Dining Tips to Remember

Ordering:
• Don’t order the most expensive item from the menu.
• Don’t order something messy to eat. Avoid spaghetti, pizza, ribs and big, messy sandwiches.

Eating:
• Don’t chew ice.
• Don’t mop up your plate with your bread.
• Never reach across the table for something; always ask for it to be passed.
• Salt and pepper are always passed together.
• Try to eat smaller, bite-sized portions. They’re going to ask you a lot of questions during the interview, and you don’t want to talk with food in your mouth.

Placement:
• Liquids to the right; solids to the left.
• Four-letter words (like a fork) are placed to the left.
• Five-letter words (like a spoon or knife) are placed to the right.

Utensils:
• Never allow used silverware to rest on the table. It should always be placed on your plate.
• When using utensils, don’t make a fist around the handle of the utensil.

Discourse:
• The host will pick up the tab. Do not offer to pay or argue about the bill.
• A tip for small talk is to watch the news and read the newspaper; both will help in making conversation (e.g., The Stroud Courier)
• Safe topics include the weather, traffic, travel and family.
• Avoid the personal. Stay away from religion and politics.
• Also, avoid sports because someone at the table may be an avid sports fan.
• Don’t bring up gossip.

Courtesy:
• After the meal is over, don’t forget to send thank you notes. Send them the very next day and mention something that was talked about during the meal.
• However you received the invitation is how you send the thank you note. For example, if you were sent an email invite, send them a thank you email.

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