How to Serve and Maximize Business Meeting Dinner Tables

The characters you meet when you immerse yourself in becoming a server as your occupation is very extensive. Of course depending on your restaurant you’ll see couples, old folk, teenagers, kids, at least at my establishment you see just about a bit of everything. Now I want to bring your attention to a certain type of people you encounter throughout your server journey. The type of people who come dressed in Hugo Boss refined sleek wool fabric suits. From funny looking handkerchiefs hanging from their jacket pocket down to the Ferragamos on the feet. I’m referring to sophisticated business men coming in for a business meeting dinner. Some waiters and waitresses get daunted by handling such a crowd, or don’t know how to properly coordinate things to have you end up a happy server at the end of their stay. I have a special treat for you guys. The best way I can possibly further expand on this topic is by dissecting my own experience which I had with such a group not too long ago..Come take a seat!

Deconstruction starting from the Introductions

As I approach my section I realize the new guests I have received that just arrived. They were a group of 7, which were all late 30s – mid 40s. Dark suits. Well groomed smooth attire. They were all discussing within one another as they sat down. I observed from afar until they established their seating locations. As they settled in, you could clearly distinguish they were very all hooked in conversation, joking a bit and smiling.

I approach the table and provide an introduction along with a few sparks of positive comments attentively observing the responses to detect a sense of where each one of them is in terms of engagement.  As I brought them their menus, I scanned the table and saw that every one of them was either laughing or had a smile on their face. Clearly it was obvious they appeared to be in the mood to enjoy their time together. As I passed out the menus, I asked them if they were interested in taking a look at the wine list. One gentleman pointed to another, who pointed to the other and two of them pointed to another guy. After a small chuckle I said “Guess you’re elected by majority vote”, which elicited some laughter around the table.

At this point, due to my past experiences, knowledge, and prior references, I knew that they were going to be a pleasure to wait on.

First Impressions Are Vital

One important factor to ALWAYS REMEMBER is the initial impression of the table, whether it is a business table, bachelorette party, or any table for that matter will determine what your service form of approach is going to be. Your strategy and game plan can vary very drastically between the ways you preset yourself even if the two tables are right next to one another! All the gentlemen in my table were dressed in a formal manner yet their demeanor was one of leisure, loosening up, and relaxation. See now if any single one of them had conveyed any shade of seriousness when they sat down, I would have approached the situation in a much formal fashion. Even if they had been dressed carelessly and casual but came across to me “business-like” I would have also been more reserved. Key concept to go away with here is be sensitive to all aspects of your tables and discover the recurring patterns from all the guests you deal with throughout your time working. Things from their suit, their dress, their body language, facial expressions, to their mood are all key things to look out for.

So at this point during my intercommunication with these fellow chaps, I disregarded the wine list and proposed if they would like one of our specialty cocktails, which they did. I mentioned a few recommendations added on with some juicy adjectives and I had a round coming right up.

Introduction to how the “Business works”

Now for the beginners or for the ones who haven’t waited on a lot of business people before, I recommend that you WRITE THIS DOWN. Majority of the time, everyone is highly inclined to start off their experience with having a round of cocktails, EVEN if they’re going to have wine later. What I’m saying here is DON’T try to jump the gun & manipulate a wine choice out of them. A round of cocktails will always be a good sign to a great start. 9 times out of 10 the purpose of an opening round of cocktails is going to get them loosening up and settled.

Moments after the delivery of the cocktails, I approach what seemed to be the “alpha” of the group and showed this gentleman the wine list. As we began conversing about the variety of wines, he mentions some wines in the $100 category so respond with a swift recommendation of a superb option I believe he shall enjoy at about $115. His response seemed delighted. See in this scenario I possibly could have moved him to the $150 area but, (AND THIS IS HUGE) with a table like this… greed should not be acknowledged as a viable option in your mind. Not to mention he ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir alongside the other bottle. The sheer fact and observation that this man ordered a Pinot Noir as well as accepting my advice showed me that he was well educated with wines, he had everyone else’s interest at heart by looking out for the welfare of the other men at the table, and was also confident enough in himself to trust the waiter.

