The document provides etiquette guidelines for business dining. It outlines simple rules for arriving on time, sitting down, understanding place settings, ordering food and drinks, table manners, paying the bill, and appearance. Specific tips include arriving 10 minutes early, unfolding your napkin and placing it in your lap, starting with utensils on the left and liquids on the right, only cutting one bite of food at a time, placing utensils parallel at the 4 and 8 o'clock positions when finished, and turning off phones with proper posture.

1. By: Aimee Worthey
Heather Matsey
David Peyton
Devin Mclean

2. Etiquette
At its simplest etiquette is just a set of rules, mostly
flexible, that allow us all to function well when
presented with a socially challenging situation

3. Simple Rules to Business
Dining Etiquette
• Arrive on time
• Sitting down
• Place settings
• Ordering
• Eating
• Manners
• Paying the bill
• Post-dinner

4. Arrive on Time
• Restaurant reservations are like any other
appointment; stick to it.
• Arrive at least 10 minutes early unless otherwise
specified. Never arrive late!
• Making a good impression is key, and it starts by
arriving on time.

5. Sitting Down
1) Your host should sit down first.
2) Do not place bags on the table
3) Unfold your napkin and place it in your lap,
folded in half with the fold toward your waist

6. Place Settings
• Start on the outside
– Solids on your left: forks, butter plate, napkin
– Liquids on you right: glasses/cups, soup spoons

7. Ordering
• Drinks: water, juice, or iced tea are safe choices. Alcohol is not the
best choice, unless the host orders alcohol, but as a general rule…no
alcohol.
• Food: order simple foods that can be eaten with a fork and knife.
Avoid spaghetti, huge greasy hand-held items & deli-sandwiches

8. Eating
• First and foremost…always wait until your host takes a bite of
their food before you begin eating.
• Bread: bread should be torn and buttered piece-by-piece
• Soup: dip your spoon away from yourself into the soup bowl to fill
your spoon… do not slurp
-An easy way to remember this: “As a ship goes out to sea, I
scoop my soup away from me”
• Seasoning: never salt your food before tasting it, this is an insult
to the chef

9. Eating Cont…
• Cutting your food: always use your fork and knife together. You
should not cut your food at the start of the meal, only cut it one
edible bite at a time
• Where to put utensils when you’re done eating: your fork
and knife should be placed parallel to each other in the ten & four
o’clock position, with handles at 4:00 and tops of the utensils at
10:00

10. Manners:
• General Etiquette:
– Turn off cell phones
– Have proper posture
– Do not put your elbows on the table
• Napkins:
– Lay on your lap when you sit down, do not shake
– Do not use your napkin as a tissue
– If you have to sneeze, turn your head away from the table
– When finished eating, place napkin neatly to the left of your plate
• While Eating:
– Wait for everything to be served before eating
– Do not talk with your mouth full
– Do not chomp on ice or chew with your mouth open
– Cut salad into bite-size pieces and take small bites

11. Manners Cont…
• Table manners play an important part in making
a favorable impression.
• They are visible signals of the state of our
manners and therefore are essential to
professional success.
• The point of etiquette rules is to make you feel
comfortable - not uncomfortable.

12. Paying the Bill

13. Post-Dinner

14. Appearance:
“The way you dress affects the way you are
perceived, and the way you are perceived is the
way you are treated”
– Buck Rodgers
Former VP of Marketing, IBM
(Author of The IBM Way)

15. Formal Place Setting:
Informal Place Setting: