You don't own the restaurant, the OWNER does. Complain if you want, but don't expect anything. Don't like it, leave. You're one person, and they won't miss you. Maybe the guy in the flip flops wears a suit & tie everyday at work and wants to relax at a nice dinner. Maybe he tips 50%. Maybe he was just at the pool. What does it matter? His money is just as green as yours. The real question is why are you unable to enjoy your food because of how the guy at the next table LOOKS? If you don't like looking at him, DON'T LOOK AT HIM!

I'm guessing the real reason you're offended is that you don't want to associate with anyone that doesn't look, act, and speak like you. You obviously judge people by their clothes (and I'm assuming cars, residences, jewelry, and other status symbols) and assume someone in shorts is beneath you. If it's really a problem for you, join a country club and eat there every meal. Someone with the sensibilities to know the proper way to dress to dine obviously would already be a member and obviously is too important to cook something for themselves.

we like to get dressed up too....

Julie Berry - the reason people wear shorts and t-shirts to restaurants is BECAUSE IT IS HOT IN HOUSTON!

There are a bunch of $50+ per person restaurants that are very casual, especially if you have a couple of cocktails or a bottle of whine with your meal.

I've spend over $50 per person at Hobbit Café and it doesn't get much more casual than the Hobbit Café.

Grow up Julie and stop trying to shame people into your way of thinking - typical woman. What are you doing paying attention to the other patrons in the restaurant anyway, are your dinner companions that boring?

I'm more offended by the high pitched, shrill women's voices that carry across the restaurant, they always think their so cute an clever. Bunch of shrews!

I agree mostly with what you write. I would offer two things to counter your position.

There are so many dinner choices in this city. Restaurant managers are responsible for setting the dress code to bring the patrons they desire most. If they want sun bathers straight from the pool, they can allow that. On the other hand if they want only jackets for men and dresses for women, they can choose that. You can choose where you want to eat.

Houston has been my home all my life. What I love most about Houston and what sets us apart from Dallas (for instance) is the laid back setting. I think you will find that in many parts of the city, restaurants would see far more patrons with a relaxed dress code than with one more restricting.

Couldn't agree more about the ball caps; even in fast food restaurants they are not appropriate.

and while we're on the subject , can we start the executions of anyone that walks into a public place wearing anything from Ed Hardy or Affliction?

haha your probably worried about other people and the way they look, because you are not satisfied with what you have in front of you... i.e. husband/boyfriend/significant other. Maybe they bore you to death, which causes you to look aroun and find comfort in others short comings. Like Agnered Tues said, maybe he wears a suit to work every day. Jesus, is this the best article you can write for MSN? you spent countless numbers of years in school just to report on the way people dress at the places you eat. Maybe you over dress? ever think about that? All in all this was a waste of my time, as i knew it would be. its houston, average temp outsie during the ight is a blistering 87 with humidity. go back to school and do something with your life

Julie, you don't like it move to Dallas.

Maybe some of the "high class" restauants should act accordingly and serve real food for the price instead of everything coming off a Sysco truck. You don't like the way I dress? I don't approve of yours either.

Julie,
Nobody cares. Maybe you should try living in Dallas where they give a crap about petty things like that. It's the millennium! Gone are days of dress codes even in work places, thank goodness. Or maybe you just need to travel more and realise nobody cares about that because we have more important things to worry about like poverty or health care.

I was raised well. I don't even wear a ball cap when I'm eating a meal at my own home. That said, why does this woman care? Part of the fun of going out is people watching!

So Julie, next time when you're people watching and you see a woman not covering up her assets, make sure i'm the first person you call. I love seeing assets!

Just dined at Uchi last Sunday and spent over $200.00 for two adults and our two children 7 and 10. Very upscale sushi restaurant, rated #1 by the Chron. We called in and checked and they have a casual dress code. Since Houston is so hot in June/July, I came in wearing a nice pair of "dressed" shorts and a very nice collarless shirt that you can also describe it as a T-shirt and a nice pair of sandals...(in other words, nice summer clothes) no problem getting in. Some customers were wearing nice jeans, some slacks, ... Nice atmosphere with no one looking at what we wear of cares. Sometimes it is how you dress rather than what you dress...Making a comment like $50 per person and expect people to dress like they are getting ready to go out dancing or clubbing is ridiculous. Now there are restaurants like Anthony's that I would never wear nice summer clothes to nor think they would allow me to...just need to use your common sense folks! And Julie...nothing wrong with wearing a baseball cap to dinner ... as long as it is to an establishment such as McDonalds...

I can get a 'bottle of whine' at home, don't need to go out to no stinkin restaurant for that...

As for dressing up - or down - it's America, land of the free. It is not about following proper mores, rules, regulations, laws etc. Its about the freedom to get away with as much as you can. Laws and rules are for other people. You, individually, can do what you want as long as you don't get caught.

Bug off. This is Houston and it's bloody hot. I wear shorts all summer. I will wear shorts when I go out and if it annoys you - I don't care!

Because it's Houston and Houston ain't that kind of town.

