Before 2020, take-away meals and food deliveries were almost the sole domain of the fast-food eatery and diner. If you wanted anything else, you had to travel to the restaurant of your choice.
However, in the last two years, food deliveries via apps and online orders have doubled, somewhat blurring the lines between the types of modern eateries. Does this mean that there’s no distinction between restaurants and diners anymore?
No, it doesn’t. There are still a few distinct differences between these types of dining establishments.
Check out this diner vs. restaurant comparison to help you decide where to go for dinner, next.
What Is a Restaurant?
We tend to use the term, ‘restaurant’ when referring to all manner of places serving food. These include family restaurants, upscale establishments, and fast food outlets.
In the strictest sense, the term refers to a sit-down eatery with servers, although there are a few other things that define restaurants.
What is a Diner?
The word, ‘diner’ arose in the Midwest and the Northwestern United States. It’s a term most often associated with cozy family eateries that serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Diners typically offer takeaway eats as well as seated dining, and they employ servers, too.
Diner vs. Restaurant Menus
Restaurants may serve food from a certain country, like an Italian restaurant, or a type of food group, e.g., seafood. Diners are an American concept and serve varied menus featuring local comfort food.
Usually, their food is a lot more creative than that served at a diner. For instance, you might find things like char-grilled tuna with brown rice, steamed vegetables, and lemon-butter sauce.
A typical diner menu might feature cheeseburgers with fries, and waffles.
What’s the Service Like in a Restaurant or Diner?
When you arrive, the hostesses at a restaurant guide you to your table, your server arrives to take your drink order and gives each diner a menu. After a while, they’ll return to take your order and see to any further requests.
They’ll check up on you to ensure you’re happy with your meal and have everything you need, while you’re eating. When you’ve finished your food, they clear the table and present the bill when asked.
You’ll usually pay the server what you owe and include a tip for their services.
At a diner, you can seat yourself at any available booth when you arrive, but apart from that, the procedure is much the same when it comes to ordering your food and paying the bill.
One important difference between diners and restaurants is that a chef prepares your meal in a restaurant, while diners hire cooks to prepare the food.
Food For Thought
Are you clear about the distinction between diner vs. restaurant, now? Both these establishments have evolved closely over time to the point where it’s a matter of decor nowadays.
Your choice boils down to what type of food you feel like the next time you eat out and where feel most comfortable.
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