Setting up business meetings is a normal part of business life and there are many options to choose from when doing so. Recently we have had to take meetings via online platforms due to the social distancing rules that were put in place by the Australian government. Now that it finally looks like we are coming out of this difficult pandemic, we can now look towards other options that encourage more face-to-face interaction. Many business meetings are held in the local fast food place or a local coffee shop, but this just doesn’t provide the right first impression to prospective customers. New clients want to be treated well and what better way to do that, than to wine and dine them at your favourite restaurant.

Many people say that they have already found the best restaurant in Sydney and that is all down to their opinion, but whatever your choices it’s always a great idea to bring a business client to a restaurant and to treat them to the very best in food and beverages. It creates the perfect opportunity to let them know how seriously you treat their business and how much you’re going to go out of your way to make them a very important client. The benefits of having a lot more lunch meetings at your favourite restaurant are numerous and I will try to cover just a few of them here today.

1. You get to control the environment – It’s always best to control the environment when conducting business meeting because it helps to give you the upper hand when it comes to negotiation. This is a place that you frequent quite often as it is your favourite restaurant and so everything is going to happen on your territory. Always try to schedule a lunch meeting when the restaurant is a little bit quieter than normal and that way, there will be lesser distractions that might take them away from the business negotiation. Eating out on a business lunch also allows you to claim the expense as a necessary tax deduction.

2. Everything is equal – Even though it is your favourite restaurant, it is still a neutral place because it is in your office and it isn’t your clients either. This way there doesn’t have to be any power struggles and both parties can feel equally relaxed in this excellent environment. When people ask you to come to their business premises for business meetings, you can be sure that they will try to change the environment so that they can intimidate you can get the best contract that is in their best interests.

3. You get valuable face time – Trying to have a meeting using social media or other platform can be a complete nightmare because you don’t get to meet your clients face-to-face. Having a business meeting in a restaurant provides the perfect opportunity to take a couple of hours of your normal day to discuss business and to get to know each other a little better while enjoying your favourite food. For more free advice on continuing your business successfully, have a look here. 

Many business meetings are concluded successfully over a meal and a glass of wine and this is why your business should be striving to have a lot more lunch meetings in your favourite restaurant. You get to control the environment and you will get to close a lot more contracts. What’s not to like?