Hoping to have a good dinner? Be a good diner.

Spend 500 or so meals a year eating away from home and you, too, might be compelled to pass along some golden rules for dining out. In essence, speak softly and commit to memory this schtick:Show up on time. Yeah, yeah, the traffic is bad and so is the parking around Washington. So build probable delays into your travel time to dinner. Being late affects not only how much money the restaurant makes, but also how timely the party booked after yours is seated. The foursome cooling their heels at t...