DEAR MISS MANNERS: What verbiage can I use when inviting guests to a party at a restaurant when I want them to pay for their own meals?
GENTLE READER: You have touched upon an issue that does much to create animosity among those who are supposedly friends. Miss Manners hears constantly from people who thought they were being invited to be guests, only to be given a bill.
So please drop that language. You are not inviting people to be your guests, but asking them if they would like to meet you for a meal out.