I was interviewed by Washington Post reporter, Emily Heil, for her article on the iconic —and missed— business lunch. I wrote about the business lunch in both The Secrets of SAVVY Networking and Face TO Face: How To Reclaim The Personal Touch in a Digital World/
There were several additional points I mentioned in our interview that are worth reiterating.
1. The Business Lunch is an institution that is missed. It’s a room we want to work. We like “breaking bread” with colleagues, clients and professional contacts.
2. The business lunch will return because we now have a greater appreciation for face-to-face interactions.
3. It will be different! Many areas have lost favorite restaurants that could not sustain the impact of Covid conditions.
4. New restaurants will emerge. And we may be having our business lunches outside of the financial and business centers in our own communities.
5. Logistics of choosing a location will require some flexibility. Because some people will still be working remotely they will have to decide if it’s a “smart decision” to leave home office and invest travel and time to book a biz lunch.
6. In many parts of the country, restaurants will implement public safely recommendations: Masks-except when eating, social distancing and they may even take temperatures of guests.
7. We still need to know the etiquette of attending of hosting a business lunch. Tip Tip: IF you did the inviting, you PICK UP THE TAB!
8. Guests should be “wallet friendly”. If we are not paying, this isn’t the time to order a costly bottle of wine…or beverage of your choice.
9. Guests will still need to send a thank you message, email or note. Savvy networkers take the time to acknowledge gifts of time, referrals, ideas and sustenance.
While regulation varies in different parts of the country, I, for one, can’t wait to break bread at Business Lunch!
About Susan RoAne
