A large amount of business is conducted out of the office and meetings are often held while dining. Are you or your company losing business because of less than polished behavior? The answer could be yes, and you may not realize...as the saying goes....you don't know...what you don't know...... But we do know that companies are losing money as associates, employees and corporate executives are not well versed in how to conduct business over a meal.
 In today's society, with all the hectic schedules, eating together as a family is often not possible. This causes a problem....many of us have not learned the social graces of dining. Not knowing what to do with your napkin or which fork to use can make us feel self-conscious in certain situations. Even in today's relaxed corporate environment, poor manners are never looked upon favorably. People do notice.....we speak about ourselves, as we demonstrate to others our professionalism.....or lack of it.
This course will enable you to be more confident, so whether dining with a friend, colleague, client or at the White House, you will handle yourself with confidence, style and world class. This course will also help you to help your guests feel more comfortable and help business to be conducted in a more successful manner in any dining situation.
Audience
Although this course was written with the business professional in mind, it will help anyone who wants to learn the graciousness of dining properly.
Do you need this training?
Take this short quiz to see if you need this course.
- You are the guest of honor, when do you begin eating?
- When you are finished dining, what is finished position of your silverware?
- When do you place your napkin in your lap?
- When passing something around the table, do you pass it to the right or left?
- There are 3 forks on the left of your dinner plate, do you know what you are eating?
- Someone has asked you to pass the salt, what do you do?
- A finger bowl is served with a spoon and fork on a plate, how do you use it?
- You are seated at a place setting with 5 glasses, do you know what each glass is for?
If you can answer these questions correctly, then you do not need to take this course, but if you can not.....the answers....the confidence is just a click of a button away.
Topics include
- The ABC's of Table Manners
- American and Continental Styles of Eating
- Navigating the Place Setting
- Napkins, Glassware and Silverware
- Difficult-to-eat Foods
- Posture at the Table
- When to Start Eating
- Dining Dos and Don'ts
Miscellaneous Manners
Do one thing at a time at the table. If you want to sip your wine, temporarily rest your fork or knife on the plate.
What to do if the table is improperly set. Don't rearrange an improperly arranged place setting and offend the hostess. In a restaurant, where an improperly set table does not reflect on the skills of the host, quietly rearrange the ware for comfort.
Where to place the hands when eating. To avoid creating an obstruction to your dinner partner, when holding a utensil, rest your other hand in your lap. When not holding any utensils, both hands remain in the lap.
Urge to resist. To create a relaxed ambience, resist the urge to fidget, rearrange the silverware, twist the linens, drum on the table, and play with salt and pepper shakers. For cleanliness, keep the hands away from the face and hair.
Posture. Good posture at the table means sitting straight with the back rested slightly against the back of the chair. To avoid spills, lean over the plate each time you take a bite. Never tip a chair backward; the position is hard on the back chair legs and disturbs the symmetry of the table setting. Avoid wrapping your feet around the legs of the chair. Refrain from leaning back and extending your legs under the table, putting your arm on the back of a dinner partner's chair, or looping your arm around the back of the chair. To do otherwise blocks service and obstructs others from the conversation.
Elbows and forearms off the table. To avoid crowding one's dinner partner, during a meal the elbows remain close to the body and off the table. To prevent a barrier to conversation, the forearm and hand are not wrapped around the plate. But between courses, in the interest of hearing conversation at a crowded or noisy table, the elbows are rested on the table so one may lean forward, or the wrist and forearm are placed on the edge of the table.
Reaching at the table. To keep from creating an obstruction for others, at the table reach only for ware close enough to grasp in one fluid motion. Otherwise, ask a guest to pass it to you.
Dealing with disagreeable food. When food that you don't like or can't eat is served, rather than make an issue and offend the hostess, take a small portion. Place the portion on the plate, dabble with it, and eat a small amount (or none at all). To compensate, take larger portions of other foods. For a severe allergy, say, "No, thank you" and after the meal, quietly explain to the hostess. At a buffet, take only the foods you like.
Spilled food. When a guest spills food at a formal affair, a butler takes the appropriate action. But at an informal meal, the diner quietly and quickly lifts the food with a utensil and places it on the side of his plate. However, if food is spilled on another guest, the diner apologizes and offers to pay for cleaning (but lets the other person wipe up the debris).
 Removing different foods from a platter at one time. When a platter contains a combination of foods, such as meat, potatoes, vegetable, and garnish, take a moderate serving of each, including the garnish. However, if the removal of garnish will overly disturb the appearance of the platter, leave it. If a course is presented that contains another food underneath, such as toast or lettuce, take the entire portion.
