Family Sections

This is something I’ve (K) been meaning to write about for a long time already. It’s about Saudi restaurants and cafes. Most restaurants in Saudi have two separate entrances. One is for single males and the other one is for families. All non-married males are to eat in the singles section of the restaurant. All married men who are out with their wives or families will eat in the family section of the restaurant. In the family sections, there are usually booths that have curtains to protect the privacy of the womenfolk. If you are female and alone, (or with friends) you will use the family section of the restaurant. When I initially got to Saudi hubby was very excited because he got to see a side of Riyadh that had previously been out of limits for him: family sections of restaurants. Here’s a picture of the Starbucks family entrance so that you know I’m not making this stuff up…

And here’s a Starbucks family booth. This one’s pretty liberal because the entire side is open and there aren’t any curtains.

And here’s a Saudi woman waiting for her order at the same Starbucks. Covered in black from head to toe.