business lunches are not like normal lunches. there’s still an agenda, even if there’s no official distribution of one. when you meet with a client, a potential new hire, new teammates, etc. — you have certain things that you want to discuss, that you want to accomplish.

so why waste time ordering your food?

when you pick the restaurant, be sure to send a menu along with the meeting invite — and maybe even direct your guest(s) to a particular item that you’ve had before or that seems interesting to you. by sharing the menu ahead of time, you can spend less time thumbing through appetizers and more time on accomplishing the goals of your agenda. less time selling your favorite open-faced sandwich to your guest, and more time selling your organization.

there’s an art to the business lunch. if you can master it, your organization’s plate will always be full.