You wouldn't want me to take off my cap if you knew how greasy my hair is! LOL...

I eat out a LOT...all over the USA, but particularly in Washington and NYC, as well as Houston. In my experience, I have also found that these people tend to stick out when they are underdressed. With that said, it is their decision, as long as the establishment allows it. It's not my cup of tea, but if others want to express themselves through a lack of approapriate attire, and the owner allows it, then I don't have a problem with it.

What I don't understand are those that act as if allowing someone in to dine that is not dressed appropriately will ruin degrade their meal. I find that incredulous! You can always choose to not return - I'm guessing that the owner won't care much unless you are a regular - and the under-dressed diners will give you something to talk about during your meal. But why this bothers some people as much as they claim it does is really beyond me.

If you feel that strongly, then there are a few very upscale establishments and private clubs that may be better suited for someone like you. Most of the places that I've been to seem to care more about discretion when dealing someone's dress unless really outlandish and trying to be a good host and accommodating to diners. Given the current economic climate, that makes a lot of sense to me.

I would have to agree with 2 of the people that commented on here. If you dont like what they are wearing go somewhere else. You shouldn't focus on what people are wearing, they might be coming home from a hard day at work wearing suits and other formal stuff to work and need a break. Why are you so quick to judge people that wear shorts and flip flops. Also, if you havent notice we do live in Houston Texas where is it 100 degrees outside. I will agree on the hat comment because hats are really not a resturant thing but the other items give the people a break. THose people probably have more money than you and have the right to go to any resturant they can afford. Please learn to ignore them if you dont like how they are dressed and concentrate more on the conversation you are having with the person you are with. That is probably why the person you are with is already tired of your BS....

I for one whole heartedly agree with Julie. I am tired of looking at people who dress like they are going to a pool party instead of a dinner at an uscale restaurant. Most people are not pretty to look at without clothes. I don't want to see their nasty toes and feet sticking out of flip flops. I don't want to see their expanding waistlines falling out all over their clothes. I don't want to see their hairy chests and arm pits. I don't want to see their sweaty ball caps and nasty matted down hair. I don't want to see their medically enhanced breasts falling out onto the table. If this was the atmosphere I was looking for, I'd go to one of the many "gentlemen clubs" in the area. I don't expect everyone else to look like me, but let's face it, just as you are expected to conduct yourself in a certain manner, such as using silverware instead of your fingers, one should have a little class and dress appropriately for the occassion.

The same people that dress like slobs restaurants are the same neanderthals that get on an airplane, carrying bags of fast food - then try to squeeze nine different items in the overhead while yacking on their cell phone. "let me see if i just cram this washer and dryer in here - surely I wont be inconveniencing anyone".

Have some respect for yourself. The world does not always revolve around you and your sandals.

even those places which do have policies regarding a dress code don't normally enforce them as prefer not to have the negative press associated with or be accused of any form of discrimination

They should ban overweight people also. I cant stand eating at a high end restaurant and having my dinner ruined because their legs look like a leg of jamon serrano or the asked for a second portion of bread...ewww gross. Also it looks like their body is about to burst out of their dress clothes. To be honest I just lost my appetite now thinking about it. We should trade them for the hipster that look good in flip flops, hats, tank tops, and big beards. At least we know they stink and do it by choice...not because they ate a second portion of bone-in filet mignon with duck fat fries. The worst part I was told they ate the last steaks since that cut is limited because only two cuts are found in each cow. What anarchy!
So in reality is, I prefer a tank top, flip flop, and hats over fat people.

Get take out and eat at home. There. Problem solved.

I agree with that ball caps don't belong in a nice restaurant, and you definitely shouldn't go dressed like a slob. But it is possible to look presentable in a pair of shorts and sandals. As someone else said, it is very hot in Houston, and it just doesn't make sense to dress up the way people do in New York or Paris. The clothes are going to get drenched in sweat anyway. Common sense is the key.

of course people have no class or sense of decorum, no one should be suprised by it, its been systematically reduced over the last 50 years...bad language, bad behavior, lack of ethics, lack of morality, lack of responsibility....that is diversity, love it or leave it.

If there is a dress code, then its up to the restaurant to enforce it. There are some that do. If they don't have a dress code or do not choose to enforce it, then they don't have to do so.
The best way to avoid your delicate sensitivities from being offended is to call the restaurant you would like to patronize and ask them if they have a dress code and how stringently it is enforced.
If you get there and it isn't being enforced, then leave...but be sure to tell the manager why, exactly, you are leaving.

...much ado about absolutely nothing...

About a year ago I had had a very bad day at work where I had felt pretty attacked and verbally beaten up by some individuals who were pushing their own agenda. Right after work I needed to get to a volunteer project where I needed to be in casual clothes - we were setting up booths and tents for an event. After everything was done, a good friend of mine who had helped on the projected suggested we go to dinner - now I knew we were kind of grubby but that sounded wonderful. He knows me quite well and knows my comfort meal is a dry gin martini and a perfectly prepared medium rare NY Strip. So we went to Flemings in City Center. We were definitely not dressed up for dinner, which ordinarily we are, but we were warmly welcomed and seated and had one of the most satisfying meals I've had in a long time. Now I understand what the original writer was talking about, but I truly appreciate the fact that on this particular evening, when I really needed a pleasant meal in a relaxed atmosphere, I was able to have that even though I was what others might have considered underdressed.

