Palais-Niel couverts (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
ARRIVING AT THE RESTAURANT
•When meeting someone at the restaurant wait in the lobby unless otherwise requested
•The host should arrive at least 15 minutes early.
•The host should check the table and request the change if the location is not satisfactory
•It is proper to wait for your guests at the door
•If coats need to be checked the host should pay the coat fee and appropriate tip. If the wearer of the coat will prefer to take the coat to the table, help your guest remove the coat if it seems appropriate
•When the maitre d’ leads you and your guests into the dining room; your guests should proceed you in following the maitre d’. You lead the way if you are sitting yourself and your guests
•If you are expecting more than one guest, it is all right to be seated with the first guest, after waiting for 10 minutes
•Leave the table setting as is until all late guests have arrived
•Always offer your guest the preferred seat
•It is still considered polite for a gentleman to assist a woman with her chair unless she makes an obvious move to sit herself. He does not have to rise each time she leaves or returns to the table during a business meal
•Enter your chair from the left side and exit from the right.
AFTER BEING SEATED
• Pick up your napkin as soon as everyone is seated. If the napkin is not on the center, it should be the one on your left.
• Place the napkin unfolded across your lap
• The napkin stays in your lap throughout the meal. If you must excuse yourself from the table during the meal, leave your napkin in the chair rather than on the left side of your plate
• The napkin stays on your lap during and after dinner speech
• The napkin is finally placed on the table on the left side, when everyone is ready to depart the table. Do not refold the napkin or ball it up
THE ORDERING PROCESS
• A waiter would offer to take orders for drinks. Offer the guest the opportunity to order first, if he or she orders a drink, it is good manners for the host to do the same. An exception to ordering drinks for the guest would be when at a business lunch or interviewing dinner.
• When passing anything around the table, move left to right, just as in reading a book.
• Determine the appropriate price range by asking your host, “What do you recommend?”. Do not just order the most or least expensive dish on the menu.
• The host should tell the server that he wants his guests to order first. This lets the server know whom to serve last and who will be paying the check.
• When you need service, quietly signal the waiter with your hand
• Treat your server with professional consideration. A generous tip of 15 – 20% is a small price to pay when you receive excellent service.
• Order only the basic (salad, main course, and beverage). If your host suggests an appetizer or desert, be guided accordingly.
THE TABLE SETTING
• Your liquids which include water, coffee, wine, or ice tea are on the right
• Your salad is on your left above the forks
• Your bread and butter plate is above the salad plate
• The fork may be nested in the soup spoon
• Desert, fork, and spoon may be placed above the dinner plate
• Begin eating with the cutlery farthest away from the plate
THE CORRECT USE OF CUTLERY
• Cellophane cracker wrappers and sugar packet wrappers may be folded and placed under the bread and butter plate to keep your area neat
• Pass bread, butter, and condiments to your right
• Taste your food before salting it, to avoid insulting the chef
• Pass salt and pepper shakers together
• When eating soup, the spoon is filled by moving it away from you, not towards you. The spoon exits the bowl away from you at the back edge. It is proper to tip the bowl away from you to get the last bit of soup in your spoon
• When cutting meat, the knife and fork are held in identical hand positions. The handle of each utensil is placed in the palm of each hand with the index finger on the top of the handle. It is not correct to grab the fork and wrap your fingers around the handle.
• Cut only one or two pieces of meat at a time
• Bread is to be eaten in bit size pieces and buttered as you eat. Keep the bread on the bread plate instead of putting it on your dinner plate
• Pass the butter with the butter knife on the dish
• Knife and fork handles should not hang off the plate (like boat oars in the water) when not being used.
Keep the entire fork or knife on the plate.
• “The resting position” is made by placing the knife but beneath the fork to form an X. The blade faces the dinner. The fork on top with the tines facing down. This signals the waiter that you are not ready to have your plate remove.
• When you are finished with your meal, place the knife and fork parallel to each other on your plate. The handle ends should be at 4 o’clock with the knife tip and fork tines pointing at 10 o’clock
• White wine glasses should be held at the base of the stem in order to keep the wine chilled
• Red wine and brandy glasses may be held with fingers on the bowl of the glass
• Toast should be made towards the end of a festive meal. It is an honor to be toasted. The person being honored with the toast never drinks to himself/herself. Simply acknowledges the honor with a smile and nod of your head towards the person presenting the toast.
• “Clinking” glasses is no longer necessary to a toast. It was done long ago to ensure that no poison or drug was in anyone of the glasses. The clinking was done with enough vigor to cause drops of liquid to spill over into everyone’s glasses
DO’s and DON’Ts
DO:
English: Cutlery (fork, knife and napkin) in ??. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
• Sit a woman on her escorts right
• Be a good conversationalist during a meal
• Sit up straight in your chair
• When at a small dinner party wait for the hostess to begin
• When at a large setting with several tables, wait everyone at your table has been served before you begin
• Raise your fork up to your mouth by lifting your arm. Do not lower your face to the table to reach the fork in a hand that is resting on the table
• Chew your food with your mouth closed
• Use your napkin to remove food oils from your lips before drinking your beverages. Lift your napkin to your lips and dab the napkin on your lips.
DON’Ts
• Don’t inspect and freshen makeup at the table during a business meal/appointment
• Don’t begin eating before the host/hostess begins
• Don’t turn a wine glass upside down to indicate that you do not want wine. Simply place your hand
over the top of the glass to signal “NO” to the waiter as he offers to serve you wine
• Don’t use your napkin to blow your nose at the table. Go to the restroom
• Don’t pick your teeth at the table with a fingernail. Don’t walk out of a restaurant using a toothpick. Use
toothpicks out of the public eye
• Don’t “table hop” and interrupt others’ conversations
• If a telephone conversation is unavoidable, make the call away from the table. Do not carry your mobile phone to the table unless it is critical to the business at hand
• Don’t invite a superior to lunch or dinner. It is up to him or her to issue the invitation
• Don’t smoke at the table during the food order process or between courses. The only acceptable time to smoke at the table is after dinner, during coffee. Always ask permission of those sitting next to you
This information on Business Etiquette has been compiled from the following sources
Kennedy, Lou. “Essential Business Etiquette”. Palmetto Publishing
Martin, Phyllis. “Word Watchers Handbook”. St. Martin’s press.
Sabath, Ann Marie. “Business Etiquette In Brief”. Bob Adams, Inc. Publishers.
Where to Get More Information
Mitchell, Mary with Corr, John “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Etiquette”.
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