Business is no more restricted to your workplace or cell phone. Much of the business is now conducted over food. So, it is very important to know etiquette when you dine with your clients as to build up cordial relationships with your clients. Follow these dining etiquette tips because many business deals can take shape over the dining table!

The choice of restaurant:
Since you are the host of the dinner, you are responsible for choosing the time of the meal and the location of the restaurant. The location of the restaurant should be suitable for your client. Make sure that the restaurant has parking facilities. Avoid a crowdie restaurant because it is impossible to conduct business at a noisy place.

Your guest’s preferences:
Ask your guest his/her preferences of food and place the menu accordingly. Consider the menu according to the tastes of your guest. Offer the seat preferred by your guest that will probably the one facing towards the room or facing the window.

The arrival of your guest:
Order drinks if they have not arrived yet. Keep the table untouched until your guest arrives.

Make the guests comfortable:
Ask your guests to order first and follow suite. Let them feel free to choose anything they like from the menu.

Order the right food:
When placing the order, make sure that you don’t order anything which can put out of action. Avoid anything that is difficult to eat with a knife and fork, or foods like spaghetti, where you can end up spilling sauce on dress. Make sure that you never talk with mouth stuffed with food which is a strict turn-off for your guest.

Proper coordination:
Coordination is very important at a business lunch. It will be really awkward if some people eat while other watch them eating. So, make sure that every one orders in a group, eats the same courses and finishes at the same time.

Discuss business:
Remember, the objective of the lunch is to discuss business. Had it been a dinner, you may talk business in a leisurely manner, probably after finishing off your main course. But since it is lunch, start talking business after you order.

Last but not the least…
Your business meal should give you positive result. So, you should always remember that you arranged the lunch to develop cordial relationships with your client, not with the food.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 1:54 pm and is filed under Etiquette. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.