April is National Brunch Month. Etiquetteer will confess to loving a good and Perfectly Proper brunch! The same rules apply to brunch as to any other meal, e.g. be on time, sit up straight, pass the salt and pepper together. But because brunch is designed to be more relaxed than lunch or dinner, it’s helpful to emphasize a few guidelines.
Keep things simple. Brunch combines the simplest elements of breakfast and lunch, so don’t complicate the meal with a complicated order. No, this doesn’t mean suppressing information about allergies, but it does mean actually reading the menu before ordering and not asking for a lot of substitutions. This piece from Bon Appetit, “Thou Shalt Not Be an Egg Diva,” goes into greater detail from the server’s point of view. Etiquetteer also sees the flip side of the guidance for restaurateurs: sure, be creative, but serve what customers want.
Plan to be your best self. Just because brunch is partly breakfast, don’t show up hangry or half-asleep. Pre-caffeinate at home and nibble on a little something so you won’t be desperately calling for the server to bring you coffee right now. (Because brunch combines breakfast and lunch, Etiquetteer generally prefers a brunch to begin between 11 AM and noon. But in fact a brunch may begin far later and still be called brunch with Perfect Propriety.)
Look respectable. That Just Rolled Out of Bed Look may work for the college crowd, but there are limits. Standard grooming and dressing applies. Even if you’re going to a pajama brunch, your pajamas shouldn’t look as though they’ve been slept in.
A bottomless mimosa isn’t a dare. Know your limits!
Be prepared. You’ve heard Etiquetteer say this before, and it’s still true. If you’re going to be fussy about your sweetener, bring your own. Dear Father (may he rest in peace) just could not manage unless it was Sweet ‘n’ Low, and Etiquetteer learned always to pack a small sheaf of packets when eating out. For you it might be agave nectar or something else. Don’t run the restaurant staff ragged, just BYO.
Etiquetteer wishes you a smooth and convivial and Perfectly Proper brunch.