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"While work these days can seem like endless stretches in front of a computer emailing people 10 feet away, the business lunch is not yet a thing of the past. And that&amp;#x27;s a good thing. Face-to-face time with your coworkers, boss, clients, and even just a new connection is super important&amp;amp;mdash;it can make a big difference in your career. Think about it, aren&amp;#x27;t you more likely to help someone out when you&amp;#x27;ve actually met her? And know the name of her boyfriend or dog? Pick the right place If you&amp;#x27;re doing the inviting, send an email with a couple of suggestions. Be respectful of people&amp;#x27;s time&amp;amp;mdash;don&amp;#x27;t choose a restaurant that will take more than an hour and a half tops to get in and out of. Also, try to keep what everyone will like in mind. Don&amp;#x27;t bring someone on a gluten-free diet to an Italian place (unless you checked first and they have GF pasta). If someone suggests something new, be sure to tell her how much you liked it afterward! Get there early If you&amp;#x27;re having a meeting where you&amp;#x27;re trying to get new business, meet a client for the first time, or pitch your boss on a new idea, get there first. Not only is being on time important, but you can get a quiet table in a corner. Order something easy Here&amp;#x27;s the thing with a working lunch: You&amp;#x27;re going to be talking a lot. Order something you can eat with a knife and fork that isn&amp;#x27;t too messy. You don&amp;#x27;t want food on your hands or in your teeth (ugh) while you&amp;#x27;re trying to make an important point. If you wouldn&amp;#x27;t eat it on a first date, don&amp;#x27;t try it at a business lunch. Lay off the booze Skip the hard stuff and ask for sparkling water. It&amp;#x27;s more polished than getting a soda and is calorie-free. If you&amp;#x27;re dying for caffeine (and who isn&amp;#x27;t by noon?), get an iced tea. If you&amp;#x27;re with your boss, follow her lead, but stick to wine and have only one. Don&amp;#x27;t be weird about the check If you&amp;#x27;re hosting, reach for the bill or take it from the waiter when it arrives. Don&amp;#x27;t make a big deal out of it, just take a quick look and hand off your credit card. And never remark on the size of the bill. Ever. If you were invited by someone senior at your job, or someone who wants to work with you, she should pick up the check. Have a good time! And remember, the idea here is to get to know someone better and have a little fun. Don&amp;#x27;t be afraid to be yourself and get to know your colleagues and clients. You never know what will come out of it! Photo: Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2013/10/business-lunch-you-can-totally>