Business dining etiquette also includes meeting the dietary requirements of everyone at the dinner. If someone is a vegetarian, you probably should not set up the meeting in a steakhouse. You do not want to come off as rude before the meeting even starts. Also, some people cannot eat specific foods because of their diet or religion. You will make those people feel good by asking ahead of time if anyone has any restrictions. As the host, you will want to be at the restaurant at least 10 minutes before the meeting is scheduled, unless you are arriving together.

Take care of everything if you are the host. If you are the host, you should take care of everything from the beginning to the end. This includes arriving at the restaurants earlier than your guests, taking care of the cost of the meals and tips. The job of the host is to make the business meal goes smoothly.Drink from your own glass. Your own glass will always be on your right and the bread plate is on the left.

Plan your meal carefully by choosing the restaurant and the time according to your objectives and your customer's availability. Find out about dietary restrictions and your customer's food preferences. Select a restaurant that your guest can get to easily, and where parking isn't a problem. Also think about noise level. A busy restaurant on a Friday makes it difficult to converse.

Business etiquette expert, Diane Gottsman helps executives develop leadership skills and interpersonal mannerisms that build relationships and close deals. To help you avoid dining blunders that can break a deal she has created etiquette programs for corporations, nonprofit organizations and executives looking to fine-tune their skills.

Find out a little about your client's favorite cuisine and take them to a restaurant that has the best reputation in serving that particular cuisine. This is not the time to check out the new, eclectic Sushi bar that everyone is talking about. Stick with a traditional choice in a business dinner and save the stepping-out-on-a-limb choices for a date. Choose a restaurant with which you are familiar and is ideal for a business dinner. Make reservations, request a good table and don't forget to inform the restaurant that this is an important business deal.

Impress your client or customer, and prearrange the meal payment with the restaurant manager or maitre d'. This way no bill comes to the table, and there will be no awkward moments as to who picks up check. You can get a copy of bill sent to you (bring a self addressed stamped envelope for quicker service) or return later. This is a very polished move.

Another smart business trip etiquette rule to follow is to research any customs that the country may have where you are traveling. If you do not check these out, you might end up insulting a person or even an entire company. You actually could get fired because it could blow an entire deal or relationship. Some of these customs could be related to dining, while others are the proper ways to introduce yourself. It also is proper etiquette to avoid racking up large bills at restaurants and bars.

So to that end, this is the first in a series of posts about how to navigate a business meal from start to finish with class and polish. One thing to note - while we'll try to cover basic table manners to make sure you don't drink out of your finger bowl, there are legions of books with hundreds of pages detailing the minutia of dining etiquette. Buy one and read it if you're interested. It'll come in handy the next time you're invited to a state dinner. But for business we think you'll do just fine so long as you know the basics.

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