The Career Management Class Reps and the Culinary Club joined forces recently by hosting our first Dining Etiquette Dinner. As some of our recruiting events and business meeting often take place over lunch or dinner , we came up with this concept in order to brush up on some basic dos and don’ts of dining etiquette in an open-forum setting over dinner at a nearby Milestone’s restaurant.
The event turned out to be a great success. Though we were armed with an arsenal of dining etiquette research to get us started, my co-host Andrea and I were rarely want for topics of conversation as our attendees earnestly contributed questions and etiquette tips from their own experiences. In the span of a couple of hours, we covered everything from sitting down to handling the bill, even throwing in some pet peeves and faux pas along the way.
The good news is that good business dining etiquette needn’t be cumbersome and stressful. Rather with a few simple rules and general common sense, navigating your way across a business lunch or dinner is relatively simple. Here is a list, albeit condensed, of some of the topics we covered:
- Enter and exit your seat from the right side. This may seem surprising, however if you try to enter a seat from the left hand side, as I tried for comparison purposes at home, you will see it feels a little off because we already naturally enter our seats from the right
- Utensils are used from the outside in, and dessert utensils above your plate; when you are finished your meal, knife and forks (prongs down) are placed Collect soup on your spoon by scooping it away from you not towards you. If you need to maneuver the bowl as you come closer to finishing your soup, tilt the soup bowl away from you
- If you excuse yourself from the table, leave your napkin on your chair. When you are finished your meal, loosely fold your napkin and put it to the left side of your plate
- Confused which glass and bread plate is yours? Make an “OK” sign with your thumb and index finger on both hands – the hand that forms a small ‘b’ (left side) is your bread plate, the opposite hand that forms a small ‘d’ (right side) are your drink glasses
- Sending food back – this was a moment of debate during dinner. We eventually came to a consensus that as a guest, especially over a business meeting, in order to not offend your host or call too much attention to yourself, you are best to turn a blind eye to any errors in your food. However, if it is an issue of serious hygiene, then use your discretion as to whether to politely call it to the waiter’s attention (on that note – NEVER be rude to wait staff at a business dinner)
- Similarly, if you are especially particular about a way a certain food is prepared, i.e. steak, then avoid ordering it at a business dinner
- Not sure what to order? Take cues from your host. Whatever the host orders, or generally suggests to you is usually a good indication of the menu items that are acceptable to order. In addition, do not order alcohol unless your host offers, or orders alcohol for his or herself
- In a business setting, it is the host’s responsibility to take care of the bill. If you are the host, then pre-arranging the handling of the bill with the restaurant or excusing yourself from the table to pay the bill will all the more ensure that the transaction will go smoothly. If you handle the bill at the table, avoid poring over it with a fine tooth comb – a quick perusal should be sufficient to ensure it is correct
This list is by no means exhaustive. If you are interested in learning more about dining etiquette, pick up Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers, a quick 15-minute read of basic dining etiquette. This came recommended to us by the Career Management Department, who graciously donated three copies to give away at our event.
If I may quote from this publication, you are ‘invited to dine with others for your company, not because you are in dire need of food’. Thus, taking care to consider dining etiquette is one of the most sincere ways to show that you are gracious for the hospitality being shown to you. While manners may seem like mundane details that most likely will go unnoticed, I would argue that is often the simplest of details that can speak volumes on how you carry yourself. A solid foundation in the basics of dining etiquette is one of the smallest gestures that can have the largest impact on your personal brand.
Bon Appétit!
After earning her Bachelor of Science at McMaster University, Elizabeth began her career working in marketing for a seniors housing Real Estate Investment Trust. An employee of the REIT since its IPO, Elizabeth was involved with building brand awareness, resource management and leading cross-functional teams in launching national marketing initiatives. A former fitness instructor, Elizabeth keeps active at Ivey through her involvement with the Ivey Running/Triathlon Club, where she is co-president, as well as the Softball and Rugby teams. Elizabeth is also co-president of the Ivey Culinary Club and is currently serving as an Ivey Ambassador Program Senator. Outside of the Ivey program, Elizabeth enjoys food and wine, reading and traveling.