“Sleep not when others

speak, sit not when others

stand, speak not when you
should hold your peace,
walk not on while others
stop.” George
Washington.

Students In Free Enterprise:

More than competition, it's a
team that will help you
compete in LIFE.

A simple guide to
business dinner
etiquette compiled by
the Elmira College

1
Students In Free
Enterprise Team.
In the world we live in today, it can
be said that the road to success is paved with
good manners. Yes, it really is that simple.
The cover quote by George Washington says
it all: “Sleep not when others speak, sit not
when others stand, speak not when you
should hold your peace, walk not on while
others stop.” When you think of proper
etiquette, think of this quote. It is true that
first impressions are important, and the
author, a member of the Elmira College
Student’s In Free Enterprise team, has found
that many young people today are not all
that aware of common etiquette at the dinner
table. The author’s father has always told
her, good manners are not noticed; bad
manners are. This is why she created a
Business Dinner Etiquette Guide for the
Elmira College SIFE team to teach people,
especially graduating college seniors, how to
behave when going out to a business dinner.
Perhaps this guide could help you, too. It
features common tips like “do not talk with
your mouth full” to little known tips like
“pass the salt and pepper shaker together” to
etiquette in foreign countries. For example,
did you know that during meals in China the
most important guest sits to the right of the
host? Or, that in many European countries it
is inappropriate to keep your hands on your
lap during the meal?
Let’s see how much you know-Take the
Etiquette Survival Test!
Etiquette Survival Test
Business and social etiquette can be tricky,
and making the right moves can make a big
difference. Take this quiz and see how you
fare in the following business situations. The
answers are on page four.
1. Your boss, Ms. Alpha, approaches the
table where you are meeting with an
important client, Mr. Beta. You rise and say,
"Ms. Alpha, I would like you to meet Mr.
Beta, our client from San Diego." Is this
introduction correct?
2. At a social function, you meet the CEO of
an important corporation. After a brief chat,
you give him your business card. Is this
correct?
3. After leaving the restaurant you enter a
cab with an important client. You position
yourself so the client is seated curbside. Is
this correct?
5. You are hosting a dinner at a restaurant.
You have pre-ordered for everyone and
indicated where they should sit. Are you
correct?
6. A toast has been proposed in your honor.
You say "thank you" and take a sip of your
drink. Are you correct?
7. You are in a restaurant and a thin soup is
served in a cup with no handles. To eat it
you should:
a) Pick it up and drink it.
b) Use the spoon provided.
c) Eat half of it with a spoon and drink
the remainder.
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8. You are at a dinner and champagne is
served with the dessert. You cannot drink
champagne yet know the host will be
offering a toast. Do you:
a) Tell the waiter "no champagne."
b) Turn over your glass.
c) Ask the waiter to pour water into your
champagne glass instead.
d) Say nothing and allow the champagne
to be poured.
9. You are at a table in a restaurant for a
business dinner. Midway through the meal,
you are called to the telephone. What do you
do with your napkin?
a) Take it with you.
b) Fold and place it to the left of your
plate.
c) Loosely fold it and place it on the right
side.
d) Leave it on your chair.
10. You are hosting a dinner party at a
restaurant. Included are two other couples,
and your most valuable client and his wife.
You instruct the waiter to:
a) Serve your spouse first.
b) Serve your client's spouse first.
c) Serve you and your spouse last.
11. You are invited to a reception and the
invitation states "7:00 to 9:00 PM." You
should arrive:
a) At 7:00 PM.
b) Anytime between 7:00 PM and 9:00
PM.
c) Between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM.
d) Go early and leave early.
12. You are greeting or saying good-bye to
someone. When is the proper time to shake
their hand?
a) When you are introduced
b) At their home.
c) At their office.
d) On the street.
e) When you say good-bye.
13. You are talking with a group of four
people. Do you make eye contact with:
a) Just the person to whom you are
speaking at the moment.
b)Each of the four, moving your eye
contact from one to another.
c) No one particular person (not looking
directly into anyone's eyes).
14. The waiter is coming toward you to
serve wine. You do not want any. You turn
your glass upside down. Are you correct?
15. When you greet a visitor in your office,
do you:
a) Say nothing and let her sit where she
wishes.
b) Tell her where to sit.
c) Say "Just sit anywhere."
16. You are invited to dinner in a private
home. When do you take your napkin from
the table and place it on your lap?
a) Open it immediately.
b) Wait for the host to take his napkin
before taking yours.
c) Wait for the oldest person at the table
to take his.
d) Wait for the acknowledged head of
the table to take hers before taking yours.
17. You are scheduled to meet a business
associate for working lunch and you arrive a
few minutes early to find a suitable table. 30
