SIU Carbondale College of Business Career Guide

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BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
The Business Meal
Some of the following tips are from the book Panache That Pays, written by Maria Everding, president and founder of
the Etiquette Institute, St. Louis, MO, .
There will be times when interviews occur over a meal. The following tips will help you avoid uncomfortable situations
that can detract from your interview appearance and performance. Do not underestimate the importance of good
manners at a business meal; they truly can be a deciding factor in a hiring situation.
ƒ ƒ Don’t order an alcoholic beverage. Even if the people you are with do so, avoid it in an interview setting.
ƒ ƒ Don’t order the most expensive item on the menu.
ƒ ƒ Avoid ordering foods that are difficult to eat (spaghetti, nachos, noodle soup, etc.).
ƒ ƒ Put your napkin in your lap while you are eating and leave it on the table, not your chair, if you need to leave
the table momentarily. When you’re finished with your meal, place your napkin to the right or left side of
your plate on the table.
ƒ ƒ Wait for your interviewer/host to begin eating before you start eating.
ƒ ƒ Wait for everyone to arrive before beginning any portion of the meal.
ƒ ƒ Rest your forearms and elbows on the table only in between courses.
ƒ ƒ When everyone is seated, unfold your napkin and place it on your lap. The napkin should be folded in half
with the fold toward your waist.
ƒ ƒ Pass both the salt and pepper shaker when someone asks for just one.
ƒ ƒ Bread is to the left of the plate; drinks are to the right. You can remember this by forming a lowercase “B” for
bread with your thumb and forefinger on your left hand and a “D” for drinks on your right hand.
ƒ ƒ When eating bread, break off a small piece over the bread plate. Butter the broken portion and eat just that
much at a time. For the butter, take an amount as it’s passed around the table and put it on your plate to use.
ƒ ƒ Remove a seed, pit, or piece of bone or gristle from your mouth with cupped fingers and place it under
something on your plate, not on the table.
ƒ ƒ Don’t discuss diets or the healthiness/unhealthiness of your or other people’s food; it can make someone angry
or uncomfortable.
ƒ ƒ Don’t place bags, purses, phones, sunglasses, or keys on the table.
ƒ ƒ Don’t order a to-go container for leftover food.
ƒ ƒ Typically, the host will pay the bill.
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