Careers are advanced and deals are closed over dinner tables. The executive who can navigate business dining with grace has an advantage that compounds over time.
Why Business Dining Matters
Sharing a meal is intimate. It reveals character in ways that conference rooms cannot. How someone treats servers, handles mishaps, engages in conversation—all of this is observed and remembered. Major decisions are often made not in the meeting, but at the dinner that follows.
As the Host
When you are hosting a business meal:
- Choose a restaurant appropriate to the occasion—neither too casual nor ostentatiously expensive
- Make reservations and confirm them
- Arrive before your guests
- Know the menu in advance so you can make recommendations
- Handle payment discreetly—excuse yourself to settle the bill before the end of the meal
- Follow up with a note or email the next day
As the Guest
When you are the guest:
- Follow your host's lead on ordering—neither the cheapest nor most expensive items
- Do not order alcohol unless your host does first
- Remember this is business, not a free meal
- Be an engaged conversationalist
- Express genuine gratitude
"In business dining, how you handle the meal reveals as much about your character as how you handle the business."
The Flow of Business
Business discussion follows a natural rhythm at meals. Begin with personal conversation—travel, family, shared interests. Business typically enters during the main course. Heavy documents should wait for coffee, if at all. The table should remain uncluttered.
Universal Principles
Regardless of your role:
- Turn off your phone completely—not just on silent
- Order food that is easy to eat while talking
- Take small bites so you can respond to conversation
- Treat servers with the same respect you show your dining companions