This series will concentrate on the art of dining out, whether it be at a fancy restaurant, or just a small food counter at the mall. Since they are public places, there are certain customs and courtesies of which we should all be aware.

Again, as with many of the other series of articles on this site, I’m not concerned about people’s private eating habits in their own homes. You can do whatever you want at home. Just don’t bring those habits out into the world where the rest of us have to endure them.

Articles in this series:

Your restroom(s) are a reflection of you

I spent last weekend in Los Angeles, and, as is usual on trips away from home, I ate a number of meals at various restaurants throughout the course of the weekend.

I won’t mention the name of the restaurant associated with these photographs and videos, because I did actually like the food and had a good time with friends. I would like to point out, however, to restaurant owners everywhere that rest rooms are an important part of the overall dining experience. It’s almost as important to provide a comfortable place to relieve oneself as it is to provide a comfortable place to eat the meal.

With that in mind, take a look at this rest room and see if you agree with me that this is not a comfortable place to relieve oneself.

My back was against the wall when I took this photo

I don’t mean to be picky. This room, is after all, pretty clean. But when I’m sitting on a toilet, my knees shouldn’t be under the sink.

This is the view while sitting on the toilet

It would have been far worse if the room had been a mess. (And that offense is actually far more common than limited space.) But still. I need a little breathing room in here. Anyone of larger-than-average size would have serious trouble even fitting into this room.

And a mirror usually helps, too.

I know it’s hard to maintain a restaurant. I know that space can be rather limited in some establishments, and making renovations costs money. But figuring out a way to make this room larger would be my number one priority if I ran this place.