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       #Post#: 23796--------------------------------------------------
       Who Orders First
   DIR By: NFPwife
       Date: January 11, 2019, 1:59 pm
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       This happened a bit ago and I'm wondering what everyone thinks
       about it.
       Friend and I parked and were walking into a fast casual
       restaurant. (If you've noticed a theme about me, it's that I
       love my fast casual spots. :D ) A gentleman held the door for
       us. He was far enough in front of us that I felt like I needed
       to take a fast step or so as not to inconvenience him. When you
       step into this restaurant, you immediately funnel into the
       ordering line, so friend reached for a menu (they have some
       sitting out to assist you in ordering) and started towards the
       front. We were the only three people in the line. I motioned
       friend to step aside and let the gentleman who held the door in
       front of us. While we were the only three people, and there are
       two registers, only one was actively "manned."
       So after I gave her a gentle tap and an eye movement to the
       side, she said, "What?! HUH?! What are you saying?" "Let him in
       front of us. He held the door, but he was here first, he should
       order in front of us." She replied, "What? Oh, yeah. Sure." To
       him, "Go ahead." He then refused to go in front of us and the
       three of us were performing a Chip and Dale routine in the
       narrow ordering space. We finally went in front of him.
       I thought letting him in front of us was a "common knowledge"
       thing and she thought I was being "extra" (in this case to be
       close to obsequious).
       In fact this happened to my husband and I a couple months later
       and we both stepped aside and let the couple who held the door
       order and it seemed smooth and normal.
       (If it matters this happened in the Deep South, she was raised
       in the West, I'm from the East Coast, above the MD line, and the
       gentleman, based on his accent, was born and raised in the Deep
       South. He was  late fifties, early sixties.)
       #Post#: 23801--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: Venus193
       Date: January 11, 2019, 2:23 pm
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       Posting for the answer, as I have no idea.
       #Post#: 23805--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: NyaChan
       Date: January 11, 2019, 2:51 pm
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       From my view, the man let you go ahead of him.  In your shoes, I
       would have looked back at him and made a gesture to show him I
       was willing to let him go first, especially so if my party isn’t
       ready to order, but I’m guessing he didn’t mind waiting or else
       he wouldn’t have stopped to let you go ahead of him into the
       restaurant.  There are ways to hold open a doer while staying
       ahead of people.
       #Post#: 23812--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: Kimberami
       Date: January 11, 2019, 3:11 pm
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       I would let him go first. That way everyone has a chance to be
       polite and have politeness given to them. :)
       #Post#: 23816--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: QueenFaninCA
       Date: January 11, 2019, 4:09 pm
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       Your friend is an inconsiderate clod. Of course you let the
       person who was there first go ahead. The only reason you found
       yourselves ahead of him was because he was polite and held the
       door. It's rude to repay that by jumping ahead of them.
       #Post#: 23818--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: Hmmm
       Date: January 11, 2019, 4:23 pm
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       I also thought it was "common knowledge". But I read a recent
       Ms. Manner's where this was discussed. Ms. Manners agrees with
       you that once inside you step aside and let the person opening
       the door proceed in front of you.
       I've noticed that sometimes I need to encourage the man to go
       ahead with a "oh, it'll take me awhile to decide, please go
       ahead".
       I was once impressed with my daughter around age 4 when she, my
       DH and I were going to a fast casual with the same set up. A
       single man held open the door for her and I and my DH. My DD
       automatically moved to the side and said "you first" to the
       gentleman. I don't know if she had learned it at school or just
       observing, but I knew we had never had the conversation with
       her. Hence, why I assume it is a common knowledge thing.
       #Post#: 23828--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: Thitpualso
       Date: January 11, 2019, 5:31 pm
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       Yes.  If someone holds the door open for you you let that person
       go to the counter and order before you. The extra wait isn’t
       likely to be that much longer.   Doing so is just common
       courtesy.
       We refer to the choreography involved as ‘the dance of the
       doorway’.  It usually resembles something I learned in
       square-dancing class.  We do it a lot in our building when
       someone’s taking out a stroller or bringing in bags of shopping.
       
       #Post#: 23829--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: TootsNYC
       Date: January 11, 2019, 5:34 pm
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       --- Quote ---
       > A gentleman held the door for us. He was far enough in front
       of us that I felt like I needed to take a fast step or so as not
       to inconvenience him.
       --- End Quote ---
       Can I just say, I hate this stuff?
       Just open the door for yourself, and stop trying to interject
       yourself into my life.
       You are not in my party.
       And if you've gone so far as to change the order of things, then
       in my opinion, that's what you get. It's crowded inside, and you
       have voluntarily taken a later position in line.
       If there's more room, then OK, I'll step aside, but honestly,
       this would be so much easier if guys like him weren't awkwardly
       holding doors open for people they don't even know.
       #Post#: 23832--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: Surly
       Date: January 11, 2019, 5:58 pm
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       I agree with you, OP, I think if someone is kindly holding open
       the door for you, it makes sense to kindly let them in front of
       you when it's time to order.  Now, if he motions for you to
       order ahead of him, that's fine too -- you don't have to insist.
       But I think you did the right thing.
       --- Quote from: TootsNYC link ---
       >
       > [quote]A gentleman held the door for us. He was far enough in
       front of us that I felt like I needed to take a fast step or so
       as not to inconvenience him.
       --- End Quote ---
       Can I just say, I hate this stuff?
       Just open the door for yourself, and stop trying to interject
       yourself into my life.
       You are not in my party.
       And if you've gone so far as to change the order of things, then
       in my opinion, that's what you get. It's crowded inside, and you
       have voluntarily taken a later position in line.
       If there's more room, then OK, I'll step aside, but honestly,
       this would be so much easier if guys like him weren't awkwardly
       holding doors open for people they don't even know.
       [/quote]
       I disagree with the tone of this.  I think holding open doors
       for people, letting people in front of you in line -- they're
       all part of acknowledging that we're in the world together.  I
       wouldn't see it as trying to interject in my life, but trying to
       participate in being a part of humanity.  I phrased that in kind
       of a cheesy way, but I do mean it.  I don't think there's
       anything intrusive in being kind to other people and
       acknowledging their presence.
       #Post#: 23834--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Who Orders First
   DIR By: QueenFaninCA
       Date: January 11, 2019, 6:20 pm
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       --- Quote from: TootsNYC link ---
       >
       > [quote]A gentleman held the door for us. He was far enough in
       front of us that I felt like I needed to take a fast step or so
       as not to inconvenience him.
       --- End Quote ---
       Can I just say, I hate this stuff?
       Just open the door for yourself, and stop trying to interject
       yourself into my life.
       You are not in my party.
       And if you've gone so far as to change the order of things, then
       in my opinion, that's what you get. It's crowded inside, and you
       have voluntarily taken a later position in line.
       If there's more room, then OK, I'll step aside, but honestly,
       this would be so much easier if guys like him weren't awkwardly
       holding doors open for people they don't even know.
       [/quote]
       Color me puzzled. If someone visibly holds the door open for, I
       try my best not to make them stand there longer than necessary.
       What else should I do? Tell them to let go of the door?
       Isn't this forum about being polite? Holding the door open for
       someone instead of letting it slam close right in front of them
       is polite.
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