>
Etiquette Expert Reveals How You Should Use Your Napkin (And You’ve Been Doing It Wrong Your Whole Life)
- Etiquette expert Julie Lamberg-Burnet shared how to properly use a napkin
- The expert said you should always wait for your host before opening yours
- You have to put it on your lap at waist level with the fold pointing towards you
- She said you should never put it back on the table if you get up to go to the bathroom.
An etiquette expert has revealed why you’ve been misusing your napkin and what you should do to demonstrate good manners.
Julie Lamberg-Burnet, from the Sydney School of Protocol, posted on Tik Tokwhere he explained that the vast majority of people pick up their napkins too soon, when in reality they should be waiting for their host.
“My first tip for proper napkin use is to wait until the host picks up their napkin,” Julie said on TikTok.
scroll down for video
An etiquette expert has revealed why you’ve been misusing your napkin and what you should do to demonstrate good manners (pictured by Julie Lamberg-Burnet)
Julie Lamberg-Burnet (pictured) said you should always wait for the host to sit down and pick up their napkin before picking up yours; then make sure you take it out at waist level
If there is no designated host, wait until two or three others are seated at the table before placing it on your lap.
Once you’ve picked up your napkin and removed it from its holder, Julie said the key is to ‘keep it down’ when you put it on your lap.
“Don’t float it around here,” he said, gesturing wildly over her shoulders.
‘Unfold it at the waist, on which stage you will see that there is a crease.
“Put the crease closest to your waist,” he added, explaining that the reason you need to do this is because you can “easily take a corner, lift it up and rub your face if you have food on your face.”
“Just make sure the fold stays in place throughout the meal,” Julie said.
When it comes to going to the bathroom or getting up from the table, the etiquette expert said there’s a big misstep many diners make: They put their napkin back on the table when they get up.
“If you’re going to excuse yourself from the table, the key is to lift it very loosely and then leave your napkin on your seat,” Julie said.
‘If you’re in a restaurant, you’ll sometimes find waiters and waitresses placing it over the back of your chair. That is also acceptable.
Finally, when it comes to the end of the meal, the best course of action is to loosely replace the napkin, either to the left of your plate or to where the plate was if it has disappeared.
Finally, when it comes to the end of the meal, the best course of action is to loosely replace the napkin, either to the left of your plate or to where the plate was if it has disappeared.
‘Don’t fold it into a bundle, take it by the end and leave it here loosely,’ said Julie.
‘This indicates that you are finished.’
Thousands of people who viewed the video quickly thanked Julie for posting it and said it was helpful.
‘Thanks for sharing this,’ one person commented.
Julie has made a name for herself on TikTok by sharing educational videos on table manners and general etiquette (file image)
Julie has made a name for herself on TikTok by sharing educational videos on table manners and general etiquette.
She recently shared her five tips for making a safe room entry.
First of all, Julie said that you have to close the door behind you.
Once you’ve done this, she recommends that you step aside, stop and pause, then inspect the room to see who’s inside and where.
Once you’ve done this, he said you can “confidently walk into an open group” and finally introduce yourself.
To learn more about Julie Lamberg-Burnet, you can visit the Sydney School of Protocol here.