I know, you may have read that last paragraph and wondered, breakfast meetings? But yes, it is true. More and more people are turning to breakfast for their work meetings. With schedules that are fuller than ever, there are a number of people who don’t take the time for a lunch meeting. For me, I am a morning person. If I can schedule a meeting before the workday begins, I am glad to do so. With breakfast being the most important meal of the day, I can check two items off my list: meeting and sustenance.
When I’m searching for a restaurant to serve as the location for a breakfast meeting, I am searching for a couple things. First, it needs to offer refills on coffee. I’ve scheduled this as a breakfast, not a coffee, meeting, which means we probably will sit there longer. Second, it needs to have tables large enough to accommodate both my guest and me, plus a laptop or two. Third, there needs to be good service. Since it’s breakfast, I’m not expecting white glove, but I also want a server who understands that we may take longer than a normal diner. (I will absolutely tip to compensate for the extra time.)
Of course, lunch meetings are a long-time norm. However, lunches of today don’t typically include martinis, but they do need to include good food. Who wants to take a potential client or partner to a restaurant with mediocre dishes? Think of Maslov’s hierarchy of needs. A person who isn’t hungry will be able to function better than someone who is hungry. Good food can help with that.
Depending on where you live, there may be an abundance of options or fewer to choose from. Keep in mind that an extra ten minutes of driving to find a better restaurant is probably worth your time. For example, a drive to this Houston Breakfast and Lunch Restaurant is well worth the time. With a great selection of items, you’re bound to find something that pleases all palates and preferences.
For a lunch meeting, my requests are slightly different. I still need a slightly larger table to accommodate any business items we need for sharing. However, with lunch it is assumed that most non-alcoholic drinks are refillable, so no need to check on that. As to the length of lunch, whether meeting for business or pleasure, they seem to take about the same amount of time, so no special request here.
Still not sure that the choice of restaurant really matters for business lunches and breakfasts? Beyond the food, there are a number of other attributes at the restaurant to consider. Is it somewhere that conversation can be held easily? Does the restaurant have a look that reflects the quality of your business? The restaurant that you choose says a lot about not only your taste but also about your expectations.
If you want to be sure to have an impressive lunch for that new client or partner, be sure to give full consideration to the restaurant you choose for your daytime business meal.
Brought to you by our friend, John.
