In the small print of most of these dining programs, it says:
"Our participating restaurants ask members to limit their parties to no more than six people."
Does anyone have any experience on if they enforce this?

Thanks!

aa says the max mi's/transaction is 6k or a $600 meal. also 1/restraunt/month.

I didn't see that rule stated in my OnePass Dining Program welcome letter. Anyway, my friends and I (8 altogether) went out for dinner at Il Porto, located in South Street Seaport, and the bill was for $ 240, including the tip. Since it was a participating restaurant I asked my friends, who were all paying in cash, to give me the money and I'll pay the bill w/my Amex. No problem. Got the 2400 miles later..


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Bureau of Consular Affairs: http://travel.state.gov
Guias del Ocio:http://www.latindex.com/ocio/guias.htm

I'm not sure how th 6 guest limit would ever be enforced. I assume that he restaurant does not even know whether your card is registered.

Often with large parties, they just add the tip to the bill to make sure the waiters get an apropriate compensation. And that seems to be what it is all about.

I think that the "Rule of Six" relates to the old Transmedia card, which was the progenitor of the current iDine and airline dining programs. Transmedia was a separate card that was linked to the customer's credit card, and Transmedia refunded a portion of the meal cost to that credit card after the whole transaction was processed.

Because the restaurants bore the cost of this refund (usually indirectly, through private business loans), the restaurants would only accept the Transmedia card for parties of six or fewer (unless a larger number was approved by the restaurant in advance).

While the Transmedia card existed as a separate card, this was easily enforced. Now that the transaction is invisible to the restaurant, the enforcement of this rule is more difficult.

It's unenforceable, I've had more then six and it's gone through. There isn't any way they can stop it, as they don't know you are part of the program, and the credit card company doesn't know how many people ate.

Do it all the time when a bunch of us go out for lunch, they paid me, and I paid the bill.