minutes later your associate still has not
arrived. Do you:
a) Order your lunch and eat.
b) Continue waiting and fuming that your
associate is not there.
d) Tell the head waiter you are not
staying and give him your card with
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 instructions to present it to your
associate to prove you were there.
d) After 15 minutes call your associate.
18. You have forgotten a lunch with a
business associate. You feel terrible and
know he is furious.
Do you:
a) Write a letter of apology.
b) Send flowers.
c) Keep quiet and hope he forgets about
it.
d) Call and set up another appointment.
Answers:
1. No. Introduce the more important person
first. You should address your client and say
"Mr. Beta, I would like you to meet our Vice
President of Development, Ms. Alpha."
(Alternative answer--introduce the client as
the more important person!)
2. Not unless he asks for it.
3. No.
4. Yes. When your client steps out of the
car, (s)he will be on the curbside and will
not have to deal with getting out in traffic or
sliding across the seat.
5. Yes.
6. No. If you do, then you are toasting
yourself.
7. B. It is not a cup of coffee, for heaven's
sake. And do not slurp, either.
8. D. It is more polite not to call attention to
the fact that you cannot drink champagne.
9. D. Leave it on your chair. Definitely do
not put it on the table--what if you have
crumbs on it?
10. B and C. Sort of a trick question, but this
is important.
11. A, B, or C. It is terribly impolite to
arrive early.
12. A, B, C, D, and E. In other words, it is
rarely improper to shake someone's hand.
Make sure you have a firm (but not painful)
handshake for both men and women.
13. B. Make eye contact with all of the
individuals you are talking with.
14. No. Again, do not call attention to your
dislike of your host's chosen beverage.
15. B. Indicating where your guest should sit
will make her feel more comfortable.
16. B, C, or D. Do not grab it first unless
you are playing one of these roles. (This is
only at a private home, in a restaurant put it
on your lap upon sitting down).
17. A. You have waited 30 minutes. Expect
an apology later, though.
18. D. Call and set up another appointment.
And do not forget to apologize for your
error. Imagine how you would feel if it was
you!
*This test was copied directly from
www.gradview.com
General tips on business meal etiquette:
1. Never talk with food in your mouth
or chew with your mouth open. Ever.
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2. Once you have picked up a utensil it
should never touch the table again.
3. Pick up utensils from the outside in.
4. Scoop soup away from yourself to
avoid splashing.
5. Order something easy to eat; try to
avoid messy soups like French
Onion or messy meals.
6. Do not order any dish that would be
hard to eat with a knife and fork.
Never pick anything up with your
fingers, except for bread. Foods like
corn on the cob can also be picked
up, but this should never be served at
a formal dinner. Stay away from
foods that are messy and will stick in
your teeth during a business meeting.
7. Always pass the salt and pepper
together.
8. Keep the same pace as the person
you are dining with. You do not want
to finish your meal long before he or
she does nor do you want to eat long
after your companion is done.
9. Do not order the most expensive
item on the menu unless you are
specifically told it is all right.
10. Do not order an alcoholic drink
unless your host does so first. If you
are the first person asked “Would
you like a drink?” Tell the server you
are not sure yet and to ask someone
else first.
11. It is okay to have an alcoholic drink
if the host has one, however do not
order more than one.
12. Be properly dressed for the occasion.
It is better to be overdressed than
underdressed.
13. Have good posture. Keep your
elbows at your sides. No flying
elbows.
14. Put your napkin on your lap as soon
as you sit down.
15. Do not reach across the table. If in
doubt ask someone to pass the item
to you.
16. Do not season your food before
tasting it.
17. Do not use ketchup unless you are at
a burger joint.
18. Do NOT sop or dip bread.
19. Cut one piece at a time.
20. Do not fix hair, lipstick or teeth at
the table and do not smoke.
21. Do not ask for a doggie bag.
At all times, follow your host (unless you are
the host).
Tips from Emily Post
-Do not encircle your plate with your arm.
-Do not leave half the food on your spoon or
fork. Put less on in order to eat it all in one
bite.
-Do not tip your chair.
-If a host should want to say grace and you
wish not to participate, simply sit quietly
with your hands on your lap.
-Never hold bread in your hand to butter it.
-Do not slurp spaghetti. It is okay to bite it
off and let the rest drop back to the plate.
However, try to avoid ordering this in the
first place.
-Beverages that are very hot may be sipped
from a spoon.
-Do not use your fancy napkin to blow your
nose. Find a tissue.
-It is fine to eat an olive or cherry out of a
cocktail but wait until you have drunk
enough to not wet your fingers.
-If coffee or tea is placed on the table, the
person closest to it should offer to pour,
serving him/herself last.
-If you are given chopsticks instead of knife
and fork and are uncomfortable, feel free to
request a knife and fork.
*Taken from Emily Post on Etiquette
5