I completely agree with Julie. My friends and I often lament the fact that there is almost no where we can go for a nice dinner out without being confronted with people who look like they are headed to the burger shack on the beach. Yes. Have some respect for yourself, for others and for the restaurant. What? Some of you are suggesting moving to Dallas to find others with a sense of decorum. Really?

People that wear ball caps in a dining establishment should be garoted.

You have to understand where you live. While there are thousands of great intelligent people in Houston, we still have a significant number of hillbilly types who have no class.In this town, it has been posssible for the most unsophisticated, classless mountain folk type to make it rich.The majority of us have to think of them like mosquitos. They are here, annoying, and not much we can do about it. One thing money can't buy is self respect and consideration for others.You an slap lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.

I travel to So. America and Europe quite a bit. And one thing I like about dining when I'm there is that in the nicer places it seems that everyone is always dressed appropriately. In some places they require a jacket of some sort. Just seems to make a little more civilized versus seeing some guy's hairy legs. Save that for vacation meccas.

Yall just trying to keep black people out of the nice restaurants. This is why Obama gonna win again.

Don't have a problem with shorts and as far as baseball caps go that's a matter of manners if that's the way you were raised. I do draw the line at cut-off sleeveless shirts a la "Git R Done" style. It's kind of hard to ignore hairy armpits. People that have the opinion of "live and let live" usually are the ones that have the least consideration of others (ex.cell phones in theaters). That's just their way of saying "I can do whatever the hell I want to do and I don't give a damn who it bothers."

Julie is right. My grandma used to correct me when I tried to leave the house with gum in my mouth. "Mannerly people don't chew gum in public." Men should wear a coat and tie, and always take their fedora off when entering the room. And ladies, remember to remove your glove (right) when you shake hands. Tip the coat check girl at least a dollar, and oh, ladies don't smoke in public, either.

Wow!! Julie, please call the restaurant you want to dine at prior to going because there are plenty of restaurants with strict dress codes. Now, leave all the rest of us alone bc u just wasted my time reading this stupidity.

Well, to be fair to Julie, it's not just her but her *family and friends* are also offended by what other people wear. lol. I would never wear the clothing she describes while eating out. But hey, to each his own.

As long as I'm not sitting next to a guy with a tank top and underarm hair visible, I really could care less what people wear. I am there to enjoy the food and the company I am with. People are becoming more and more casual so I suggest you get used to it. How shallow can you get? This is not Hollywood or even Dallas for that matter. I guess next you will want women to wear panty hose in the summer. (Yes I remember those days).All that being said, I try to dress nicely if I go to a nice or more upscale place but I am not going to shove my standards down other people's throats. The thought police are bad enough without now having the fashion police.

Many restaurants used to do that. I remember one time that TGIFridays even had a small dress code. Those restaurants are few and far between these days as we have become a casual society. I even see women wearing flip flops and work out pants to work. Shows a lack of respect for their employer, in my eyes. If dress codes aren't enforced, then people won't adhere to them.

I use to be a server at a restaurant where we all had to look nice, have hostesses in skirts and tie's...and for what 80% of people under tip. Are completely rude, reguardless of dress, and for a fact the nice churchies dont tip or tip $2.00....And now that I have finished college and have a "real" job, I go out in what ever I feel like, who are you to judge me...I work and pay taxes just like the other 50% of you whom are not on welfare collecting a check. Its none of your concern if i wear shorts and flip flops and show off my 28 tattoos. You know why because your not my mother, and even if you were id still tell you where you could stick your opinion.
So if i choose to look like a slob and get crummy service from the wait staff...its my decision to tip low and its theirs for judging me and my 6figures.

The days of dressing in an appropriate manner to eat at a good restaurant are over. We now live in an in–your–face country, where lowlifes have set the dress trend and restaurant managers don’t want to tell anyone they can’t go in dressed like a street corner panhandler. They don’t want to lose the money. It’s also the fault of many of the women who got to restaurants with these street poachers. Many of the women are dressed quite nicely, look as though they took the time to look good. At the same time they’re accompanied by some jerk wearing baggy-butt shorts, an “awesome” tee-shirt with some beer logo, ratty flip–flops and a sweat–stained Rockets ball cap. And, of course, the handsome fellow dressed like that thinks that because he wears a suit and tie all day – that he can dress like a slob to compensate himself for the injustice of having to look decent during the day.

To anger many of you further, I’ve noticed that older black men and women (older than about forty) dress very well to go to a good restaurants. Perhaps their parents taught them right from wrong. Perhaps the parents of the white dudes (BTW, I’m white) had parents who thought they shouldn’t require junior to conform to anything: he’ll probably learn good manners somehow along the way.

