Just say no

Dear Crabby,

I have a friend who invites me to dinner but often invites me to a crappy restaurant that I don't want to eat at.  How do I suggest a different restaurant without offending my friend?

Thanks,

Mr. Nice Guy

Dear Mr. Nice Guy,

Look, you have to be honest.  It's your meal too.  What if you step out of the restaurant and get hit by a cab and the last things you taste in your mouth are marmalade meatballs and bile?  If you really want to be a friend to your "friend", you should steer him towards better dining destinations; teach him to spend his money wisely at places that can make you both happy.  And if he insists that his crappy restaurant is incredible and calls you a snob, then you need a new friend.  Because you are right.  Don't give an inch or you'll subject yourself to a friendship full of heartburn and stomachache.  You may be thinking, "Is a restaurant choice really worth ruining a friendship over?"  But the trick is not to ask yourself that question, but to ask him.

Crabby