Ask the chef one question before you set my start time.
“When can we have the table?” At a private chef dinner or in a Highlands dining room, that answer beats any guess on the invitation. If there’s a tasting menu, send me the order of service. I can work a side table while the first guests arrive and save the seated magic for coffee. A beautiful hot course should never grow cold waiting for me to find somebody’s ace.
A trick for two people with a history.
For an anniversary, tell me how the couple met or which one insists they remember it correctly. That gives me a way to introduce them without reading their life story off an index card. One can choose a card while the other decides who gets to hold it. Their guests get to watch two people who know each other very well negotiate a matter of absolutely no consequence.
If it’s a surprise, pick one person to give me the nod when both guests are seated. If you’re booking a restaurant, ask for the manager’s okay and the name of the private room. If it’s a chef at the house, a separate spot for trays keeps the evening where it belongs: in the couple’s hands, at least until they give me the deck.