Last, restaurant managers should set aside an area where the decent folks (yeah; I said decent) want to dress decently (I said it again).

There are plenty of places where you can dress like a slob and keep your hat on indoors. But there should be at least a FEW places where you can dress like an adult and enjoy the atmosphere as much as the food.

It is not just restaurants---many people in Houston do not dress well, or appropriately for the occasion. I am from Florida--it is hot and humid there, too, but the people dress better.
My first boss in Houston, when I moved here 10 yrs ago, was blown away by how professionally I was dressed every day, while my peers were in capris, shorts, flip flops, t-shirts. Of course, they resented me when he made a dress code.
I was at UH recently and was as appalled by the professors' attire as by the students'.
I won't get started on the way people dress for church.
For the ladies, a skirt or dress is much more comfortable when it is hot--and as many have noted, everything is air-conditioned.
Daisy dukes and halter tops are fine for the beach and the picnic, but a person who respects others, and respects himself, dresses up a little when they are in public places.

Looking over all the comments I find it interesting first that anyone would let the way someone looks ruin their evening. NOW, someone who does not show respect (and I am a southerner who believes removing a hat indoors is a show of respect) is what can ruin an evening. Loud obnoxious behavior, rudeness to staff and other patrons, cussing consistantly, dressed to the nines or for the beach and letting your chest hang out or ass from too short of shorts, chewing with one's mouth full, picking your teeth at the table. All of these things are the issues of societies lack of respect for others and the establishment where they are. And since I am originally from Clear Lake I know that you should expect the variance in dress at all restaurants down there because most people live there to be on the water, especially those who have the means to be in the more pricey establishments. It has been that way since I was young and that was about 50 years ago. So you do need to consider demographics and what really would spoil a good meal.... such as parents who don't raise their kids right and make them behave in public!

It's not a matter of how much money you have. It's a matter of how much class you have. A slob is a slob and no amount of money or boorish behavior will change that.

Short answer, yes. Houston restaurant patrons need to be called on their sloppy attire. We want major city status here in Houston, but we still want to act like spoiled hicks. We can't have it both ways. This is the same thing that happened when restaurants tried to regulate smoking. The smokers revolted (and were revolting) and the restaurants caved...for a while. When the non-smoking patrons began to go to those places where smoking wasn't allowed the other restaurants fell in line.

Now we are seeing the same phenomenon occur with regard to social dress. These restaurants need to put a halt to roguish dress and behavior. The customers will surely come.

the bottom line is people dress like shit these days and establishments are just catering to the majority.

if you want these rules enforced and/or to go to a place that actually has decent people familiar with class...

go to a country club.

I agree with you. I also think it's disgusting how some people dress when going to a nice restaurant. I remember years ago when we saw people at fine steak restaurants in jeans. Now that's normal.

Take comfort, comrades: we'll all be wearing government-mandated uniforms before you know it!

Maybe those folks who are under dressed didn't plan on eating out at such a swanky place, for whatever reason, so it's not necessarily intentional. Ask to be sat somewhere your delicate sensitivities won't be offended, or get the hell out.

Were these people so offensive with their table manners that you were unable to eat? Are there no "upscale" restaurants in Houston that do have strict dress codes? My mom agrees with you. We only take her to these restaurants so she is not offended by the wardrobe choices of others. It solves the problem. She doesn't get upset and we aren't embarrassed by her judgmental behavior.

Pretensions are nice but aren't really anything to get worked up about. If you go to a restaurant and are unhappy with the dress code allowed, scratch it off your list. Problem solved. You'll have about 8,000 other choices for your next outing. If you feel the need to let the manager know why you won't be returning on your way out, knock yourself out.

At times, dressing down can be a distraction, especially if the offender has GAPO (gorilla armpit odor). In Midtown, some of the places have a dress code posted on the door before one enters. Once in Dallas, my friends informed me that we were having "brunch" at Le Peep." When we were ready to get into the car, they informed me that my shorts were too short. I was just Houston white trash so I had to change. BTW - Le Peep sucked.

PDevie is spot on. And surely Julie Berry has already come to terms with the fact that as a dignified and respectful person, she is a minority in a society that openly celebrates boorish, guttural behavior, especially in this armpit of a city. Nothing is sacred- you have silicon breasts and short skirts in church, ball caps at Perry's and thugs in Cadillacs. I can certainly relate to her dismay, but I am admittedly curious about this notion of $50.00 a plate constituting "upscale." That hasn't been the case in decades.

Money is money and no one is going to turn down a customer in times like this.

I have seen it too! Shorts and flip flop for a $100 steak dinner. My wife and I where all dressed up and the people next to us looked like they just got off of a boat at the lake.

Some people are real sad when it comes to dressing up for dinner now days.

Well, as we can see, there are these folks like agnerd and sure who were apparently never taught manners. Of course, I'm so old fashioned that I remove my hat indoors. When upscale dining, I stick to places where the patrons respect each other.

