Business Dinner Etiquette

Learn the proper rules of business dining etiquette before you need them. Knowing proper
business dinner etiquette can give you a competitive edge when trying to land your dream job,
excel in business or close a sale. Lillian Chaney says in the "The Essential Guide to Business
Table Manners," 60 percent of top executives surveyed said they would not permit employees
who did not have good table manners to represent their firm in public.

Dining In, Setting the Table:

If you are holding the business dinner in your home, follow the rules of etiquette when setting
the table. Arrange silverware with the first used utensil furthest away from the plate. The basic
items in a table setting in proper order area: salad fork, fork, plate, dinner knife and soup spoon.

Dining Out, Ordering Your Meal:

According to Ann Marie Sabbath, author of Business Etiquette in Brief, when meeting someone
for a business lunch, wait in the lobby unless you have agreed upon a prior arrangement. If you
are seated first, wait for all parties to be seated before ordering your meal. If you are not the host,
ask the host what they recommend before placing your order, so that you will have an idea as to
an appropriate price range for your meal. Order only the basics: a salad, main course and
beverage. Only order an appetizer or dessert when following the lead of the host. Try to mirror
the eating pace of the host. If you are a slow eater, ask the host questions in order to slow down
his eating pace to match your own.

Basic Table Manners:

These rules of etiquette for business dining outlined by the University of Delaware Career Center
are a matter of common sense for most individuals. When at the table, turn off cell phones, sit up
straight, no elbows on the table, do not groom yourself at the table, do not talk with your mouth
full, take small bites and cut your salad into bite sized pieces if necessary.

American "Zigzag" Style:

In America, the most common style of dining is the "zigzag" style, which is sometimes referred
to as the American style. Using the "zigzag" style, hold your knife in the right hand and fork,
tines (prong on the fork) down, in the left hand. After cutting your food, place the knife in the
upper right edge of the plate. Switch the fork to the right hand and eat a piece of food with the
fork, tines up.

European "Continental" Style:

Europe, Latin America and many other countries use the European "Continental" style of dining
etiquette. The primary distinction between this style and the zigzag style is that the fork remains
in the left hand with the tines down. In America, this style is only considered acceptable when
the person is a foreigner or a citizen who was born in another country.

Top Ten Business Dinner Etiquette Rules

Rule # 1 – Start On The Outside.  On a properly set table you usually see a series of forks on
the left side of your plate and spoons and knives on your right. The very simple rule is to always
work from the outside in. The cutlery farthest away from your plate is for the first course.

Rule # 2 – Build Bridges, Not Ramps.  When you put your knives, forks, and spoons down,
place the entire utensil on the plate (bridge).  Do not put it back on the table, and do not rest it
half on and half off the plate (ramp).When you are finished, place your knife and fork together in
the center of the plate slightly turned to the five o’clock position. This well let your server know
you are done eating.

Rule # 3 – Cutting Your Food.  You should always use both your knife and fork together.  You
should not cut your food up at the start and then use your fork only.  You should only cut one
edible piece of meat at a time.

Rule # 4 – Eating Soup.  When eating soup, push your spoon away from you starting to the
farthest edge of the soup bowl. Bring the spoon to your mouth and drink the soup from the edge
of the spoon and not by putting the whole spoon in to your mouth.  And, of course, do not slurp.

Rule # 5 – Napkins.  Your napkin should be unfolded and placed on your lap immediately upon
sitting down at the table, folded in half once, and the open end of the fold facing away from you.
It is never acceptable to tuck your napkin in to the front of your shirt in business dinner etiquette.
If you must leave the table before you have finished, you should place your napkin on your seat. 
This tells the server that you plan to return.

Rule # 6 – Which Glass?  Normally you will have two or more glasses at the table. Your glasses
are on the right upper side of your plate. You can have up to four glasses. They are usually
arranged in a diagonal or roughly square pattern. The top left glass is for red wine. It will usually
have a fairly large bowl. Directly below that you will find the white wine glass, which will be
smaller. At the top right, you will find a champagne glass. Your water glass is on the bottom
right.

Rule # 7 – Sitting.  You should not sit in your seat until your host or hostess has done so.  If
there is no host, then you should wait for the senior or oldest person at the table to sit first before
you sit in your seat. 

Rule # 8 – Starting To Eat.  The same can be said for eating as well.  You should not pick up
your fork and begin eating until the host, hostess, or senior person at the table begins.  You must
not start eating until everyone has been served even if your food is getting cold.  If there are a
large number of guests, the host may indicate that you may begin before everyone is served. If
this is the case, then you should begin.

Rule # 9 – Spitting Food Out.  If you take a mouthful of food which contains something you
cannot swallow, you should remove the piece of food by which ever means it entered your
mouth.

Rule # 10 – Bread and Butter.  When you begin to eat bread or any other food from a common
bowl using business dinner etiquette, you should offer the bread basket to the person on your left
and then begin passing the bowl around the table to the right.

If you are having bread with your meal there will usually be a small side plate on the left hand
side of your place setting.  Bread should torn with your fingers and never be cut with a knife if
offered in the loaf form. When you wish to eat it, tear a bite sized piece off with your fingers.
Use your butter knife to transfer a sufficient portion of butter for your bread.  One get butter
from the dish once.  So, make sure that you get enough.  Place it on the side of your side plate.
You should butter each piece of bread as you eat it, rather than buttering it all up front.

You might think that these business dinner etiquette tips are outdated, but I assure you that
people are always watching how you handle yourself at the table. Even if you already have a job
and are eating with your boss, continually dinning with business dinner etiquette will set you up
for future success. You never know when the opportunity to make a sale or land the next job
offer will present itself. And, in today’s challenging job market, we all needs as many tools and
tricks in our bags to help us stay competitive as possible.

Paying the Bill