Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants. And every year restaurants designate the holiday as “amateur night.” So, I asked a fine dining expert for some tips on how to have the dream date and not a dinner disaster.

Jeff Gulotta, former restaurant owner of MOPHO and Maypop, general manager of Bourbon House, Restaurant August, American Sector and the restaurant formerly known as Besh Steakhouse at Harrah’s, now The Steakhouse, shared his top five essentials for dining on Valentine’s.

Make reservations.

“Make a reservation if possible, and be on time for your reservation. If not, understand that this is one of the busiest nights of the year, so you will have to wait for a table unless you go super early, like 4:30 p.m. early.”

Inquire about specials and recommendations.

“Ask your server for recommendations, but don’t make them wait around while you stumble through reading the whole menu. Servers are busy and watching someone agonize over the choice between jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks while your station goes down in flames is torture for a server.”

Order from the set price menu. 

“Order from the prix fixe menu if they have one. Fixed menus are designed to move quickly and give you the best value without bogging down the kitchen.”

Order all at once.

“Order your whole meal at once. Appetizers are meant to be consumed while waiting for your entrees, not before you order them.”

When finished eating, pay and leave.

“Do not stare longingly into each other’s eyes while touching fingers as the wait staff languishes in anticipation of turning your table.”

Gulotta also adds a bonus tip to all the people flirting with the idea of proposing at dinner. 

“Do not propose marriage in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Young men get it into their heads that it will be epic to put an engagement ring in a glass of cheap sparkling wine and get down on one knee in the middle of the Cheesecake Factory. This rarely goes well. Even in five-star restaurants, the success rate for this stunt is well below 50%. More often than not, the bride-to-never-be leaves in stunned silence as the suitor is left to awkwardly pay the bill while Googling the jewelry store’s return policy,” Gulotta said.

Gulotta emphasized the importance of not making dinner the entire date. He said, “Understand that along with New Year’s Eve, restaurants see Valentine’s as amateur night because people who don’t normally go out to eat treat the dinner as the whole date, so have something else planned besides the meal, [such as] dessert and champagne somewhere else, a romantic walk, a movie, etc.”

Keeping to these tips will make your dining experience a good one for you, your date and the kitchen staff making your meal.