How large a portion to take from a platter. When a platter of presliced food is presented, and each slice is an ample size, take one serving. But if the slices are small, and it looks as if there are enough servings for each guest to have two, take two for yourself. As a courtesy to the last guest, make sure to leave enough food on the platter so he or she has a choice from several portions.
Which portion to take from a platter. Rather than rummage through a platter and disturb the look of the presentation, take the portion nearest to you.
Do not wave the hands about to refuse a beverage or cover up a glass or turn a cup upside down; simply say, "No thank you." To do otherwise disturbs the look of the table. When a guest refuses a glass of wine, see that he or she is given a glass of water.
Second helping. At a formal affair a multicourse menu is served that precludes the need to offer second helpings. However, at an informal meal, the menu is simpler and second helpings are encouraged. If the hostess does not offer second helpings, do not ask for them. Instead, take a modest serving the first time and wait for the hostess to suggest more.
How many pieces of food to cut at one time. To avoid a messy plate, cut one bite at a time, and not more than two pieces.
Assisting with service at the table. At a formal affair domestic help is provided and guests do not assist with service, except to move the shoulders slightly to make service easier. At an informal meal, help generally is not provided and the guests assist with service by passing the dishes nearest to them. To avoid congestion, serveware is passed to the right and the guests do not delay service by helping themselves along the way (unless it is suggested that they do so).
Thanks for service. Each time service is provided at a multicourse meal, verbal acceptance is not necessary because it distracts from the conversation. Acceptance of the course is in itself thanks. But to refuse service, a verbal rejection of "No, thank you," is given. At a simple meal when a serving bowl is passed upon request, it is courteous for the receiver to say, "Thank you." It is not necessary for those who receive a dish in passage to say thank you.
 Greeting a butler or a maid at the table. When a guest knows a maid or a butler, rather than draw attention to the fact and interrupt conversation, give a brief greeting, such as "Nice to see you."
Complimenting the hostess on the food. In the early twentieth century, even modest homes had help. Meals were prepared by a cook and it was impolite to compliment the hostess on the cuisine because it was inappropriate. Today, few people have help, hostesses delight in food preparation, and a compliment on the cuisine is appreciated. However, there are those who still hold that the conversation is more important than the food and a compliment on the menu or a particular course distracts from the discourse and is inappropriate at a party. The decision, therefore, is individual.
Turning the table. Years ago at a formal affair, it was customary for the hostess to begin conversation at the table with the guest seated on her right. The guests followed suit, and in this way, no one was omitted from conversation. Halfway through the meal, the hostess directed her conversation to the guest seated on her left, and the guests did the same, a custom known as turning the table. Today the dinner table is no longer deliberately "turned," and a courteous guest makes sure he or she talks with the partners on both right and left sides.
How many people does one converse with at the table? A formal table is laid with several candelabra and multiple tall centerpieces that block cross-table visibility and make conversation with those seated on the opposite side difficult. For ease of conversation at a formal affair, guests converse with their dinner partners and chat only briefly with those seated several places away (so the person in the middle does not have to lean backward). But at an informal meal, because fewer courses are served and the table setting is simpler, cross-table visibility is not blocked and group conversation is encouraged.
Smoking at the table. A lighted cigarette is never taken to the table. Smoking is offensive to nonsmokers and dulls the palate. A table laid without ashtrays indicates that the hostess does not wish her guests to smoke. But if ashtrays are provided, before proceeding to smoke and as a courtesy to others, ask the hostess for permission. Because some people are allergic to smoke, wait until the table is cleared for dessert or hold off until dessert is finished. Never use a dessert plate or a saucer as an ashtray.
Who clears the plates? At a formal affair, plates are removed by a professional staff. But as most informal meals are served without help, the hostess clears the plates, often with the help of a guest or two. At a family meal, members clear their own plates.
Leaving the dining room. To signal dinner is concluded, the hostess catches the eye of the host, lays her napkin on the table, and suggests that everyone go into another room for coffee and after-dinner drinks. The hostess rises from her chair. The gentlemen help the ladies to their right and the guests leave the dining room in whatever order they wish. The host leaves last.
When to depart a dinner party. "With the bread eaten, up breaks the company," says Cervantes in Don Quixote. But such a speedy departure would not be polite. At a formal affair, guests do not depart until the honoree has left (unless they have told the hostess in advance that they must do so). Because entertainment and socializing follow a formal dinner, it is courteous to remain for at least an hour.
Saying good-bye. When it's time to leave, rather than detain one's host with a lengthy good-bye, make the departure brief but cordial.
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