Business lunch: a world tour of cultural codes to make your professional exchanges a success, with or without bread!
At Comet, business lunches are our daily bread.Every day, we see teams gather around a table to talk. The setting changes, so do the dishes, but one constant always comes back: a lunch is never just a lunch 😉
Behind the plates, far subtler relational stakes are often at play, especially when you are doing business (ha-ha) with people of other nationalities, with their own customs.
Because yes, culture in general influences everything: the rhythm of the meal, the degree of formality, the balance between personal conversation and business. What seems obvious in France can come as a surprise in Seoul; what works in New York may not fly in Italy.
So, to avoid blunders and become unbeatable on the culinary practices, customs and habits of our friends around the world, here are a few ingredients:
- France: the art of taking one's time 🥖
Here, lunch rhymes with relationships. You take your time, you tend to the conversation, you avoid tackling sensitive subjects before the main course (or even dessert). You move away from screens, you settle in, and you discuss projects, the weather and the weekend over a good dish.
It is often at dessert or over coffee that the substance arrives, subtly. A real choreography.
👉 At the table? No lunch without bread: it is systematically offered in restaurants and you keep it within reach to mop up your plate elegantly (of course). Wine, too, is often part of it… even at a professional lunch (in moderation).
- In Anglo-Saxon countries: efficiency above all 🇺🇸
Over there, it is often a 45-minute affair. You order fast, you talk budget between two bites, and you finish with a doggy bag.
Lunch is not sacred, but the deal, YES!
- Japan: every gesture counts 🇯🇵
In Japan, everything is a matter of respect, of hierarchy, of (well) mastered silence. Lunch can be formal and loaded with codes.
You never start eating before the host, you avoid raised voices. And above all, what you absolutely must remember: you only talk business if the atmosphere lends itself to it!
👉 And on the plate? Carefully presented trays, sushi or a bento, often accompanied by green tea. Here presentation counts as much as taste.
- Germany: rigour and punctuality on the menu 🇩🇪
At our eastern neighbours', lunch is often structured, sober and results-oriented. No time to lose (especially not)!
But courtesy is always there. You can talk business from the very first bites: you get straight into it.
- Spain 🇪🇸 & Italy 🇮🇹 : warmth and strategy
Here, lunch lasts (a long time)!
And so much the better: it is the moment when trust is built, when bonds and the relationship are woven before you can talk figures. But beware, everything lies in nuance and subtlety.
Okay, the atmosphere is relaxed.
👉 And in the kitchen? In Spain, you often start with a sangria or a vermouth, accompanied by tapas to share. Whereas in Italy it is pasta or risotto, a short coffee at the end of the meal, and above all… never a cappuccino after midday!
- South Korea: group and respect 🇰🇷
A bit like in Japan, hierarchy is very present.
The collective aspect is even more marked: lunch is a moment when you confirm your loyalty to the group.
Wait for your superior to start eating… and above all, speak little, but well.
👉 On the plate? Often a dish to share (such as a Korean barbecue or a jjigae), accompanied by many small bowls (banchan). And be careful, you must never help yourself again before having filled the other people's little bowls.
When you do not know the culture… how do you avoid the faux pas?
It is not always easy to know everything about each country's codes. But there are universal reflexes to adopt:
- Observe: Who starts eating? What is being talked about? Is there a key moment to “bring up a subject”?
- Be adaptable: an open posture is better than an excess of rigid preparation.
- Read the room: some lunches are made to close a deal, others to lay the foundations of a relationship. It is up to you to (re)feel the tempo!
In short, to each culture its lunch… but a common objective, building a professional relationship founded on trust, understanding and mutual respect 💛
Whatever the country, the sector or the format: lunch remains a key moment to create connection, move projects forward and decode the unspoken.
Knowing how to adapt to cultural habits means showing respect, relational intelligence… and often, gaining efficiency without even taking out your PPT.
And if you are looking for a venue that puts as much care into the welcome as into the plate, Comet is here to receive you.