I wouldn't even put on clean underwear for what Julie thinks is upscale, especially if she can only define upscale based on $/person. Hat on? Whatever, it might look better than your dragon ball Z spike hair. Next, your going to say that you didn't like parking next to the dirty car on your way in the restaurant. I mean, really, if they are going to such an upscale place to eat, shouldn't they wax their car? And who eats their salad with a dinner fork? 3 prongs classless people! Get it right, I can't enjoy my meal watching you chew more than 3 times before you swallow!

You went there to eat, not judge people! If you want to pass judgement, stay home and watch American Idol!! And if you went there to put on airs and be judged, compete in American Idol! Believe you me, if a restaurant wants to turn me away for what I'm wearing, I will leave graciously.... but I will NEVER darken their doors again!

Thankfully, most restaurants in Houston cater to the casual vibe of out citizens. You want an "exclusive" atmosphere? Then I humbly suggest that you reserve a table at a private club, or reserve a private room at one of the many establishments that offer them!

So.....if you live in a redneck "city" expect some redneck behavior!! I'm having a tough time adjusting to it, too!!! I moved from
San Francisco and we dressed according to the occasion. Totally get it that y'all don't want to remove you baseball caps and act like humans.

Maybe this is because I'm a product of the 1960's, but when I go out to eat my mind is on the food and my dinner companion and that's just about it. When I see some idiot sitting at a table with his hat on, especially if he's with a woman, I mentally roll my eyes but it's quickly forgotten.

As to hats at the table, anyone who's from the country knows rule number 1. If you're sitting outdoors or at the counter, leave your hat on. If you're at a table, the hat goes on a rack or stays in the truck.

That's not a dress code. It's the fact that I'm a country boy whose parents brought him up right.

@ original poster (Julie)
There has to be a few places in Houston that require a jacket on all male customers. Those may be the restaurants you should patronize.
=)

I personally have to agree to disagree with some of the comments. First off, I really don't think The Hobbit Cafe' would be considered a higher-end restaurant so, perhaps shorts and a tee may be ok. However, if you're hitting up a Vic & Anthony's or even a Pappa's establishment, then you need to be aware that it's a "professional" atmosphere and should dress as such. Yes I DO BELIEVE that people need to take note of how they look these days; some of you look DOWN RIGHT ridiculous in restaurants and elsewhere, and it has become quite disturbing!! I see women going to WORK in flip flops...REALLY??? Your style of dress where appropriate/inappropriate truly says alot about YOU, and if you're in flip flops and shorts at a "nice evening out for dinner", then you should go back home and start over. Just take a look around when you're out and about, not necessarily at a restaurant but just...everywhere and realize that people are not "professional-minded" in their attire anymore. Oh YES, it grinds my gears; a HUGE pet peeve of mine!

OK....how 'bout instead of the usual attacks against the article and writer, let's try something different....does ANYONE know a restaurant in Houston WITH a dresscode? Maybe Tony's? Does Brennan's have one? No attacks....just suggestions....just asking.

A slob is a slob.

Whenever I'm dressed-up at a nice restaurant and people come in wearing flip-flops, I pick my nose and flick it at them.

Who cares?? Don't go back to the restaurant if you don't like how the other patrons dress. If you're comfortable in slacks/collared shirt , fine. If jeans are more your style, great. Same for nice shorts. Everyone has the right to be comfortable when they're spending their hard earned money on a nice meal. The point is to enjoy the meal , atmosphere, company. Who cares what others wear? As long as it's not bathing or workout attire, it shouldn't matter. If it does matter to you, seek out places with a dress code. Otherwise, get over it.

The best way to deal with these people is to go up and ask nicely, when they refuse, invite them outside to talk.

Couldn't agree more. Wife and I were at a fairly upscale restaurant just the other day and this guy comes in dressed in camo shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. That's great attire for a backyard BBQ but come on. I have no problem with casual attire but show a little class.

You know, reading all these comments reminds me of what my dad taught us girls when we were lamenting the fact we didn't have any "Gloria Vanderbilt" designer jeans.

"You can wrap up dogdoo in Chanel, Gloria Vanderbilt, or Levis. Doesn't matter how pretty the wrapper is...it's still *bleep* inside."

Personally, I'd rather be around a lot of good people in sleeveless cutoff shirts, shorts and flipflops (or even, *gasp* barefeet) than a bunch of uppity, shallow people in Armani. Having been around both 'classy' affluent people who dress to the nines and people from more modest living arrangements who dress in what they can afford, I find I prefer the realness of the 'common' people to the snotty so-called 'upper escheleon'.

I always dress like a lady and constantly get a prime table and service because people judge on appearance and I look like a good tipper (I am). I don't dictate social prejudices. If people want to shoot themselves in the foot by dressing like dumpster divers and get seated by the restrooms with a vanishing server, that's their call.

This is just Houston, it's always been this way. We have been dubbed the worlds biggest small town.