Here are the top 5 business dinner
blunders:
1.Not arriving on time. It is best to arrive 10
minutes early. If you arrive first and must
wait at the table, do not eat or drink
anything, leave the napkin on the table and
the place setting undisturbed.
2.Not being prepared. Make sure you have
done your homework. Have all materials
organized and be professional. You want to
be sure when the meal has ended that you
have accomplished your objectives.
3.Not having good table manners. It is
imperative that you know proper dining
etiquette. If you are not sure, pick up an
etiquette book and brush up.
4.Skipping coffee and dessert. Coffee and
dessert time are very important, as decisions
and agreements are often made at this time.
It is a good time to review and summarize
what has been discussed, and to tie up loose
ends.
5.If you are the host and you do not pay the
bill. The person who did the inviting pays
the bill. Period. If you are paying, it is fine
to review the bill briefly for accuracy, but do
not study it. If you think a mistake has been
made, deal with it after your guests have
left.
*Blunders was taken from “Ask Deborah”
on: http://www.ritchimage.com
At a business dinner, it is important
to keep in mind that you are not there to eat.
You are there with an agenda. Eating comes
second. This is repeated several times in this
guide because it is so important.
Also, since you are not paying, follow the
lead of your host. You do not want to stand
out in a business dinner situation.
Never pick up the menu right away. Leave
the menu alone until your host has picked it
up. Dinner is not a race.
Place settings are close together. To avoid
taking somebody else’s utensils, remember
that glasses are on your right, bread on your
left.
Wine Presentation: If this is your job at
the table, remember these three easy
steps:
1. Check the label. Did the server bring
the wine you ordered? Is it the
correct year also? Once it is open it
is yours.
2. Smell the wine. It should not smell
like vinegar. Do not smell the cork.
3. Take a tiny sip and taste the wine.
Note: you are only checking to see if
the wine has gone bad. If it has, be
polite and swallow it anyway. You
should only have taken a small sip
for this reason.
Leaving the menu open means the server
will never come to the table. Close it when
you have decided on your meal.
Take small bites of food, this way when you
are asked a question, you do not have to
make the person wait for an answer.
After the dinner, thank your host in person
but do not forget to also send the host a
thank you note!
*Taken from Life After School Explained,
written and published by Cap and Compass:
Jesse Vickey, Andy Ferguson, and Nicole
Vickey.
6
Some Etiquette Tips That Are Important
to Know When Dining in Certain Foreign
Countries:
India:
"If you are with an elder person, or a
person of superior rank, you expect that
person to take hold of the menu first," says
Neeraj Moondra, product manager at
Ericsson. Indians expect lavish treatment
during business dinners. He advises a host to
choose a five-star hotel and order extra
items from the menu. "The environment is
more important than the food itself," he
says. Also, it is a fatal mistake to jump into
business topics too soon. "The most
important thing is to build relationships,"
Moondra says. "Talk about the family,
people do not mind questions like that.”
Europe: (in general)
In many European countries, it is
inappropriate to keep your hand on your lap
during the meal. "One hand should be in the
table at all times," says Joanne Mahanes,
director of career services at Sweet Briar
College and president of Career Matters. "It
is a sign of distrust. It makes people wonder
what your hands are doing."
France:
France is the exact opposite of India.
"The French love to talk politics, but you
would not discuss your personal life in a
business meeting," says Liz Smith, manager
of corporate communications for Framatome
Technologies. The meal is important in
France and can last up to four hours. Also, it
is not unusual for wine to be served with
lunch as well as dinner. "You should adjust
your attitude to know that a meal in France
is a cultural event and it is to be shared and
