Leverage your lunch with these etiquette tips.

By Margot Carmichael Lester • Illustration by Michael Camarra

BUSINESS MEETINGS are stressful enough. But business lunches? They come equipped with an additional helping of uncertainty and anxiety. What should you order? Is it okay to drink? Who pays? What should you wear? It’s enough to have even the most successful businessperson reaching for the antacid. But business lunches don’t have to be a cause of indigestion. With a little attention to detail, you can settle your stomach and improve your chances of having a successful meeting and meal.

FOR HOSTS

If you called the meeting, it is you that bears the bulk of the responsibility, says Pauline Winick, cofounder of The Protocol Centre in Coral Gables, Fla. “Whoever does the inviting should select the restaurant, greet the guests and pay for the meal.”

Selecting a Restaurant
“Always choose a place where you have or can build a relationship with the management,” counsels Cheryl Henry, vice president of corporate affairs for Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Heathrow, Fla. “It’s important you and your guest feel comfortable and get business done.” Bonus tip: “When dealing with confidential business,” she says, “don’t choose a restaurant where the tables are too close together. Your personal business could become a public affair.”

Talking Shop
Even though it’s business, meals require a social component that you, as host, must manage. “Start off with social conversation,” says Michael Cummings, New York-based business development manager for Kellen Company, which provides services from management to public relations. If you’ve got an agenda, be sure to ease into it.

Drinking At Lunch
Gone are the days when the three-martini lunch was de rigueur. But, “If your guests order a drink, you should order one, also,” says Lorie Gonzales, president of Mursener & Associates, a Salt Lake City-based communications and consulting firm. If your company has a policy about no drinking on company time, though, respect it. If you don’t want to drink, order a non-alcoholic beverage or limit yourself to one high-test drink.

FOR GUESTS

Don’t think you’re off the hook. You, too, have some responsibilities for making the lunch go smoothly.

Sharing Important Information
If you’ve got dietary or time restrictions, inform the host when you accept the invitation. Not doing so will only embarrass your host and make you look unprepared, or worse.

Confirming the Details
Of course, you’ll want to verify the time and date of the meeting. “Be sure to specify which location if you’re dining at a restaurant that has more than one in the area,” Henry notes. “There’s nothing worse than the business meeting that never was.”

Choosing Your Meal
“A business lunch is not the time to try out something new,” says Gonzales, whose firm specializes in business etiquette. “Order something you’re familiar with and is easy to eat. Avoid ordering anything that has a large mess potential.” In other words, nothing noodle-y, saucy, drippy or hard to maneuver.

Dressing for the Occasion

Clothes make the man or woman, so, “Consider whom you are dining with and where the lunch will take place,” says Melanie Holmes, vice president in charge of corporate social responsibility at Manpower North America in Milwaukee. “Call the restaurant to make sure you’re dressed appropriately. If all else fails, dress as you expect your guest or host to dress, but consider kicking it up a notch.”

THE CHECK

The host is expected to pick up the check, especially if the purpose of the lunch is a sale or request. So budget accordingly. Marjorie Brody, founder of BRODY Professional Development in Jenkintown, Pa., suggests selecting a location “where you can afford anything on the menu. If your guest orders expensive items, you must order in the same ballpark so they will not be uncomfortable or embarrassed.”

To avoid awkward discussions of who’ll pay, Winick likes to pre-pay via credit card with the maître d’. “You can close the business without being disrupted by a waiter bringing the check,” she says.

Splitting the check is an option at lunches where both parties will benefit from the outcome. “Don’t nickel-and-dime your lunch partners by itemizing the bill,” Winick says. “Make it easy for the server to complete the transaction—that usually means giving the server two credit cards and saying, ‘Split it down the middle.’”

If your host declines your offer and you have no regulatory reason to overrule, you must accept the decision.

Nothing’s worse than two people arguing over a check. If you’re just not comfortable with a free lunch, you can always offer to pick up the tip.

The bottom line for business lunches is simple: Make choices that are conducive for closing the deal. Following this advice should ease the heartburn associated with hosting or attending a business lunch.

Bon appétit

5 GREAT LUNCH MEETING LOCATIONS

Armed with the tools you need to have an enjoyable and effective business lunch, check out these spots for dining:

DALLAS/FT. WORTH
The Grand Met at the Grand Hyatt DFW
2337 S. International Pkwy.
972-973-1244
www.granddfw.hyatt.com
Fine dining on globally inspired cuisine at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

KANSAS CITY
1924 Main
1924 Main St.
816-472-1924
www.1924main.com
Seasonal cuisine in a comfortable space in Historic KC.

MILWAUKEE
Hotel Metro Bar & Café
411 East Mason St.
414-272-1937
www.hotelmetro.com
American bistro dining at a very reasonable price in the central business district.

SAN FRANCISCO
Perbacco
230 California St.
415-955-0663
www.perbaccosf.com
Innovative Italian fare located in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
The Willard Room at The Willard InterContinental
1401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
202-637-7440
www.washington.interconti.com
Creative regional American and European cuisine just blocks from the White House.