Rita, I hate to tell you this, but your experience with the partitioned dining room is not all that atypical. I had a similar experience trying to do a sing-along in a dining room with a memorial service going on in the mezzanine above us.

A lot of facilities hire entertainers without, apparently, giving any thought either to seating arrangements or sound systems. I routinely have to go to the front desk and ask them to turn off (or at least down) the 'muzak' that's coming over the PA. Also, it's extremely common to be asked to perform in the dining room during a meal yet find that the arrangement of the tables and chairs leaves no place for you to stand without being in someone's face. And one reason the staff often gets into a 'shouting' match with you (in nursing and rehab. centers) is that they are expected to do THEIR job (administer meds, take vital signs, and even do social service interviews) at the same time and in the same room as you are trying to do yours.

Do have your own small PA -- with built-in speakers -- if you can. Rogue makes a 4-channel one -- on wheels -- that lists for $400 but can often be bought for $200. And the Fender Amp Can is quite useful for many kinds of gigs.

I like wireless systems, but, as you indicated, they can have their drawbacks -- especially if you're tying into their speakers.

If I had to choose just one amp for all my gigs, it'd probably be the Rogue PA, since my voice sounds better on it than on the Amp Can and it's really quite portable. But the Amp Can would be a close second.

In any event, do discuss these issues with the A. D. beforehand if you can.

Genie