Night clubs in houston regularly screen for dress at the door, and for those uninterested in dressing for the scene simply dance somewhere else. This convention is not to insult or demean persons, but to uphold an ambiance or feel of an establishment. Restaurant owners have the same option. There are restaurants that request a certain level of attire, and some that do not. If I do not like the environment in a restaurant, whether because of service, food, or even the patronage, I have the right to eat elsewhere.

Recently I had an anniversary and we had decided to go out for dinner. I scheduled a reservation for a nice steak house and then decided to cancel. Why? I did not want fussy food and I did not want to dress up. We ended up going to a chain restaurant (sort of a steak place) where I felt comfortable wearing jeans. I wear fussy clothes 5 days a week at work and Sundays at church. When I go out I just want to be comfy. It was nice to have someone else serve us and we had fun. That was what mattered.

Personally I could care less what people around me are wearing but dressing down shows what you think of yourself and your surroundings. There are plenty of restaurants where casual is perfectly fine. However, there are places that you don't dress like you're 12. If want respect, show that you're willing to give it as well. And how you present yourself is part of respect.

And this whole attitude of "who are you to judge me" is laughable. I don't ever recall anyone giving up that right to judge others.

I'm assuming for the ones that agree with Julie, going out to dinner is the only thing that gets you out of the house once a month. Going out for dinner is just one of the multiple things I might do on a given evening and there is no way I'm going to go home and change so I don't hurt your feelings.

Why yall hating on my flip flops? Seriously, my opinion is - people should be able to dress how they WANT to dress. I understand all the uppity people wanting the stuffy atmosphere, but if there is no dress code, then there is NO DRESS CODE.
If you want to only visit places that limit people on their attire, I think you should find establishments that have dress codes.
But yall don't really care what I think, you just want me to put on some socks and shoes!
Enjoy!!

Well I can dress up or down, it's America. If I'm seated by SNOBS I try to give them a little or alot of some delightful smells. I find these people inbred, and would enjoy eating them. My wife and I always have going out because you just never know what sort of smells I'll be emitting.

I agree. Today people dress like slobs or like they are going to mow the yard or something. I quit going to Las Vegas because the sense of elegance was lost so long ago. It's all shorts and tennis shoes these days (the real rat pack now.)

Flip flops were good enough for Duby's White House.

This is funny. I go to work in shorts and flip flops. It's too hot to wear full dress clothes. And I def make more money than you do. But non the less, get over it. If you don't like it, go elsewhere. It was funny to read tho.

Wow, just wow people.
I've been to McDonald's at 1am and Three Forks at 7pm on a Friday. Never have I given a second thought to what other patrons of the restaurant are wearing. They simply aren't part of the experience I'm paying for, so why bother? If you can't handle the attire of the other paying guests, I suggest you simply find another place to eat, or ask to be seated in a different section. The proprietor obviously doesn't have an issue, why should you?

The most well-off of my friends would always shop in cutoffs and a wife-beater, no matter the store. He had a credit line higher than my house cost. It was worth it to him to find out who gave the best service no matter what the customer looked like. There's a lesson there, I hope the more snobby responses on here understand it.

There are alot of restaurants, and "private clubs" that do have dresscodes. Maybe you should stick to that type of establishment.

For SURE do not go to Austin and expect anything BUT flip flops and t shirts!

Heck, even at church services now they're wearing flip flops and jeans and shorts. I don't - but I'm getting used to seeing kids and some adults in them. And I'm just glad the're there!

Hey you, the snob who won't stop looking at my shorts, stick your nose where it belongs. Anything I wear is appropriate, because I choose to wear it. Its none of your concern how I dress. I don't like looking at your face, it disgusts me. Fat people make me sick, should we have a no fat people or ugly people rule as well? This isn't grade school, your opinion on fashion means less than nothing. If I choose to wear a hat, shorts, and flip flops its my life. I think you look like a stuffed monkey in that suit.

Those of you who don't like flip flops and shorts better not come down to the Kemah area. The locals, many of whom have a LOT of money, routinely wear flip flops, Hawaiian shirts and shorts out to dinner. It's the lifestyle down here. In fact that could be considered our formal attire. After sailing all day in the heat who the heck wants to dress up. My main requirement is to at least have well groomed feet. I will judge you on nasty feet.

Do you realize how many restaurants in Houston have gone out of business? Restaurants cannot afford to turn people away or risk ending up in the trash heap with the rest of them. It is especially difficult to get new restaurants off the ground and even more so if they are higher end (higher end means higher food costs while still trying to stay competitive.) This is a different world. This is not the world of the 80s or even 90s. We are in a deep recession and we should be thankful that there are people out there regardless of attire who can afford to still go out and eat and contribute to our local economy.

As a T-Shirt, shorts, and flip-flop kinda guy - I totally agree with the rant! Part of going somewhere nice & pricey (usually a special occasion) is the total package - food, service, ambiance, etc... If you can't dress appropriately, hit the drive through or go to chain restaurant.

Don't really care what others wear. It won't bother me at all. I do like to dress up a little when I go out. It feels great. I also get better service and table selection. The only person I think that would look absolutely fabulous in flip flops is Matthew McConaughey. Who's looking at his feet!

