Question
Dear Gramps,
A friend told me recently that a General Authority had told us not to bless the food when we eat in a restaurant. Is this true? Are we discouraged from blessing the food in public? She said that we are supposed to bless it before we go out, and on holiday can even bless it for the whole day. This just feels very odd to me. But I don’t want to go against anything we are asked by a general authority not to do.
Meridy
Answer
Meridy,
It’s one of those quietly awkward moments most Latter-day Saints have experienced at least once. You’re sitting in a restaurant, the food arrives, everyone’s ready to dig in—and then comes the split-second question: Should we bless the food here? Is that something we’re supposed to do no matter where we are, or is there some unspoken rule about keeping prayers private?
When you actually dig into the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the answer becomes a lot less about location and a lot more about intent. And interestingly, both scripture and modern church leaders give a pretty consistent message: pray often, pray sincerely, and don’t make it a performance.
A lot of the hesitation people feel about praying in public traces back to something Jesus taught in the Bible. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said:
“When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are… for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men” (Matthew 6:5).
At first glance, that can sound like a warning against public prayer altogether—but that’s not really what He’s saying. The issue isn’t being seen, it’s wanting to be seen. In other words, prayer stops being prayer when it turns into a performance.
That distinction matters. A quiet, sincere prayer over a meal—even in a public place—is a completely different thing from trying to draw attention or appear especially religious. One is about connecting with God; the other is about being noticed.
And when you keep reading that same chapter, Jesus actually reinforces the idea of depending on God in everyday life, including for food:
“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
That line alone says a lot. It suggests that turning to God for something as ordinary as a meal is not just appropriate—it’s expected. And nothing in that teaching limits it to your kitchen table.
The Book of Mormon leans even more strongly in that direction. It repeatedly encourages people to bring God into all parts of life, not just the private or obviously religious ones:
“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings” (Alma 37:37).
“All thy doings” is pretty broad. It doesn’t carve out exceptions for restaurants, school cafeterias, or family gatherings in public parks. If anything, it paints a picture of a life in which prayer is woven naturally into everything—including even something as routine as eating.
Modern church leaders echo that same balance. Russell M. Nelson taught in general conference:
“We may pray to Him any time” (“Sweet Power of Prayer,” April 2003 General Conference).
That’s a pretty freeing idea. It suggests that there’s no “wrong place” to pray—just a right way to do it. In that same message, he also emphasized:
“Prayers can be offered even in silence”
That one line almost perfectly answers the restaurant question. If you feel a little unsure about drawing attention, you don’t have to. A prayer doesn’t have to be spoken out loud to count. A simple, sincere moment of gratitude in your heart fits completely within gospel teaching.
In that same talk, President Nelson also cautioned against prayers offered merely:
“to be seen of men”
which directly echoes the Savior’s teaching in Matthew and reinforces the idea that the concern is about motivation, not location.
Thomas S. Monson added another layer to this principle when he taught:
“Prayer is the passport to peace.”
He didn’t set limits on where prayer should take place. The implication is that prayer is meant to be a constant companion in life—not something reserved only for private settings.
When you put all of this together, a clear pattern emerges. There’s no doctrine that says you shouldn’t bless your food in public. That idea simply isn’t there. What is taught—consistently—is that prayer should be sincere, humble, and frequent.
And that’s where a little bit of wisdom and personal judgment comes in.
For example, imagine two different scenarios. In one, someone offers a long, loud prayer in a crowded restaurant, clearly drawing attention to themselves. In another, a family quietly bows their heads for a few seconds and expresses simple gratitude. Outwardly, both are “public prayers,” but spiritually, they’re very different experiences.
The first bumps right up against the warning about being “seen of men.” The second fits comfortably within everything the scriptures and prophets teach.
That’s why you’ll see a wide range of perfectly acceptable approaches among Latter-day Saints. Some families say a soft, spoken prayer together. Others pause for a brief silent prayer. Some might keep it especially short and simple, depending on the setting. None of those choices is more “correct” than the others—they’re just different ways of applying the same principles.
And honestly, that flexibility is kind of the point. The gospel isn’t trying to micromanage every situation with rigid rules. Instead, it gives guiding principles and trusts individuals to apply them thoughtfully.
So if you find yourself sitting in a public place, wondering what to do, the real question isn’t, “Am I allowed to bless the food here?” It’s something more like, “How can I express gratitude to God in a sincere and respectful way right now?”
Maybe that’s a quiet spoken prayer with the people you’re with.
Maybe it’s a brief, silent prayer in your heart.
Maybe it’s simply taking a moment to acknowledge God before you eat.
All of those line up beautifully with LDS teachings.
At the end of the day, blessing your food in public isn’t discouraged—it’s just meant to be done with the right intent. Pray often. Keep it genuine. Don’t turn it into a display. If you can do that, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re at your dining room table or sitting in the middle of a busy restaurant.
That small, simple act of gratitude still means exactly the same thing.
Gramps