experienced for a long time," Smith says.
Sweden:
Susanne Lithander, acting vice
president and general manager of Ericsson's
private radio systems, says formality is
important to the Swedes. The host is
expected to make a welcome speech during
dinner and the visitors are expected to stand
in response to say thank you.
Germany:
Before eating, wish everyone at the
table "Guten Appetit." ("Enjoy your meal.")
Only take as much food as you plan on
eating. The Germans usually "clean their
plates". When you or others are eating, keep
your hands on the table, not under it. Sit up
straight, close to the table. Do not prop your
head up with your hands. Do not bend your
head over your food when you are eating or
"shovel" your food in your mouth. Do not
begin eating until everyone at the table has
been served. Do not begin drinking until
everyone has something to drink and a toast
has been made. Look others in the eye when
toasting. Do not get up to leave when you
have finished eating, but wait for the others;
if you came to dinner with others, then leave
with them also.
China:
Generally, business is more formal
and ceremonial in other countries than in the
U.S. In China, "the first thing people have to
be aware of is that it is an extremely
hierarchical society," says Michael Cooper,
vice president and director of exports at
American Hoffman Corporation. During
business meetings, it is very important to
remember who has the most stature.
During meals in China, the most important
guest sits to the right of the host. The second
most important person sits to the left of the
host. The host sits facing the doorway. The
same is true in India, says Neeraj Moondra,
product manager at Ericsson.
*The above information concerning
etiquette in foreign countries was taken
7
directly from Kelly Regan’s article “The art
of the deal: Good manners can be the key”
on
http://www.sbcnews.sbc.edu/9901/9901lnaet
iquette.html. The part about Germany was
taken from “Mind Your Manners” on
http://www.german-business-
etiquette.com/10-business-dinners.html
For more information on dining in
foreign countries, visit your local library
or contact mrogers@elmira.edu
Foods You Can Eat With Your Fingers
If you absolutely must eat them!
Artichoke:
To eat it, pull a leaf off, dip it, scrape
the flesh from the base of the leaf with your
top teeth, and discard the leaf on the plate
provided for that purpose. (You may
encounter a special plate made with a central
niche for the artichoke, a niche for a small
bowl of sauce, and a sort of moat all around
on which the leaves are to be discarded.)
Continue eating the leaves until the prickly
"choke" is revealed -- this is the point when
it is clear you have a species of thistle in
front of you. Switch to fork and knife, first
to remove the choke, then to eat the heart
and base.
Bread:
Bread must always be broken, never
cut with a knife. Tear off a piece that is no
bigger than two bites worth and eat that
before tearing off another. If butter is
provided (and at formal events it
customarily is not), butter the small piece
just before eating it. There is an exception to
this rule: If you are served a hot roll, it is
permissible to tear (not cut) the whole roll
lengthwise down the middle and place a pat
of butter inside to melt.
Corn on the Cob:
It is unlikely that it will be served at
a formal event, but if you encounter corn on
the cob, it may be picked up and eaten. The
approved method of doing so is to butter one
or two rows at a time and to eat across the
cob cleanly.
Hors d'Oeuvres, Canapes, Crudités:
Almost everything that is served at a
cocktail party or during a pre-meal cocktail
hour is intended to be eaten with the fingers.
Some of these foods make appearances at
regular meals as well (although not often
very formal ones). When they do, it is still
permissible to use the fingers to eat them.
This includes olives, pickles, nuts, deviled
eggs, and chips.
Small Fruits and Berries on the Stem:
If you are served strawberries with
the hulls on, cherries with stems, or grapes
in bunches, then it is okay to eat them with
your fingers. Otherwise, as with all berries,
the utensil of choice is a spoon. In the case
of grapes, you may encounter a special