Oh! Yeah! The so called upper class and wealthy showing thier snobbish behavior.

Get over it...you live in a city that prides itself on being different. There's an art car parade, a house made out of beer cans and no zoning - you can build a smoke shop next to a strip club and they can both be across the street from an elementary school.

Take a look at your food critic's list of top 100 restaurants and tell me how many you'd dress up to go to? The number 28 restaurant serves burgers...out of a bus! And you can't enjoy a meal when a complete stranger isn't wearing slacks and button-down? I agree that wearing a hat at dinner is tacky, but management has the right to serve who they want and if you don't like it, don't go back. Like you said...they're not hurting for business, so I'm sure they won't mind if they don't see you again.

It's a freakin free for all, no matter where you go! What I see around me is simply amazing (in a bad way). Really? Do you think anyone AT ALL wants to see your body art, armpit hair, enhanced boobs, or how cheaply you can dress? How much longer until we can just go naked and it will be accepted? Why not now? Screw those snobs and just go without clothes. No one wears anything that looks respectable anyway. Losing battle, IMHO

The comments are pretty amusing. It's a shame we've lost any sense of appropriate presentation. Emily Post is rolling in her grave. Even more sad is that people are genuinely offended that you suggest they dress or act a certain way. This is the special snowflake generation, all grown up.

Oh well. I can still enjoy my meal.

If I'm paying for a nice dinner in a restaurant where I'm going to incur a bill of at least $50/person, the least you slobs can do is put on shoes. I don't want to see your dirty heels in your pool flip flops, not do I want to see your hairy armpits hanging out of your wife beater shirt. If that's the best you can do, just go to McDonalds!

LAME - This is what's wrong with Houston. So many people are too concerned with what people drive, what they wear, how much they make, etc.

Soon, comrades, we will all wear government-mandated uniforms and dine on government-dispensed Soylent Green.

Or we can vote Obama and Crazy Uncle Joe out.

When I dine at an expensive restaurant, I'm not just buying the food - I'm buying an atmosphere and an experience. I respect the people around me by dressing at a level that reflects the prices on the menu. What's so hard to understand about that?

I should be able to wear whatever I want to eat this overpriced food.

Keep it classy Houston...

Again I state, SOME OF YOU JUST DO NOT CARE HOW YOU LOOK in public. "Fussy clothes"?, wtf are FUSSY clothes? I don't think most of the positive comments are insuating to go to a restaurant dressed like you're going to church or to a banquet or formal affair, but at least look like you care something about yourself (not others). I'm thinking a nice LAUNDERED pair of jeans, comfy sexy top and perhaps sandals (not flippy flops) should do it. And for the guys...same jeans, button up shirt, Steve Madden's. HHAAHAHAHA. It's not rocket science!

Again I state, SOME OF YOU JUST DO NOT CARE HOW YOU LOOK in public. "Fussy clothes"?, wtf are FUSSY clothes? I don't think most of the positive comments are insuating to go to a restaurant dressed like you're going to church or to a banquet or formal affair, but at least look like you care something about yourself (not others). I'm thinking a nice LAUNDERED pair of jeans, comfy sexy top and perhaps sandals (not flippy flops) should do it. And for the guys...same jeans, button up shirt, Steve Madden's. HHAAHAHAHA. It's not rocket science!

Amazing how much energy people can expend trying to control *other* people. Worry about yourself, and leave other people to themselves.

nobody wants to see your gangrene toe nails, flea bite scars, ratty flip flops, hairy backs, bad sun burns, bart simpson t-shirts, or look-at-me-i-think-i'm-a-bad-ass gay biker leather jackets at a FIVE STAR restaurant. There is something called the DINING EXPERIENCE which lazy, low class, destroyers of everything nice don't seem to understand.

The only feet that should be seen at all in a 5 start restaurant should be in heels. Period.

If YOU think that eating at a 5 star restaurant is only for snobs, then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM. Wanna dress like a dirty biker or with anything mentioned above? Go to cracker barrel.

5 star restaurants are 5 star for a reason, they're better than most of the competition, have great service, food, and ambiance. They are exclusive...try walking your dirty biker self or flip flops into Tony's.

It's about having a little class. Just because one might be lazy and slobbish doesn't mean they should be able to ruin it for everyone else.

Many of you sound like you can buy expensive dinners, but apparently you'll never be able to buy class.

If you do not like the way the patrons dress at a restaurant....feel free to go elsewhere...otherwise....shut up and enjoy your meal

I agree with the writer - I expect some decorum to be followed. If you can't bother to dress a little nicer to an upscale restaurant then you shouldn't be going. Have a little class. I don't give an F if it's someone worth a million who's dressing down, that's not the point. The point is in nice places you want certain little social niceties to follow suit. That's right, you shouldn't be dressed like you just came from the pool or amusement park! What is with all you whiney MF's who can't follow a few simple rules for the sake of others!

Funny how you think what you wear dictates the economic class you belong to. Ever since my days in grade school, then on to college and presently in corporate america, it seems like the richest guys/gals were/are usually not the ones wearing designer clothing. Get a life.

