5 Tips for Choosing a Restaurant for Business Meetings
Picking the right restaurant for a business lunch can make or break a big deal, so it's something well worth putting thought into. Here are just five tips to make sure you choose the perfect place.
1. Keep it Quiet and Relaxed
First and foremost, look for a restaurant with tables placed fairly far apart and only light music playing. There should be an ambience, but you also need a place where clients can relax and speak openly without having to shout or feel like they're being overheard.
2. Value Service
Too many people think only of the food when they're picking a restaurant for a business meeting. The quality of food should clearly be good, but you should pay just as much attention to service. Long waits for drinks or between courses can lead to awkward silences, and unpleasant wait staff can leave a sour taste in your mouth. When you're looking for restaurants, make sure your client is going to be treated as well as you'd treat them yourself.
3. Go Safe with the Food
While service is extremely important, choosing the right type of cuisine should also be a top priority. The best advice is to avoid being risky. Yes, choosing Ethiopian is going to be a huge hit if your client happens to enjoy it, but it might prove a problem when they're more of a meat-and-potatoes sort of person. With food, value quality and range over novelty. Your classic steak-or-seafood establishment is a good bet – just make there are options for veggies, vegans, and people with food intolerances.
4. Match Their Finances
If you're wooing a potential client, you probably have a good enough idea of how their finances stand to pick a restaurant that suits. If you're look to bring in a smaller business run by more casual clients, choosing a swanky restaurant will probably strike the wrong tone. If you're meeting with a banker, they'll probably be expecting just such a place.
5. Provide a Few Choices
If you're still unsure, why not pick out a few places and then let your client make the final decision? You won't be putting all the responsibility on them since you'll do all the hunting for places, and you can book whatever they choose. At the same time, you can give them a degree of choice. Choosing a few potential places is also the best way to get a little creative – you can always sneak in a sushi joint if you're also offering a couple of more traditional choices.