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Dining chat: Why can’t some restaurants offer substitutions on their menus?

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Updated June 28, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. EDT|Published June 21, 2023 at 4:06 p.m. EDT
Every Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, Tom Sietsema answers your questions about dining out. (For The Washington Post)

Thanks for joining my every-Wednesday-at-11 a.m. dining discussion. I’m here to answer your restaurant-related questions and solve your dining dilemmas, like how to best switch tables in the middle of a meal or what to do if the server doesn’t pour all the contents of a bottle of wine.

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I like to keep the format broad and open; recent chats have touched on tales of misbehaving dogs, how best to switch tables and when to let restaurants know about dietary restrictions.

Got an etiquette question? Want to know where to find a favorite dish? Or where to eat in another city? I aim to field those questions, too, occasionally with an assist from some of the smart chatters who frequent this hour-long discussion.

Meet me here Wednesday at 11 a.m. Eastern. You can find all of my reviews and past chats here.

Send us your question below. Your question may be edited for accuracy and clarity.

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