scissors, to be used to cut off a small cluster
from the bunch. If not, tear a portion from
the whole, rather than plucking off single
grapes, which leaves a cluster of unattractive
bare stems on the serving platter.
Remember to use a knife and fork if it is at
all possible!
*This section was taken from “Diner’s
Digest”
http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/region/chi
na/eating_customs.shtml
The Meal
There are two common approaches
to determining how to begin a meal, and,
8
whichever method is used, it should be
followed at the start of each course of the
meal. At smaller events, it is common to
wait to take a bite until everyone at the table
has received a serving and the hostess has
begun eating. Sometimes a hostess may urge
her guests to eat immediately upon receiving
the food. This is especially true at larger
events, where waiting for everyone would
allow it to get cold. In this case, wait until
one or two of the other guests are ready to
begin as well, so that you are not the only
person at the table who is eating.
Posture:
("Elbows, elbows, if you are able --
keep your elbows off the table!") Proper
posture at the table is very important. Sit up
straight, with your arms held near your
body. You should neither lean on the back
of the chair nor bend forward to place the
elbows on the table. It is permissible to lean
forward slightly every now and then and
press the elbows very lightly against the
edge of the table, if it is obvious that you are
not using them for support.
Eating Soup:
Dip the spoon into the soup, moving
it away from the body, until it is about two-
thirds full, then sip the liquid (without
slurping) from the side of the spoon (without
inserting the whole bowl of the spoon into
the mouth). The theory behind this is that a
diner who scoops the spoon toward himself
is more likely to slosh soup onto his lap. Be
sure, however, to bring the spoon to your
mouth and not your mouth down to the
spoon. It is perfectly fine to tilt the bowl
slightly -- again away from the body -- to
get the last spoonful or two of soup.
Finger Bowls:
There is a story of a man, either a
foreigner or a bumpkin, who is a guest at a
formal dinner party. When a servant offers
him a bowl of water at the end of the meal,
he drinks it. The hostess presiding at the
event is so poised and utterly well-mannered
that, without skipping a beat, she drinks her
bowl down, too, thus saving him the
embarrassment of realizing the extent of his
faux pas. Fortunately, the main difficulty
lies in recognizing the finger bowl when you
see it, which, at formal events, will be either
before or after the dessert course. Often
there is a slice of lemon floating in the
water. Once you are presented with one, all
you need to know is that you should
delicately dip your fingertips in the water
(no scrubbing), dry them off with your
napkin (equally delicately), and set the bowl
to the side of your plate.
Passing the Salt:
The proper response to this very
simple sounding request is to pick up both
the salt and the pepper and to place them on
the table within reach of the person next to
you, who will do the same, and so on, until
they reach the person who asked for them.
They are not passed hand-to-hand, nor
should anyone other than the original
requester sprinkle her food when she has the
shakers in her possession. The reason for
this, as Judith Martin points out more than
once, is that American etiquette is not about
efficiency. Often, the most refined action is
that which requires the greatest number of
steps to carry it out (as in, for example, the
zig-zag method of handling a fork and
knife).
Removing Inedible Items from the
Mouth:
The general rule for removing food
from your mouth is that it should go out the
9
same way it went in. Therefore, olive pits
can be delicately dropped onto an open palm
before putting them onto your plate, and a
piece of bone discovered in a bite of chicken
should be returned to the plate by way of the
fork. Fish is an exception to the rule. It is
fine to remove the tiny bones with your
fingers, since they would be difficult to drop
from your mouth onto the fork. And, of
course, if what you have to spit out will be
