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This question popped up on Quora recently, and the responses were more nuanced than we expected. Is it rude to bring your own cutlery to a restaurant? Maybe you have a good reason, like allergies, food sensitivities or concerns over cleanliness. Is the idea of bringing your own equipment to a restaurant just unusual, or actually inappropriate? The answers on Quora are varied and cover a lot of different situations, and in most cases people seem to agree it depends on the type of restaurant and whether it's more casual or upscale. Many quick service or to-go focused restaurants may use disposable utensils. Especially in todays more environmentally conscious world, it probably would not be a big deal if you wanted to be "green" and bring your own washable utensils. When it comes to more upscale restaurants, Quora user "Norm Soley" provided some great insight:

"However if we are talking about a fine dining situation at the very least you are imposing somewhat on work your server has to do in particular a lot of places make a point of refreshing the cutlery after each course, in that case the server has to keep track of your cutlery to make sure not to collect it and also not drop new utensils at your setting, they are NOT used to this it's going to disrupt their usual workflow and you can expect mistakes."

Another user pointed out that in some restaurants, it may be viewed as a bit pretentious or snobby to bring your own utensils. If hygiene is your concern, you could always politely request they rewash the tableware, or request to-go silverware, although this only helps if it is individual packaged. If you are a bit fanatic about cleanliness, that's your personal business and as long as you communicate your concerns politely, most restaurant should make reasonable accommodations without much fuss. However, if your concern is that specific restaurant's overall cleanliness, you should perhaps reconsider eating there. Everyone seems to agree that the exception to this rule is when you have children. In that case, it's not uncommon to bring your own silverware, whether it be a kid-friendly set or simply for hygiene purposes, we doubt anyone would see this as rude. Still, if you do bring your own cutlery to a restaurant, prepare for some stares. Regardless of your intentions or your needs, it may be interpreted as a sign you see the restaurant's washing standards as sub-par, or that their silverware isn't good enough. While perhaps not inappropriate, it is still a strange idea, especially in America. However, if the restaurant you're visiting has good customer service, they'll hopefully be more concerned about your enjoyment than what your using to eat! Diners, have you ever brought your own silverware to a restaurant? And restaurant owner's, how do you feel about customers bringing in their own utensils? Let us know what you think via Facebook, Twitter & Google+. Source: Quora