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How to Navigate the Tricky Terrain of a Business LunchWho should pay? Are you talking too much? The Esquire guy breaks down the business lunch and why it's so much more than just a meal.
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Illustrations© Chris Philpot
The business lunch exists so that two people may converse about business matters (which is a meeting), while doing something they had to do anyway (which is eating). It is formal, yet it is human. It is committal, yet it is noncommittal. It is awkward, yet it is tasty. The business lunch is a paradox.
Lunch? Lunch.
We'll assume you're meeting your counterpart one-on-one. And we'll assume the other person is, pretty much, a stranger. And we'll assume you're the one who is in need: of money, of a partnership, of a contract. You're the one pitching, and you've made the invitation.