terrifically ugly --an extremely fatty piece of
meat that you simply cannot bring yourself
to swallow, for example -- it will be
necessary to surreptitiously spit it into your
napkin, so that you can keep it out of sight.
How to Use a Napkin:
A napkin is meant only to be dabbed
at the lips and should not get dirty in the
process. It might seem that the napkin is
provided precisely so that it can help the
diner clean up any mess that might occur
during the course of the meal. Of course,
this was its original use, (once the tablecloth
itself ceased to be used as a napkin), and at
an informal occasion such as a barbeque, it
still performs this service. But the more
formal the event, the more vestigial the
presence of the napkin, because the purpose
of nearly every aspect of table manners is to
preserve cleanliness and proper appearance.
If all other elements of the meal are going
well, there will be no danger of smudging
the linen.
To Start:
As soon as you are seated, remove
the napkin from your place setting, unfold it,
and put it in your lap. At some very formal
restaurants, the waiter may do this for the
diners, but it is not inappropriate to place
your own napkin in your lap, even when this
is the case. If your napkin falls on the floor
during a formal event, do not retrieve it. You
should be able to signal a member of the
serving staff that you need a fresh one.
To Finish:
When you leave the table at the end
of the meal, place your napkin loosely next
to your plate. It should not be crumpled or
twisted, which would reveal untidiness or
nervousness, respectively; nor should it be
folded, which might be seen as an
implication that you think your hosts might
reuse it without washing. The napkin must
also not be left on the chair. There is a
European superstition that a diner who
leaves the napkin on his chair will never sit
at that table again, but other, less
supernatural, reasons are often cited for this:
it might seem as if you have an
inappropriately dirty napkin to hide -- or
even that you are trying to run off with the
table linens.
Place settings
There is a general consensus among
writers of etiquette manuals that too many
people are afraid they will fail to choose the
proper utensil for the appropriate stage of
the meal. Book after book provides
reassurance on this point: Use the outermost
utensil or utensils, as necessary, one set for
each course, and you cannot go wrong
(unless the table has been improperly laid to
start out with).
For a formal place setting, you will
receive exactly as much silverware as you
will need, arranged in precisely the right
order. Good etiquette requires you to assume
(and this ought to ease most people's
worries) that the host has correctly assigned
each utensil to its task, rather than attempt to
point out that a fish fork is improperly being
supplied for your salad. As each course is
10
finished, the silverware will be removed
with the dish, leaving you with a clean slate,
all ready for the next item to arrive.
Common sense forbids arranging battalions
of forks and knives at the sides of the plate,
so on the extremely rare occasions that more
than three or four courses are planned, new
silverware will be brought to you after all of
the original setting has been used.
Utensil Etiquette
Holding a Utensil: In general use, both
spoon and fork are held horizontally by
balancing them between the first knuckle of
the middle finger and the tip of the index
finger while the thumb steadies the handle.
The knife is used with the tip of the index
finger gently pressing out over the top of the
blade to guide as you cut.
The Zig Zag Method: By American custom,
which was brought about partly by the late
introduction of the fork into the culture, all
three utensils are intended for use primarily
with the right hand, which is the more
capable hand for most people. This leads to
some complicated maneuvering when foods,
such as meat, require the use of knife and
fork to obtain a bite of manageable size.
When this is the case, the fork is held in the
left hand, turned so that the tines point
downward, the better to hold the meat in
place while the right hand operates the knife.