As others have said, Welcome to Houston. And no, not the redneck hillbilly Houston that you may be thinking, but the Oil & Gas capital of the world Houston. Let me tell you something about us nouveau riche in Houston - We are not cowboy hat oil drillers and we are not nerdy dot commers. We are 20-30 something's whose bonuses alone could buy your house. We work hard, we play harder, and we could give a rat's behind how you think we should dress. We spit out wine that may cost $50 a glass and order a PBR if we feel like it. Sorry if you only get out once in a blue moon to what you think is fancy meal. Find a friend at an oil company with an expense account, eat fancy every night, and then you won't think its such a big deal.

I would like to have adult only restaurants! I hate to go anywhere to eat and be forced to listen to someones child fuss the entire time. You may love your children and think that they are cute, but I do not!

I would like to have adult only restaurants! I hate to go anywhere to eat and be forced to listen to someones child fuss the entire time. You may love your children and think that they are cute, but I do not!

If Julie Berry's idea of a high end restaurant is one that costs an average of $50 per person for a MEAL, she has never been to a high end restaurant.

Stick to Carrabbas or Outback where you may be more comfortable

there is a approiate way to go to a resturant. This person who started this was really annoyed about something else but of course she will never admit it...stay at home and complain about what the help did or did not do....my God are you that miserable...be glad her man took you out..wonder why you nag so much

I don't care whether you are in a mcdonald's or a nicer restaurant, etc. , if you do not have the self respect to dress appropriately to appear in public, then don't take umbrage when you pic shows up on the"people of walmart" website. I'm tired of looking at trashy people everywhere!

Yeah we should have an adult restaurants! I also hate to go anywhere to eat & listening to child fuss whole time its an irritative...

Ah yes, the movie, 'Idiocracy", comes to mind. If most of you spent as much time monitoring what the corporate fascists and Citizen's United are doing to this country as you do arguing over an inane topic like this we would not have a country that is quickly becoming a third world nation. Folks keep your eyes and ire on the ball. The middle class is disappearing, the jobs are being outsourced, there is massive income disparity, the education system is being dismantled and our water and environment are being poisoned. I doubt most of you will care about what you wear when you are standing on the breadline so another wealthy fat cat can buy themselves a $7,000.00 umbrella stand with the money they saved when they laid you off.

Most of the rants in response to this particular article - both pro and con - are just excuses to treat others badly. Manners are not meant to weed out others, manners are meant to build a baseline for behavior that makes it easier to make everybody comfortable and included. Manners are an attitude of giving. If this is not your goal when you dress down or up, then your manners are shoddy.

Why don't you just worry about yourself and eat your dinner and get your nose out of someone else's closet.
When you go out in public, you get what you get. Some people do not dress how you'd like for them to, get over it.

Just recently I was out at a nice restaurant and a gentleman came in to dine wearing a wife beater t-shirt. Call me arrogant if you must but this is just not something I want to see when I am eating a nice sit-down dinner.

Here is my thought...
I too love to get dressed up for dinner and follow the old rule of thumb "better to be over dressed then under dressed".
I think that this falls on the owner and management's plate. If they do not care how their patrons dress then why should I? I am comfortable in what I chose to wear and think that everyone else should be too. It really has no effect on me wether or not someone is donning flip flops (although hats at the table would unnerve my granny) or if they are in shorts, I am there for the to enjoy my friends, the food and their company. I am not there to sit and judge other people.

I also have to say that Houston is not the only city like this. Las Vegas used to be total glam. You would not even think of going to the casino at night much less a restaurant with out being decked out. Now it's all shorts, T-shirts and flip flops :0(
Oh well..

Being overly concerned with the fashion choices of others is a good indication that one is a low class pig who is only a few steps out of the trailer park.

So sick and tired of people like you Julie Berry ! Honestly who do you think you are ? This is what you have time to write about WOW great job on one of the stupidest and most ridiculous articles I have ever read ! The only reason this even got my attention is because someone else called you out on this ridiculous article. Michael Berry. Who are you to judge what people where in a restaurant ? I have worked in the service industry for over fifteenth years and YOU yes YOU are the people the owners and employees hate the most. You think you can walk in a place that you think is YOUR place or a place you love so much and control what is going on !!! Sorry to inform you but you are a no one to these owners and workers of these so called "fine" dining restaurants. The owners have the right to turn away anyone they choose at any point, if they didn't want them there they wouldn't be there . These so called "slobs" are what keep these places going because in most cases these people are their "regulars" that come back on a regular basis to eat their food and enjoy their cocktails, these so called "slobs" are probably very comfortable there and feel that there is no need to be in business attire ever time they come in. If the owners truly had a problem with it trust me they wouldn't be there or they would be asked to please come back properly dressed.
So if you don't like what you are seeing out in REAL AMERICA then please please go to the establishments that have these types of DRESS CODE rules you seem to like so much !! STOP WASTING peoples time with RIDICULOUS articles like this one.