Man escorting a date in a restaurant

A man enters a restaurant with his wife, the maitre d' escorts them both to the table. Is there protocol as to how this should be done?

When the hostess or maitre d' escorts you to your table, the protocol is that the woman follows behind the maitre d’ and the man follows behind his wife.

As the wife leads towards the table, the host will typically pull out one chair. This chair is for the wife to be seated in the preferred seat at the table.

Leaving the restaurant, the protocol is reversed. At the end of the meal, the man leads out through the restaurant, ahead of the woman, as if to clear the path for her.

Knowing the proper way to escort your wife is a quiet act of respect for her.

Man escorting a woman down a street

A man and his wife are walking down the street, is there etiquette for this?

Of course!

In a social situation, if a man and woman are walking down a street, it is proper for the man to walk to the outside of the woman, closer to the street, with her on his right side, further from the street. The right side is considered the position of honor.

This way of escorting originates from a time when street brawls and road hazards were common and men could better protect a woman by walking closer the street. Although these things are not likely to occur anymore, in social etiquette, the gentlemanly rules of chivalry still apply. 

A man walking on the street-side of a woman is a gesture of esteem for her.

 (The Charleston School of Protocol and Etiquette specializes in helping people handle life's events and changes with style, polish and confidence. We offer seminars and consulting services in business etiquette, and medical office protocol. www.charlestonschoolofprotocol.com.)

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