Women get a raw deal in restaurants

Women are still being treated as second-class citizens in restaurants around the world, according to the latest Zagat restaurant survey.

In 10 major cities covered by the guide, 83% of diners believed men were treated better than women when eating out.

In San Francisco, 90% of diners agreed women got a raw deal. In New York the figure was 80% and in London 72%.

The guide's authors said the results "strongly suggest that when dining in mixed company, men were targeted as the primary check-payers by restaurant staff who lavish better service their way."

They added: "It also signals that when dining among themselves, women are still accorded second-class status - poor seating, slower service, or worse."

The restaurant industry needed to address the issue in view of diners' strong views on service problems in general, the guide said.

Zagat released the findings to coincide with the publication last week of the 2000 edition of its New York City Restaurant Survey.

The dining-out market in New York had a robust year, with openings exceeding closures by a ratio of three to one. There were 274 new restaurants and only 96 closures.

While the level of openings was on a par with the past three years, the number of closures was down 18%.

New Yorkers dine out on average 3.2 times a week, below the US national average of 3.7 times and way below diners in Houston, Texas, who eat 4.9 restaurant meals a week.

The average cost of dining out in New York is $33.17 (£20.52). This compares well with London ($46.75, £28.49) and Paris ($46.21, £28.16) but is higher than both Los Angeles ($26.28, £16.01) and Boston ($24.96, £15.21).

The average tip left by New York diners was 18%.

Web site: www.zagat.com