When does dinner become a date?

As a marketing professional I pride myself on being able to listen to a client and figure out what they want even if they are not spelling it out for me. Well, it seems being single requires similar skills yet only sharper. If a man asks out a woman he has never met at a bar it's fair to assume he is interested in more than just friendship. But how do you know if it's a date if a man you have known for a while asks you out but doesn't clearly state his intentions? I love the guideline offered by my favorite matchmaker, Patti Stanger:"coffee is cheap, drinks are an audition, lunch is an interview and dinner means business."But does this cover it? Are there other factors that need to be considered?

After Google-ing "when is it a date?" I came up with the following list of items that people consider when establishing if a get together is a date:

1. location
2. time of day
3. day of the week
4. how you get to the meeting place (does he pick you up or do you drive?)
5. topics discussed during said meeting
6. how the bill is paid

I am sure there are a million other items, but these seemed the most relevant to me. I also took an unofficial poll of friends, family and co-workers and the overwhelming answer was dinner is always a date.

I am not completely sold on that - I think friends of the opposite sex can have dinner without it being more. I think the best rule of thumb is this: it's not a date until both parties have acknowledged it as one.

So what do you think? When does dinner become a date?