TER General Board
The first time I went on a dinner date was with a lady who advertised herself as a Courtesan. I had seen her a couple of times for two hours each time and was mesmerized with this lady. She had suggested a 4 hour dinner date (and if you look at each gals site, many will define what they charge for these types of encounters) and all I could think of "What in the hell am I going to do with her for 4 hours?". At the end of our first dinner date all I could ask myself was "That was incredible, and I didn't have the time to talk about the things I really wanted to discuss". And since that first dinner date, this has become a staple in my hobbying.
If a gal doesn't post this type of date on her site, it would be fair to assume that she isn't looking to have this type of encounter. And in all probability she is most comfortable with the one hour dates.
But upon occassion you will find a gal that may not have that much experience in dinner dating for a variety of reasons. I have one gal that I make it my priority to take to lunch on every meeting. This lady rarely does this type of session, and in her words, she is a little shy and just hadn't felt terribly comfortable in this genre. And not for the reasons you are suggesting in your OP (in that she doesn't want to get involved with a john). Truthfully, I can't imagine there are too many ladies that would feel that they would "get too involved" with any john (usually it is the other way around). But most gals have their systems in place to minimize the "I've fallen for a provider" syndrome.
Give it a shot...but do this with someone you have seen once or twice to make sure that she is capable of giving you some quality chat time at dinner. And I'll bet she'll surprise you with some other activities as well
Dinner dates are enjoyable for a number of reasons. I enjoy them because get to experience his public personality and also how he interacts with others. We're all different behind closed doors.
I've had some pleasurable times at dinner. Ranging from us putting our tastebuds together to each get a dose of something we haven't tried before. Have you ever watched the face of someone that tries something new and they LOVE IT! Well one of my faves does this to me all the time. Another gent kept myself and the hot waitress laughing all night! They definitely left lasting impressions on me and it also just helps the relationship grow (I prefer to see you again and again beyond physical, so this matters to me).
I'm analytical and observe things like does he already know what he wants before he gets there or does he try something new? This indicates a lot. A dinner date can tell us more about a man than his shoes can if you get what I'm saying. The better for me to get to know you and make for a fabulous evening.
I definitely discount my dinner date. They're actually more work mentally, but their more about personality and having a good social time than just laying together and thats more rewarding to me than the dirty details. I really like to socialize and get to know my companions so the more variety we can add to how we spend our time together the better. Dinner is a good start once we've established that we're experts at laying together Even better if it comes before laying together.
And you are spot on in that analysis. And don't think it doesn't work both ways. I always find it interesting to go out for a dinner/lunch and see how a lady will conduct herself. And whether she may want to take the lead on what to order for dinner (forcing me to try that something I've never tried). One lady really enjoys taking me to places that I would never have gone to otherwise, and making culinary suggestions she thought I would enjoy. Very, very hot!
At lunch one day I asked one gal what she will miss most about this when she leaves the business. Her answer was "This!". And by that she meant that outside time with someone that was gratifying for her on a mental level. Priceless
Unfortunately that meant that my incredible sexual skills were apparently being overshadowed by my wit, wisdom and charm! Not to mention my incrediby good looks
At lunch one day I asked one gal what she will miss most about this when she leaves the business. Her answer was "This!". And by that she meant that outside time with someone that was gratifying for her on a mental level. Priceless
Unfortunately that meant that my incredible sexual skills were apparently being overshadowed by my wit, wisdom and charm! Not to mention my incrediby good looks
I certainly can understand your POV...and I subscribe to that as well. However, when I am going to take a lady out it will generally be OTC. However, to get to that point I have paid her for BCD, and if that time extends for a lunch date I am still technically paying her for her lunch time. Albeit at a "lower rate". Many gals will make a concession for this, and if not, I am not obligated to take her out either.
I have had this discussion with numerous TER guys and some look at it as straight OTC, while others tend to see a "reduced" rate for lunch/dinner.
Either way, if I take my wife (or a civvie lady friend) I am paying for their time in all sorts of different manner. As a CPA, I can arrive at any number you want me to
...I made dinner (or lunch) mandatory for first dates. 
I don't have much to add that Jordan and ChgoCPA haven't already said. Conversation is amazing in itself and as a prelude to other enjoyable things, and most of the time I find that the time passes too quickly. I discount the average cost per hour the longer the date, regardless of what we're doing when we're together. So technically I do discount dinner dates, though they are more of a cumulative cost than my shortest, non-meal date.
I understand why many ladies (and gentlemen) aren't interested in this type of meeting. They're certainly a different pacing than a fully private, shorter date, and can be more mentally intimate. Not everyone is into that -- different strokes for different folks. I've also come across ladies/gentlemen who have privacy concerns about being seen in public, and who will only meet for dinner if it's room service or delivery/take out. Which is just fine by me, btw. If I can kick off my shoes and guffaw as loud as I want without offending nearby tables I'm a happy camper. 