Two people having dinner together. Romance or friends.

[Aquarius1234]

When you see two men or two women sitting opposite each other in a restaurant.

When tables are close together or not but you have a view and dont mind people watching so sometimes notice these things over the years.

Do you a assume they are friends or a couple/ dating?

This is when you see no physical touching that would obviously give it away immediately.

Stupid thread but I love this stuff.

I think body language makes it perfectly clear. Obviously it's none of my business, but you can usually tell at a glance.

I prefer to sit alongside (at 90⁰ angle) rather than opposite someone when we're chatting anyway. It's friendlier and easier to hear what they're saying.

I’d think friends, couple or business meeting.

Or siblings

I wouldn't really pay attention and not care really.

But this does remind of the time a friend and I went for afternoon tea for my birthday as a fancy stately home/spa type place. My birthday is in February.

You have guessed it, it was decked out with roses and hearts for Valentine's day. It was all couples except for me and my friend. It amused me to think that everyone would think we were a gay couple having a romantic meal out 🤣😂

Depends on what they’re wearing, how they converse and react to each other, tine if day etc.

Must admit, I do like people watching. My Dh and walked past a two people yesterday, and we both thought the ages were wrong for father and daughter, but to big a gap for a couple or siblings. For some reason, we both noticed these two people, and were both intrigued by them.

Tbh I always sit next to my husband so I’m normally more inclined to assume they’re friends but I know next to is not the norm. I also love a good people watch though so we normally make up silly stories about who they are.

I used to work in a pub though and you could always tell who was there with their wife/gf and who was there with their mistress. Every time.

It wouldn't cross my mind to wonder tbh. I find it a bit odd that you'd give too much thought to the relationship status of two random people having a drink or a meal.

I probably wouldn't think about it at all either.
The same thing happened to me, I was going for a meal with a friend after we had attended a talk, and couldn't understand why I couldn't get a table anywhere when I tried to book it the day before, when we got there the same thing, candles and flowers and a Valentines menu! (I am actually married so you would have thought I would have known it was V day but I am rubbish with dates - I did know by the time we got there but not when I was booking and it didn't really click that there would be all the V day stuff out!).

Haha sounds fun and yeh I'm sure you notice obvious things over time.

I remember having a pub lunch with my father once (over 40 years ago). I’d have been about 20, and he would have been in his late 50s.

It was very obvious that the server didn’t know what to make of us (were we father and daughter or were we a couple) as he sometimes called me Madam and sometimes Miss and generally looked embarrassed. He clearly didn’t want to offend us by getting it wrong! I put him out of his misery after a while by loudly saying the word “Dad” when he next appeared.

I wouldn't think or assume anything?

If they are gazing adoringly into each other's eyes, then yes I would assume something.

But if they are just sitting, could be anything. People seemingly very close to each other are probably just best friends, or gay friends, people looking distant could be very long term couple completely at ease in silence.

I don't look at people for long enough to make up a story

When I was early twenties my Dad went into an italian three times in a week for lunch with me, my mother and a female colleage. My mum wondered why they were getting funny looks from staff until it dawned on her.

At DD's graduation we went out to dinner the night before and we love people watching. Restaurant packed with graduates and assorted others.

Ended up playing the "are they dating or are they siblings?" game which the waitress joined in playing.

We did also play "do they like each other"

I could happily sit and people watch all day 👀

Depends on behaviour. Lots of talking laughing talking at the same time as each other, friends.
More stilted conversation with little smiles, much earnest listening, a date.
Focus on food and taking in surrounding, relaxed silence, established couple on a date night.

I wouldn't think much of it but i would assume friends. Although i have been out to eat with my dad on the odd occasion and thought I hope people don't think where a couple

I always assume they are spies.

I'd probably assume they are just friends unless something makes me think they are a couple. My self and my friend were mistaken for a lesbian couple once in a very trendy art gallery once. I think for the young woman working there she felt that assuming we were gay was better than assuming we weren't if you see what I mean? Anyway it was all fine, gave us a laugh.

One of my closest friends is male and we often go to dinner, films and concerts together and people assume we are a couple and there have even been occasions when friends and family who haven't met the other have had a quiet word with us about being spotted stepping out on our partners when in fact nothing could be further from the truth!

I wouldn't even think about it.

I think it`s none of my beeswax what others are upto.

I often eat out with women friends, and occasionally men, 1:1. I wouldn't assume anyone, whether male or female, was necessarily in a romantic relationship, unless kissing etc.

Unless there was some kind of performance going on I would barely notice them. I can enjoy a bit of people watching if sitting on a park bench as nothing much else to do, but in a restaurant I’m too busy eating 😁

Friends, lovers, convenience, business - could be anything really

If they looked a bit bored I'd assume they were in a LTR or married. If they are talking animatedly I'd think friends. Overly polite or flirtatious I'd think a date or early romance. Gazing into each other's eyes I'd say a few weeks or months in to a new relationship.

Regardless of gender I rarely pay any attention to other people in a restaurant. I guess I might if my husband goes to the toilet and I'm on my own for a min but I'd probably just get my phone out instead of watching other diners.

Having said that I would probably base it on body language and if they looked like they'd made a real effort. I tend to dress more casually if I was out with friends or family compared to the rare dinner out with my husband when we have a babysitter for our 6yo.

I frequently holiday with a platonic female friend. It's amazing how many, for example, holiday cottages assume we MUST be a couple and only make up one bed. The same thing happened when I holidayed with one of my daughters - we had quite a struggle to find the owner to get them to come out and make up another bed for us (there was no bed linen at the property, we checked).

It seems almost a default that if two people are coming - they must be a couple.