Visiting a restaurant is a popular way to enjoy a night out with family or friends. Dining out affords individuals a break from cooking at home and offers an opportunity to try new cuisines and enjoy a complicated dish that novices may find difficult to prepare.

Special occasions also may be celebrated by dining out, bringing together a large party of customers at one time. When dining out as a crowd, some additional planning may be necessary to ensure the experience goes well.

The first thing is to consider speaking with the restaurant about how they handle large dining parties. While some restaurants may simply request a reservation (and updates on whether the party count changes), others may treat a crowd of eight or more differently and refer such groups to a party planner or catering manager. Follow the rules of the restaurant to make things easy for their kitchen staff and the waitstaff.

When bringing a large dining party, sometimes it can be easier to work with the restaurant and have a party menu set up. This menu will feature a few different options rather than giving the group free rein over the standard menu. A party menu means you can keep things to a set price and advise those dining out about what they can expect to pay if the bill will be split.

Who will pay for the meal also merits consideration. It’s essential to decide in advance if the bill will be paid by one individual or if it will be split equally among those attending the dinner. If it is the latter, it may be easiest if everyone brings cash to make chipping in for a single check more seamless than handing over 10 different credit cards or requesting multiple checks. Also, paying cash means diners will not be subjected to the extra fee that many restaurants are now placing on credit card payments to help offset their costs for accepting such forms of payment.

Plan for the group to arrive at the same time. Many restaurants will not seat a party until all diners are present. Also, once the group is finished dining, it may be tempting to linger for a while and engage in conversation. This can affect the turnover rate of the table and some establishments may not be fond of it. Rather, think about moving over to the bar area (if there is one) or take the group to another bar nearby to continue catching up.