4 Tips for Conducting a Business Meeting in a Restaurant

Whether you're meeting with your team, clients or investors, planning a professional event, like a business meeting at a restaurant, can be daunting. You'll need to strike the right balance between professional and casual; have an agenda; make sure your guests are comfortable.

We've gathered four tips that can help ensure that your next business meeting goes smoothly.

Choose a quiet, private space in the restaurant.

• The spot you choose in the restaurant should be ideal for a business meeting. Is it quiet or private?
• Select a table with good lighting and seating that allows you to see and be seen by your guests.

Be clear about expectations and timing for your business meeting.

• Be clear about expectations and timing. It's important to set your business meeting with the right tone and make sure everyone is on the same page regarding what you're expecting out of the get-together. This includes setting a time limit, clarifying what each person will contribute during the meeting and establishing how you'll communicate with one another during or after.
• Keep your cool in an unexpected situation. Even though you may have planned every aspect of your business meeting down to the minute, sometimes things don't go as planned—and that's okay! In this case, it's important not to let frustration get in the way of completing your goals for the day.
• Make sure everyone has access to all necessary info beforehand. Now more than ever before it's important that we keep ourselves organized throughout everything we do.
• Order meals to arrive at different times, rather than all at once at the beginning of the meeting.
• Begin with appetizers and drinks and then proceed to the main course.
• Also, include tax and tip in your total budget for drinks, so there aren't any surprises when it comes time to pay. The same goes for ordering food—wait until everyone has arrived before placing your orders!

Come with an agenda, but leave room for discussion.

While it's important to come up with an agenda, it's also crucial that you leave room for discussion. It may be tempting to stick to the agenda until every item has been covered, but don't get stuck on one topic for too long. Give your employees or associates some time to talk about what they think of initiatives or other changes in the company; this is their chance to voice concerns and opinions without worrying about being interrupted by someone who has something else on their mind.

Keep it short.

Meetings can be stressful for everyone involved. It's important to ensure that the meeting doesn't run too long and make everyone feel as if they're trapped in a never-ending cycle of meetings. If you have an agenda, stick to it. If possible, set a time limit for each agenda item, so people know how much time they have allotted to discuss those topics before moving on to another one. As long as you keep things moving along at a good pace, there shouldn't be any problems with keeping the meeting short enough but not too short

With our delicious "MediterrAsian" food, fantastic customer service, and lovely atmosphere, NoJa loves serving the Mobile community. Make a reservation by contacting or texting (251) 433-0377 if you want to have your next business meeting here. We are excited to prepare a meal for you and your associates that are sure to please!