their kid's diaper on the table across from me or if a bunch of kids are running around treating the place like a jungle gym.I remember I once decided to eat at the Sawmill at 11 at night.The sawmill is more of a fancier type of restaraunt...dimmer lighting, more quiet,..a great restaraunt for an aspie to have a quiet meal but one pays a fair bit of money to eat there.For the peace and quiet and dimmed lighting, the money I pay is well worth it...but unfortunately...some parents decided to take their toddlers in that night, and the kids ran around screaming.I paid 35 dollars for quiet meal and only got the food minus the quiet thanks to these parents.

That's disgusting. I've never seen that before, thank god.



I would have complained to the manager, definitely.