The Romantic.com

SWIPING DINNER

submitted by: Erika Flanigan

As I was marAWhen I was in college I opted to stay in the nicest women’s res-hall while my then boyfriend (now fiancée) stayed in an apartment.  Our campus had specialty restaurants in most of the residence halls (different theme each day), and best of all you paid for them with your meal card.  My fiancée’s birthday is the day before mine and since it falls in November (just before our 5 special holidays) we try to have fun on a low budget.  I used an extra meal to “swipe” him into La Creperie (a french theme).  It was so fun!  

We were dressed to the nines. There were table clothes and flowers on each table and all my friends got to see us decked out and having a proper dinner together!  They later came over and sang to us.  After the restaurant, we went out dancing.  I now miss the prepaid special meals and fun times now that we are in the real world and have to make reservations and pay an arm and a leg (and sometime our first born, as it seems.)

ried young and just entering my second year of college, my wife and I did not have a lot of money to spend (both of us in college).  However, I wanted to have a romantic night at a restaurant and knew we could not afford the typical expensive ones I always thought we would need.

Well, I had two brothers I recruited to be chauffeurs.  I simply asked my wife to wear a nice dress and I wore a suit.  My brothers drove us in
the nicest car in the family (not much).  I had planned a dinner at a Sizzler (like a Denny’s).  They drove us there, went inside and set a nice table with table cloth, good dishes borrowed from mom, and flowers.

Then they came and got us from the car and escorted us to the table.  I am not sure how they did it, but the convinced the restaurant people to allow them to be the waiters, they served us nicely and then got out of the way a few tables over.  The owner came and said he was willing to send out for a nice champagne for our special occasion, but
as neither of us drank alcohol, we thanked him and turned him down.

The dinner was great, served as best we could at the price of Sizzler. My brothers then drove us around to nice sites, like free museums and
other places.  We had a great and inexpensive time.