A business dinner: tap anything on the table

Table

Well Placed

Be a good guest, anywhere.

Occasions

A nice restaurantDinner for one, three courses
A weddingReception dinner
A business dinnerClients, colleagues, a check
Formal FrenchMany courses, many glasses

Around the world

JapanA set meal, and the sushi bar
FranceDinner in a French home
ItalyCourse by course
ChinaA round table, shared dishes
IndiaA thali, and eating by hand
Middle EastHospitality first

Tap anything on the table. Every piece tells you what it is and when it’s yours.

Plates

Cutlery

Glasses

Linen

Also on the table

Customs

Whoever invites, pays

The person who asked picks up the check. If you’re the guest, let them, and say thank you. Source

Host starts business

Small talk first. Your host decides when to talk shop, often after the main course at dinner. Source

Phone away

Don’t use or even check it at the table. The people across from you get your full attention. Source

Guests order first

A good host lets the guests order first, then matches their number of courses. If you’re the guest, go ahead when asked, and don’t add courses your host skips. Source

Order in the middle

Aim for the middle of the menu on price. Pick something neat that you eat with a knife and fork, not your fingers. Source

Thank twice

Thank your host as the meal ends, then send a short handwritten note the next day (an email is fine if it was casual). Source

Plate · Center of your place

Dinner plate

Your main-course plate, and the anchor for everything around it.

When: The main course. It usually arrives with the food already on it.
How: Keep your food on it and your elbows off the table beside it. Bread goes on the small plate to the left.
Why: Once you know where your plate is, you know the rest: forks left, knives and spoons right.

Source: Etiquette Scholar, Table Setting

Linen · On the plate

Napkin

Onto your lap once your host has put theirs there.

When: Right after you sit, following your host’s lead.
How: Folded in half on your lap, never tucked in your collar. Stepping away: on your chair. Done: loosely beside your plate.
Why: Taking your cue from the host shows you know whose table this is.

Source: LeTourneau University, Dining Etiquette

Cutlery · Outermost on the left

Appetizer fork

The smaller fork on the outside. It’s for the first course.

When: The appetizer. If you skip that course, the server usually clears it.
How: Outside in: start with the fork furthest from the plate.
Why: Cutlery is laid in course order, so you never need to guess which fork is next.

Source: Emily Post Institute, Table Setting Guides

Cutlery · Left, next to the plate

Dinner fork

The larger fork, beside the plate. For the main course.

When: The main course.
How: Left hand while you cut, then eat American or Continental style, whichever feels natural. Take small bites.
Why: Small bites leave you free to talk. That’s the point of the meal.

Source: Candace Smith Etiquette, The Mannerly Business Lunch

Cutlery · Right, next to the plate

Dinner knife

Right of the plate, blade in. For the main course.

When: The main course. A steak knife may replace it if you order meat.
How: Between bites, rest it across the top of the plate, blade facing in, not back on the cloth.
Why: Pick a main you can manage with knife and fork alone. No ribs, no long pasta, nothing eaten by hand.

Source: Tasting Table, What to Order at a Business Dinner

Cutlery · Right of the knife

Coffee spoon

The small spoon on the right. It’s for stirring your coffee.

When: With coffee, at the end of the meal.
How: Stir quietly, then rest it on the saucer, not in the cup and never back on the tablecloth.
Why: Spoons never stay in a cup; the saucer is where they rest.

Source: Etiquette Scholar, 100 Table Manners Tips

Cutlery · Above the plate, handle left

Dessert fork

Above the plate, handle pointing left. For dessert.

When: Dessert, if your host orders it or invites you to.
How: Bring it down to the left of the dessert plate. Skip dessert if your host does, unless they insist.
Why: Matching your host course for course keeps the meal flowing.

Source: Sales Gravy, Business Etiquette When Dining for Profit

Cutlery · Above the plate, handle right

Dessert spoon

Above the plate, handle pointing right. Also for dessert.

When: Dessert.
How: Bring it down to the right of the dessert plate. With something like cake and ice cream, the fork steadies and the spoon does the eating.
Why: Each piece moves to the hand that uses it: fork left, spoon right.

Source: Candace Smith Etiquette, How to Eat Dessert

Plate · Top left

Bread plate

The small plate on your left. Bread and butter only.

When: When the bread basket comes round.
How: Take one roll, tear off a bite and butter only that. Then pass the basket on to your right.
Why: Bread on the left, drinks on the right, so you never take your client’s roll by mistake.

Source: LeTourneau University, Dining Etiquette

Cutlery · Across the bread plate

Butter knife

The little knife on your bread plate, just for butter.

When: With the bread.
How: Put some butter on your own plate first, then spread it on one torn bite at a time.
Why: Its handle points right so it’s easy to pick up with your right hand.

Source: Emily Post Institute, Table Setting Guides

Glass · Above the knife

Water glass

Directly above your knife. The glass on your right is yours.

When: Throughout the meal.
How: Asked a question mid-bite? Raise a finger, finish chewing and swallow, then answer. A sip of water helps.
Why: A short pause is fine; talking with your mouth full is what people notice.

Source: Emily Post Institute, Top Table Manners Tips

Glass · Right of the water glass

Wine glass

One glass, or none. You are still at work.

When: Only if wine is ordered, usually with the main course.
How: Sip slowly so one glass lasts the meal. It’s fine to skip it and stick with water.
Why: Limiting yourself to one drink keeps you sharp while your manners and judgment are on show.

Source: Emily Post Institute, Top 10 Business Dining Etiquette Tips

Other · Right of the spoons

Coffee cup

Cup and saucer on the right, for coffee at the end of the meal.

When: With or after dessert. Often set only when coffee is served at the table.
How: Leave it in place and let the server pour. Stir, then set the spoon on the saucer.
Why: The handle is angled toward about five o’clock, ready for your right hand.

Source: Crystal Signature Events, How to Set a Formal Table

Quiz me · 16 moments

Sit down. The meal is about to start.

We walk through the whole meal in order: sitting down, ordering, drinks, bread, appetizer, main course, dessert, coffee, the check, the end. Tap the table or pick an answer. Get it wrong and the table shows you.

Sitting down
Ordering
Drinks
Bread
Appetizer
Main course
Dessert
Coffee
The check
The end

The end

right first time

Set the table · 13 pieces

You’re the host tonight.

The table is bare. We hand you each piece in the order you’d lay it; tap where it goes. Wrong spot and we’ll nudge you.

Set the table

Tap its place on the table.

Table set

Well placed.

Privacy TermsSources on every entry

Business-dinner ready

Name on the certificate

Save image

Reading your table…

See it on the table

Your photo is read and thrown away. It is never saved.

Turn your phone. A table is wider than it is tall.