Let the Wine and Dine Commence

When the bottles come guess what I do? I ordered two bottles of each of course. Was that the gentleman’s initial order? Nope. Did I ask him? Nope. To start off, luckily in my restaurant I have the privilege to return an unused bottle back to the bar. Secondly, I have no idea how many are going to drink the Pinot Noir and how many are going to drink Cabernet. And lastly, I’m positive that I’m going to sell at least a second bottle of one or the other. Another great reason is what happens if the bartender did not remember to inform me that I was selling the final bottle or that there was only one left in stock and another table orders it before I can. Always hedge your bets whenever you have an opportunity to do so. Now this doesn’t mean that I’m going to pour the entire bottle of either on the spot either. The obstacle at hand is that I currently don’t know how many people are going to want Cabernet or Pinot. To discover the solution I asked how many people would be drinking the Pinot. My mental guess estimation turned out being correct. Fewer people would be drinking the Pinot Noir oppose to the other bottle. Now I know that up to 5 people will be drinking the Cabernet. After I properly present the bottle, I go around to the Pinot abstainers and pour approximately about 4 oz. for each person. This left about 5 oz. in the decanter. See you might be curiously asking, why didn’t I just pour the whole thing knowing there wasn’t much left? I did that because I confirmed that they’d be receiving a second bottle shortly. Essentially, I’m telegraphing through the nonverbal that I’m not out to leech or drain them of every single penny out of their wallets.

I began pouring a little more wine for the two others who wanted the Pinot Noir, what remained in the bottle was still less than a full glass. In this instance with only two people, I established that I probably wouldn’t get a second bottle out of them unless I really forced them and I wasn’t about to kill the goose that might lay the golden egg. Could I have probably forced a second bottle? Yes, but they probably wouldn’t drink a lot of it. The result would have been adding another $80 on the check, but heck, it was going to be a pretty freaking good check regardless. I’m a strong believer of sub communications and I strongly believe that some guests just like you and I are able to tell when someone is trying to get the last penny out of them and this type of service will penalize you in the end.

Finding That Balance

After displaying and serving the wine, it became very apparent that these guys weren’t going to need a lot of entertaining, as they proceeded to crack jokes and were deeply entwined within their job discussion.

I insert myself back into the picture after some time has elapsed and offer them some appetizers. The rest of the interaction was pretty standard. Appetizers were served and eaten, plate’s bussed, new silverware, salads dropped, and bussed shortly after, followed by entrée dishes delivered.

They began to partake in a deep discussion on hiring a occupant for a position in their corporate business. At this point, I lay back and used my intuitive sense to gauge the proper times to give some space and to also be attentive without being a nuisance. Of course I did remain within eyesight for majority of the time. Whenever a refill was needed or some type of glass or plate removed, I was swiftly and silently in and out.

Cruising to the Finish Line

One pattern that tends to repeat itself with these types of groups is when they finished their meal; they were pretty much ready to wrap up their fine dining experience. I did throw in a request if anyone was interested in a dessert menu but as I suspected they weren’t interested, but hey it never hurts to try. They rejected my dessert request but the question did inspire a round of coffees and espressos to go around because of it. So it never hurts to ask.

As the night came to a conclusion I presented the check and the gentleman said, “Great service as usual”. The bill ended up $873.45. I of course expressed my appreciation for their time and dining with us. I thanked him, shook his hand and then began a quick lap around the table to shake each of the other guests’ hands one by one.

Too much you say?

Trying too hard you say?

The tip?

$173.45

Nice.

Seal The Deal

As from this observation and countless others that I’ve dealt with throughout the years, I’ve come to the result that business dinners can be lucrative if you are present with your undivided attention enough to acknowledge the cues that your guests are presenting to you. This is something that you will instinctively pick up on much more efficiently over time. Not every business dinner is going to go this smoothly or have a generous payoff. The idea here is to watch and listen attentively as you go where they lead you, establish yourself with the table, befriend everyone by making jokes and funny remarks, and pay attention to NOT interrupt whatever business that they might be conducting. Take this a reference that you refer back to and use as a guide for whenever you’re dealing with a business table. Some of my coworkers get intimidated by these groups of people. I say, Embrace these opportunities; it’s your time to shine; it’s your time to capitalize on a great chance to show them what you got and most importantly make that money!