20 Tips For Restaurant Business Networking

Is it time to start re-establishing your network? Writer Tobias Stone says that post-pandemic more meetings and business networking will be happening over the sharing of food because “that’s how people bond”.  While having lunch (or dinner) with someone is one of best ways to build rapport and network it can be a challenge—how to get a ‘yes’ for a lunch meeting from a busy person and then how to make the best impression at that meal?

If you are planning to amp up your networking by inviting clients, potential customers, colleagues, and new contacts to connect over food, here are twenty of our best restaurant business networking tips:

1. Pick a restaurant close to your guest’s place of work.
2. Pick a restaurant that’s not too noisy, or reserve a table in a quieter area.
3. Consider how your guest might feel about crowded indoor dining. Maybe they would still prefer outdoor or covered patio dining. 
4. Always reserve.
5. Respect their time. Ask them in advance how long they have for lunch. Choose a restaurant that caters to a lunch business crowd. They’ll have ‘express’ menu items.
6. If it’s a meeting that includes information that you would prefer others didn’t overhear, pick a restaurant where you can have that privacy. 
7. If you like to see and be seen, choose a restaurant that’s the business networking restaurant. For example, in Vancouver there are certain restaurants leading business people frequent.  
8. Spend time prior to the lunch on your guest’s company website, on their LinkedIn page, and even Google their company for News. Set up a Google Alert on them or their company. 
9. At the restaurant, make your menu decision quickly, whether you are the guest or host. Being indecisive about a meal choice is annoying to some people.
10. Always let the waiter take your guest’s order before yours.
11. Choose foods that must be eaten with a knife and fork. For example, a dollop of mayo from your burger ending up on your chin is not a pretty picture. We all think our table manners are ok, but if you cut your dinner roll open with a knife or fold your napkin neatly at the end of the meal* you might need a refresher in table manners.
12. Never place your phone on the table. While you may be tempted to take a call that is vibrating in your pocket, try—at all costs—not to look at it.
13. Never tell your guest that you are expecting an important phone call and may have to take it. What does that say to your guest? Something or someone is more important than them.
14. Actively listen to your guest.  People are often afraid to ask more questions, but asking questions means you are interested in what they have to say.
15. No doubt there will be talk between the two of you about the two plus years that we have all experienced the pandemic. Have your thoughts together before you go so it’s not the ‘same-old, same-old’ things everyone says. Is there something of value that you learned during the pandemic that you could share with your guest? Perhaps it’s a new business practice you’ve established in the hybrid work-world or a new app or productivity tool that has been effective for you.
16. Not everyone is a great conversationalist so you may need a few tricks to keep the conversation going. We find that by scanning the news you will find topics that may be useful ways to jump-start a waning conversation. “What do you think about…”. “I am wondering how xyz will impact…”. If you can find topics that they have expertise in, even better!
17. Make a mental note of anything you promised to follow up on afterwards. Write it down as soon as you can. 
18. When you do your follow-up email, thank them for taking time out of their busy day to join you for lunch and share the things that you discussed and/or promised to send.
19. If you are paying the bill, make sure you quickly move the bill towards you. Don’t just let it sit out there in the ‘who is paying it zone’ in the middle of the table.
20. And most importantly, avoid using the mealtime to ‘pitch’ or sell your product or service, unless that is the express reason for getting together. “Sure, I’d love to get together for lunch to hear more about your product.”  A great goal is to use that time to build rapport or re-establish a relationship.  Eating a meal together is a relaxed and enjoyable way to bond with another person.  You would love for the other person to say, “Let’s do this again.”

* Etiquette can be tricky: Dinner rolls or buns aren’t cut in half and buttered. Instead, tear a piece of your roll, butter that piece, eat it. No origami skills are needed when you finish your meal. Your napkin isn’t refolded, instead it’s casually placed to the left of your plate. Here are some more great etiquette tips.

Let’s do this again

We hope you found our 20 tips for restaurant business networking helpful. Watch for more blog posts on business networking from us.

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Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson

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