Diner VS Customer

[kachibi]

Well, how would native speakers generally address the customers inside a restaurant? Just customers or diners? Cause I checked a dictionary "diner" refers to a person who has dinner only in a restaurant.

 

[SoothingDave]

If I were addressing them I would say "Ladies and gentlemen..."

If you want to know what I would call them, I would say "customers" or "patrons."

 

[kachibi]

so normally when do people use "diner" or it is seldom used by native speakers?

 

[Tdol]

In ordinary speech, it isn't used much- I don't hear it in BrE. It may be more widely used in the industry. I might use it when talking about the capacity of a restaurant, but wouldn't use it otherwise.