After a bite-sized piece has been cut, the
diner sets the knife down on the plate and
transfers the fork to the right hand, so that it
can be used to carry the newly cut morsel to
the mouth. Emily Post calls this the "zig-
zag" style.
European Style: The European, or
"Continental," style of using knife and fork
is somewhat more efficient, and its practice
is also common in the United States, where
left-handed children are no longer forced to
learn to wield a fork with their right hands.
According to this method, the fork is held
continuously in the left hand and used for
eating. When food must be cut, the fork is
used exactly as in the American style, except
that once the bite has been separated from
the whole, it is conveyed directly to the
mouth on the downward-facing fork.
Regardless of which style is used to operate
fork and knife, it is important never to cut
more than one or two bites at one time.
Peas: Another significant difference
between the American and the Continental
styles of using knife and fork is the
American insistence that even the most
awkward and contrary foods (peas being the
traditional example) must be captured by the
unaided fork. In Europe it is permitted to use
the knife or a small bit of bread to ease a
stubborn item onto the fork.
Once-Used Placement: There are numerous
rules and prohibitions regarding the proper
placement of eating utensils once they have
been used. Essentially, used flatware must
never be allowed to touch the surface of the
table, where it might dirty the cloth. It is not
proper to allow even the clean handle of a
knife or fork to rest on the cloth while the
other end lies on the plate. At the end of a
course, a utensil must not be left in any dish
that is not flat -- the soup bowl, for example,
or a shrimp cocktail dish, a teacup or a
parfait glass. All these items are usually
presented with a plate underneath the bowl
or cup, on which the utensil must be placed
after use.
Placement in General: The positioning of
knife and fork when not in use acts as a sort
of semaphore, allowing the diner to indicate
the degree to which he intends to pause in
eating. Flatware should always be placed on
the plate during pauses between bites. If this
is to be a very short time, there is no set
pattern. For longer waits, perhaps caused by
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a diverting twist in the table conversation,
the diner places the fork on the left and knife
on the right, so that they cross over the
center of the plate. The diner preparing to
pass his plate for a second helping places the
fork and knife parallel to each other at the
right side of the plate, so that there is room
for the food. When the diner has finished, he
signals this by setting the fork and knife
parallel to each other, so they lie either
horizontally across the center of the plate or
are on the diagonal, with the handles
pointing to the right. The cutting edge of the
knife blade should face toward the diner
(again, avoiding all possible aggressive
implications), and the fork may be placed
with the tines either up or down.
All of the above information was taken from
“Diner’s Digest.”
Frequently Asked Business Entertaining
Questions:
http://www.gradview.com/careers/etiquette.
html
http://www.hotelonline.com/News/PR2003_
1st/Mar03_DinnerManners.html
http://www.sbcnews.sbc.edu/9901/9901lnaet
iquette.html
http://www.ritchimage.com/qnadisplay.php?
cat=dining&id=005
http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/custom/eti
quette/finger_food.shtml
http://www.german-
businessetiquette.com/10-business-
dinners.html
Emily Post, Emily Post on Etiquette.
Cap and Compass, Life After School
Explained.

May I invite my boss to lunch?

No. You may return an invitation to his or

her home but do not return a business dinner
or lunch invitation.

How does a businessman or woman know if

an invitation includes spouses?

Usually invitations are addressed to both

members of a couple. If you are not sure if
spouses are included, ask.

*Taken from Emily Post, Emily Post on

Etiquette.

Sources and places to obtain more

information:

http://www.etiquettesurvival.com/manners2.
html

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