As you enter, care seems to be taken as to where you sit; you are carefully placed. You’re offered something to quench your thirst as you peruse. You place your order and have nice conversation. The server comes and goes as you patiently wait for your meal. The back and forth chitchat occupies the parties in your group, as they discuss the day’s activities, the taste of their favorite wine or the surrounding atmosphere.

The meal arrives, carefully plated with a drizzle dancing nicely upon the plate’s edge, framing the portions, and often offering a ledge to lift the entrée up to draw your eye’s attention. Once again, the server checks in to see that everything was to your liking. You look about the room and see other diners engaged in delightful conversation, all enveloped in their moment, the moment of just their group. You find yourself doing just the same, with all parties split into small groupings throughout, just in their worlds, just in their conversations. You rejoin yours.

The conversation is just as delightful as theirs, engaging back and forth, as you intermittently enjoy a bite off the picture perfect plate. Suddenly, a stranger approaches, not your server, not the bartender, just a stranger. You’ve never seen or stumbled upon them before. No name tag identifies them as they abruptly interrupt your conversation. “How is your experience here, is everything to your liking?” they interject directly in the middle of your last mouthful. You look up, unable to speak, because it’s not polite, and give a nodding. All conversation has stopped and all chewing has stopped. You find yourself wondering, who was that person? Rarely do they properly introduce themselves and you never see them again.

Do you find yourself wondering if that was just a person at table 12 who had finished his meal and has become inquisitive? Why do they not introduce themselves? Do you also find yourself wondering if you should take this as a lead and begin your quest to determine others dining experiences in the same room. You are led to assume that this person has something to do with the restaurant, but you were not properly introduced. You know what they say about assuming. The next time this situation is encountered quite possibly the question needs to be asked, “Excuse me, but who are you, could you introduce yourself please.” If one happenstances this enough, they may get the hint to address themselves properly before approaching a table abruptly with probing questions.