Business Dining Etiquette Tips & Table Manners Advice Q & A
Q. – Is It Rude To Not Order What Your Host
Suggests?
My colleague, Shannon and I were guests at a recent business lunch and Jim, the host, suggested the prime rib was excellent. What was the correct dining etiquette for this situation?
Shannon, who is on a diet, ordered a lighter chicken dish but I thought it might be rude to ignore the host’s suggestion. So even though I secretly would have liked the chicken, I ordered the prime rib. Who was right, Shannon or myself?
– Debby Feelincheated in Ohio
A. – Dear Debby
Too bad, Shannon was right. You could have ordered the chicken too and you would not have been rude.
Jim, your host, was right to make a menu suggestion. But the proper table manners rule is that you don’t have to follow the host’s recommendation.
Extra Advice: Why make a menu suggestion?
A good host should always make a menu recommendation for two reasons. The first reason is fairly obvious; they’re letting you know what’s a good choice, which is handy if guests are not familiar with the restaurant.
The second reason is subtler. The host is giving you a clue as to the price range you could confidently order.
It would be a faux pas to order something much more expensive than the suggestion, say the lobster at ‘market price’ (code for mucho expensive and also a bad choice for business dining – never order anything that requires a bib).
Bonus Business Dining Tip
Another subtle tip: So while you do not have to order what the host recommends, if you’re dining one-on-one, especially with a new business contact, you will build more subconscious rapport by following their menu suggestion.
Hi Joanne and Terry,
I met Baris, a colleague in Toronto this past Sunday. I mentioned to Baris that I had a late breakfast and was not very hungry. He insisted that we go for a light lunch. I acquiesced, so we went to Pizza Pizza. Without making any suggestions from the menu, he took it upon it himself to order a large side of fries and a pizza for each of us. He insisted that it was the wisest choice on the menu. The waiter presented the most colorful pizza to us. It had bright green broccoli, chicken, feta cheese and the brightest red tomatoes I had ever seen. Simply scrumptious.