How to Choose Where to Eat with Friends

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 7, 2023

Deciding where to eat with friends can be challenging. To narrow down the choices, you should first determine what types of dietary, time, and budget restrictions members of the group might have. After you have eliminated restaurants that won’t work for certain members of the group, you can make your decision by voting, flipping a coin, appointing a decision maker, or using an app to help.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Narrowing Down the Options

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Talk about dietary restrictions. Before choosing a place to eat with your pals, you should first discuss any dietary restrictions they might have. For example, if one of your friends has a gluten intolerance, you will want to choose a place with gluten-free options like a Thai restaurant or sushi bar.^{[1]
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- Ask everyone in the party whether they have allergies, food sensitivities, or other restrictions.
- Always respect your friends’ dietary restrictions, even if you don’t understand them.
2
Consider time limitations. When planning a meal with others, it is important to think about how long everyone has to enjoy the meal. For example, if your friend has to be at work after the meal, you will want to choose a restaurant with fast, reliable service instead of one that is known for being slow.^{[2]
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Think about location. Chances are your friends live in multiple neighborhoods, which means that you should consider the location of a restaurant you choose. Think about how long it might take each member of your party to reach the restaurant. You should also consider whether or not everyone has reliable transportation to get to a suggested dining location.
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Consider the cost. It is important that you think about your friends’ budgets when choosing a place to eat. Not everyone has the same financial resources, so it is important to pick a place that everyone can afford. For example, your friend who is a successful engineer might be able to afford the hip new four-star restaurant, but this restaurant might be unaffordable for the friend who teaches high school.^{[3]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making the Decision

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Make a list of suggestions. Ask your friends to each suggest one restaurant. Their suggestion should take everyone’s dietary, time, and budget constraints into consideration. Once everyone suggests a restaurant, make a list of the proposed dining options.
2
Take a vote. Once you make a list of proposed restaurants, you can then take a group vote on where to eat. Each person gets one vote. Tally up the votes to see if there is a clear winner. If there is a tie between restaurants, you can break it with another vote or by flipping a coin.^{[4]
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3
Appoint a decision-maker. If your group of friends is having trouble deciding where to grab lunch or dinner, you can simplify the process by appointing a decision-maker. After making the list of suggested restaurants, the group can give a single person the responsibility of deciding which of the restaurants you will eat at.^{[5]
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- If deciding where to eat is a common issue with your group, you can set up a rotating list of decision-makers. When a particular person comes to the top of the list, they make that night's decision.
4
Try eating at one of your group's favorite places. If you can't decide where to go, you can always rely on a tried and true restaurant. Does your group have a favorite Italian restaurant or burger joint? Fall back on these favorites in moments of indecision.
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Explore a new restaurant. It's always fun to go someplace new when eating out with friends. Try asking everyone in the group if they have heard of any new restaurants they want to try. Take a vote on which one you'll visit if there are multiple choices.
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Use an app if you still can't think of anywhere to go. When you’re having difficulty choosing a place to eat, you can enlist the help of an app. Apps like Zomato, OpenTable, EatStreet, Grubhub, and Yelp can show you what restaurants are nearby, link you to menus, and provide you with reviews from other hungry people.^{[6]
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Pick a place from a hat. If your group still can't figure out where to eat, you can use an old fashioned method to choose. Write down at least three choices of restaurants on slips of paper. Place the slips of paper in a hat or other receptacle, like a bowl. Appoint someone to pick a slip of paper from the hat. This is where your group will eat.