From the sitcom Seinfeld (episode The Couch):
KRAMER: (scanning a menu) So, how was the dinner last night?
JERRY: Oh, well…
KRAMER: Did you enjoy the duck? (Elaine comes over…) Oh, Elaine! I was just asking how dinner went last night.
ELAINE: (sitting down) Oh, well…
KRAMER: Alright, what did you do to Poppie?
ELAINE: Nothing.
KRAMER: Well, he's in the hospital. And the cook says you put him there.
ELAINE: What's wrong with him?
KRAMER: I don't know. I'm gonna go and visit him later. It would be nice if you got him something. (Punches the table to accentuate this and leaves.)
JERRY: We should get him something.
ELAINE: Yeah. You're right.
I don't understand why Kramer first says the dinner, but when he says it a second time, he drops the article. What's the reason behind that?
Answer
This is one of the cases where the definite article is optional. There is a slight difference in meaning between "the dinner" and simply "dinner".
How was the dinner?
In this case, "the dinner" often refers to the meal as an event.
How was dinner?
In this case, "dinner" simply refers to an evening meal.
You don't provide the context before that conversation; for example, what specifically was occurring at that meal. If it were a special event like a charity dinner or similar, I would expect "the dinner" in some contexts.
If it were just a few people eating dinner together, I would not typically expect to hear "the dinner"
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