6 Rules for Business Meals: What Not to Do

Ordering properly, tackling the bread basket, manning utensils, staying sober, and surviving endless courses can be challenging. But becoming well-mannered isn’t as simple as reading Emily Post. It takes planning, some education, and plenty of self-awareness. Here are 10 things to avoid if you don’t want that crucial meal to be memorable for the wrong reasons.

1. Don’t go to a restaurant unprepared

Many restaurants today post their menus online, and for those that don’t, there’s always MenuPages. If you’re going to a restaurant with a boss or prospective boss, check out the menu and make some selections beforehand so you don’t get thrown by the choices or appear indecisive. And if you hate the cuisine, get over it and find something on the menu you can eat, says Peggy Newfield, founder of the Atlanta-based American School of Protocol. After all, the meeting isn’t about the food.

2. Don’t sit down hungry

If you’re ravenous, you’ll be lightheaded and unable to focus on the conversation, and you’ll want to wolf down everything on your plate. That draws the wrong sort of attention your way. So before heading out, munch on a protein bar, some cheese and crackers, or a small meal. (If you have a drink at dinner, the snack will also help absorb the alcohol and ensure you don’t get drunk or lightheaded.)

3. Don’t order the T-bone when your boss is having the Cobb salad

In these health-conscious times, you’ll often dine with bosses and managers who order lighter meals. So if the boss recommends the Cobb salad, don’t order the T-bone with five side dishes. It could signal that you lack discipline in other areas or that you wouldn’t fit in well at the company. By the same token, if the boss strongly recommends a certain dish or drink, don’t say no, even if you don’t really want it. “Maybe you don’t finish it,” says Sam Gordon, CIO practice director at executive search firm Harvey Nash. “But don’t spurn the hospitality.”

4. Don’t make the most common table mistakes

Some of these include blowing your nose into your napkin, chewing with your mouth open, and putting your fingers in your mouth.
Other no-nos:

•    Don’t put your napkin on the table when excusing yourself during the meal. Place it on your chair. It goes on the table when you are leaving the restaurant.


•    Memorize the BMW rule: Bread plate to the left, Meat in the middle, and Water to the right.

•    Don’t put your utensils on the table. They belong on the plate.

•    Never, ever eat off another person’s plate.

5. Don’t eat like a kid

Slicing your meat into bite-size pieces before you start eating might inspire a recruiter to offer you a juice box instead of a job. Always cut food as you go. And how you eat your bread speaks volumes, says Neels. “Slicing a big roll, slapping on a slab of butter, and cramming it shut like a hoagie is the biggest sign that you just walked off the turnip truck,” she says. Instead, pull off a piece of bread and use your knife to spread a little butter on it.

6. Don’t order foods that stain, are hard to eat, or get stuck in teeth

Melted cheese sticks to facial hair. Greasy food smears lipstick and speckles ties. Avoid spaghetti, which might fly off your fork; cherry tomatoes, which risk popping; sloppy sandwiches; and anything with sauces. Broccoli and spinach can ruin your smile. The best bet is to order the blandest, easiest-to-eat dish on the menu, like a salad or a piece of meat or fish without sauce.



Source: Yahoo Shine