Dinner Dates

A dinner date is an evening booking that begins in public and ends in private: a restaurant or a bar, three to five hours, with a companion who enjoys the conversation as much as what follows. Companions who list here are the ones who like a long table and an unhurried evening, and their bios usually say where in the city they prefer to start. It is the booking Australia's capitals do best, because the restaurants are good and the hotels are close.

How a dinner date runs

You book the evening with the companion, then you choose and book the restaurant in your own name (ask her for a preference; most have one), book the room, and meet where she suggests. You pay for dinner; her rate covers her time. To the restaurant you are two people at dinner, and the rate, the booking and the second half of the evening stay out of the conversation until you are in private. Our dinner date guide covers it end to end, and the Sydney after dark guide plans a specific evening.

What it costs

Dinner dates are priced as a block, typically two to three times the companion's hourly rate for a four-hour evening, plus the restaurant and the room. Deposits are a larger share than for a short booking. Each profile states its dinner-date rate.

Common questions

What does a dinner date include?

Three to five hours of the companion's time: dinner in public, then time together in private, within what her profile offers. You book and pay for the restaurant and the room; her rate covers her time.

How much does a dinner date cost?

Usually two to three times the companion's hourly rate as a block, plus dinner and the room. Each profile states its own rate and deposit.

Who chooses the restaurant?

You book it, in your own name, but ask her for a preference first. Companions who do dinner dates regularly know which rooms are discreet and have tables far enough apart to talk.

How should I dress and behave?

As for a real date: dressed for the restaurant, carrying the conversation without dominating it, pacing the drinking, and keeping the arrangement out of the public half of the evening. The etiquette guide has the full list.