Originally Posted by
Eastbay1K
I respect the wishes of the proprietor, and would never ask for any sort of waiver, absent some very special circumstance like "the airline lost my luggage" and then still ask if it would be ok, or accept the establishment's "substitute emergency jacket" if required. Yes, "any restaurant anywhere" could do it, and patrons who expect a certain level of published, purportedly-required ambiance, could be put off.
I respect the wishes of the proprietor, too. Asking for an exception isn't at all disrespectful. (I always do so well in advance, before booking or ticket purchase or immediately afterward.)
For those that have given me an exception, I always take care to still dress very well. For those that haven't (La Pergola, Chef's Table, Le Bernardin main dining room), I simply haven't bothered to pursue the reservation or have canceled.
The most ridiculous requirement I've seen recently was Le Bernardin's, which requires that you either wear a jacket in but can take it off at the table OR will let you walk in without a jacket, give you a "lender" jacket to walk to the table, which you also don't have to wear once at the table. The St Regis concierge and I had a good laugh about such pompousness.