Selecting a restaurant for a special occasion can be challenging. Here are three factors you should consider before making your decision.

The nature of the special occasion

It's important to consider the nature of the special occasion when selecting a restaurant. For example, if you and your partner are celebrating your 10th wedding anniversary by going for a meal together, then you might want to book a table at a restaurant whose ambience and menu is in keeping with the intimate and romantic nature of this occasion.

In this situation, a place that offers a gourmet tasting menu that you can share with your loved one, and that features low lighting and soft music, would be ideal.

Conversely, if you're arranging a celebratory meal for yourself and several of your very extroverted friends, then it might be better to choose a restaurant which has a fun, energetic atmosphere so that you and your dinner companions can be as boisterous as you want (within reason!) without having a negative effect on other customers' dining experiences or finding yourselves continually chastised by the wait staff.

The preferences of the people who will be in attendance

If you want to ensure that all of your dinner companions enjoy their dining experience, it's important to consider their dietary preferences.

For example, if one or more of the people who you will be dining with are quite concerned about food ethics and prefer to consume meat and vegetables that are produced in their local area, then it might be wise to book a locally sourced steakhouse rather than a restaurant that serves food that has been flown in from halfway across the world.

This is a considerate approach which could make all the difference to how enjoyable your friends or family find their restaurant experience.

Costs

If you know that some of the people who will be attending the meal are on tight budgets, it is extremely important not to select a restaurant which could potentially be out of their price range. If you do this, you could end up creating an unpleasant atmosphere on the night which could spoil the experience for everyone involved.

It's not always easy to ask people outright if they can afford to go to a specific restaurant. If you feel it would be rude to do this, it's best to stick to a less expensive venue which you are confident everyone will be able to comfortably afford.

This needn't mean that you have to compromise on the quality of the meal; there are plenty of less well-known restaurants that can provide delicious food at very affordable prices.