Business Dining Etiquette

Valens Institute of Strategy & Valuation

www.valens-research.com

Etiquette Summary
​“Place your napkin on your lap after everyone at your table has been seated”

​“Order a meal that’s easy to eat and isn’t messy” (Iceman, 1999).

​“Wait until everybody gets served before starting the meal” (Samuel, Basic Table
Manners: Part III, 2005).

​“Take small bites so you can carry on a conversation” (The Etiquette Survival
Guide, 2005).

“Never cut bread or rolls” (Brody, 2003).

​“Eating utensils are used from the outside in” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Always pass to the right” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Don’t ask for a ‘doggy bag’” (Brody, 2003).

​Be aware of cultural differences in etiquette; research local customs if in a foreign country
Business Dining Etiquette

“In U.S. and international business circles, more deals are struck over lunch than are reached in the office. The dining
room is becoming the boardroom of the future” (Iceman, 1999).

Getting Down to Business

“The purpose of a business lunch is to eat and do a little networking. But when is the best time to talk turkey? Right after
everyone has ordered …[when] there’s a natural lull before the food arrives” (Lets Do Lunch, 2005, p. 87).

Napkin

“There are only three places to place a napkin: 1) ​on your lap ​while you’re seated at the table; 2) ​on the seat of
your chair ​if you leave the table but intend to return; and 3) ​on the table ​to the right of your plate when the meal
ends and you rise to leave the restaurant” (Iceman, 1999).

​“After all diners are seated, position your napkin in your lap with the fold of the napkin toward your waist” (The
Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Open the napkin below the table level” (Frequently Asked Questions).

​“The napkin is meant to be dabbed at the lips and should not be dirtied in the process” (Samuel, Basic Table
Manners: Part III, 2005).

Ordering

​“Food should be secondary. Order a meal that’s easy to eat and isn’t messy” (Iceman, 1999).

​“Ask for suggestions/recommendations” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Do not order the most expensive or the least expensive item on the menu” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

“If your client or guest orders a glass of wine or liquor, it’s up to you …to follow suit” (Let’s Do Lunch, 2005, p. 87);

“If you are asked first, err on the side of safety” (Hill, Greenbury, 2005).
Place Setting

(Figure: Frequently Asked Questions)

​“Eating utensils are used from the outside in” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Your liquids are always located at your ​right. ​Nonliquids…are always on the ​left​” (Iceman, 2005).

​“Use one utensil for each course of the meal” (Frequently Asked Questions).

​“Used flatware should never touch the surface of the table” (Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part II, 2005).

​“Keep your cutlery at the 4 and 8 o’clock positions when at rest, both at 5 o’clock when you’re done” (Lets Do
Lunch, 2005, p. 87).

​“When in doubt, use a utensil rather than your hands” (Brody, 2003).

​“If you are not sure how to eat something that comes with what you’ve ordered, leave it or watch to see
how others eat it and imitate them” (Brody, 2003).

Dinner

​“Wait until everybody gets served before starting the meal” (Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part III, 2005).

​At larger events, the host will usually urge his guests to start eating upon reception of the food…In this case, wait
until one or two of the other guests are ready to begin as well” (Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part III, 2005).

​“If an individual at your table who has not been served encourages you to begin eating, you may do so. However,
eat slowly while waiting for their food to be served” (Frequently Asked Questions).

​“Don’t turn your wine glass upside down if you do not want wine” (Brody, 2003).

​“Bread and rolls should be broken into small pieces. Butter only one or two bites at a time” (The Etiquette
Survival Guide, 2005).
​“Always spoon the soup away from you then bring around to your mouth and back to the bowl. Think of making a
circle” (Frequently Asked Questions).

“Take small bites so you can carry on a conversation without the delay of chewing and swallowing large amounts
of food” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Always scoop food away from you” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Use the edge of the plate to twirl pasta, not a spoon” (Brody, 2003).

​“Pass to the right. It is ok to pass to your immediate left if you are the closest to the item requested. Always pass
the salt and pepper together” (The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​Don’t put “salt or pepper on your food before tasting it” (Iceman, 1999).

​“If food spills off your plate…pick it up with a piece of your silverware and place it on the edge of your plate” (The
Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Don’t clean your plate. It is okay to leave the parsley, carrot curls or other garnish” (Brody, 2003).

​“When you have finished, leave your plate where it is in the place setting. Do not push your plate away from you”
(The Etiquette Survival Guide, 2005).

​“Don’t order dessert unless your boss does” (Hill, Greenbury, 2005).

​“Don’t ask for a ‘doggy bag’” (Brody, 2003)

Utensil Usage Styles

(Figure: Dinner Etiquette, 2005)

American Style

“A few bites are cut, the knife is laid across the top of the plate, sharp edge toward you, and the fork is switched to
the right hand, if right-handed​, tines up ​to bring the food to the mouth” (Frequently Asked Questions).

“This method is strict; you cannot even use the knife for hard to mount foods…and the fork must pick up
everything on its own” (Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part II, 2005).

Continental Style or European Style

​“The diner cuts the food usually one bite at a time and uses the fork in the left hand, ​tines pointing down ​to spear
the food and bring it to the mouth” (Frequently Asked Questions).

“When the food is cut…it is conveyed directly to the mouth...You don’t have to put down the knife every time and
transfer the fork over to the right hand” (Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part II, 2005).

​“This method…[is] less formal…If the occasion calls for a more formal technique use the American Style”
(Samuel, Basic Table Manners: Part II, 2005).

The Bill

If you are the host, “make sure the bill never reaches the table. Slip the maitre d’ your credit card in the foyer (this
also lets the restaurant know you’re in charge), and don’t make a big show of it” (Lets Do Lunch, 2005, p.87).

If you are the guest, “don’t try to pick up the check.” If you were invited, the host should pay, “just be gracious in
accepting his generosity, and remember to thank him” (Hill, Greenbury, 2005).
Bibliography

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2005, from
http://www.worldroom.com/pages/execlifestyle/etiquette.phtml

Hill, J., Greenbery, K. (2005, July). Miss Mannerly’s guide to decorum and civility in the age of eternal busy-ness.
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Iceman, B. M. (1999). Mind your peas and Q’s: how to survive restaurant interviews. Retrieved August 4, 2005, from
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Samuel, J. (2005). Basic table manners. Retrieved August 4,

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l

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