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驾驭一场商务宴会不是件简单的事情

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Navigating a business dinner can be complicated, but a successful evening out will solidify any business relationship. Nina Zagat, who co-founded Zagat Survey restaurant guides, has dined out several times a week at New York's best restaurants for more than 30 years, and she is a skilled guide to the unwritten rules of such meals.


驾驭一场商务宴会不是件简单的事情，不过，一顿成功的晚餐可以令任何一种商业关系得到巩固。三十多年以来，《扎加特餐厅指南》（Zagat Survey）的联合创始人妮娜•扎加特（Nina Zagat）每周都要到纽约那些顶尖的餐厅去吃几次饭，因此就对这类饭局的种种不成文规矩十分熟悉。



The main goal for Ms. Zagat is for the person with whom she is dining -- whether it's a colleague or a potential business partner -- to leave the meal knowing more about who she is as a person. 'The feeling that [all] people should come away with at the end of the business dinner is one that they've had a really nice conversation, met interesting people and had a good time,' says the 68-year-old, who owns the restaurant-guide business with her husband Tim. 'That's sort of the home run.'


饭局当中，扎加特的主要目的是让共餐的人--不管此人的身份是同事还是潜在的商业伙伴--对自己的为人更加了解。扎加特现年68岁，《扎加特餐厅指南》是她和丈夫蒂姆（Tim）的共同产业。她说，商务宴请应该收到这样一个效果，那就是让席间的所有人感到自己参与了一场非常不错的谈话、碰上了一些很有意思的人、度过了一段美妙的时光。这样的宴会才算得上圆满。



Before choosing a restaurant, Ms. Zagat finds out about her fellow diners' food and location preferences. 'Think about who your guests are going to be,' says Ms. Zagat, who often visits restaurants like Jean Georges near her Midtown office.


选定餐厅之前，扎加特会先把共餐者对食物和地点的偏好弄清楚。扎加特的办公室在纽约中城（Midtown），她经常光顾办公室附近的一些餐厅，比如让•乔治西餐厅（Jean Georges）。她说，你得琢磨一下，客人是些什么样的人。



Since restaurant dining rooms can be loud, she suggests seeking out places where diners don't need to strain to carry on a conversation. Look for restaurants with tables placed far apart or with several smaller dining rooms, instead of one large space.


餐厅里可能会很吵，因此她建议大家选择一些不会把客人搞得声嘶力竭的地方。也就是说，你应该选择那些桌子排得很稀疏的餐厅，或者是那些把大厅分割成了几个小区域的餐厅。



For larger groups, Ms. Zagat likes round tables, which feel 'inclusive,' and prefers not to sit at the head of a very long table. When being seated, the host or hostess should ask the guest of honor or business partner to sit on his or her right side, she says. And when dining a deux, she says, just ask your dining partner which seat he or she would like.


如果客人比较多，扎加特就不愿意坐在一张长桌子的上首，更倾向于选择圆桌，因为它可以给人一种"包容"的感觉。她说，大家就座之后，主人应该让最尊贵的客人或是商业伙伴坐到自己的右首。如果是两个人单独吃饭，你就直接问对方愿意坐哪边好了。



When ordering, Ms. Zagat has one key rule: 'At a business dinner, you're not trying to draw a lot of attention to yourself and what you're eating,' she says. A pet peeve she cites is when others are not discreet about their food allergies or other dietary restrictions when eating or ordering.


点菜的时候，扎加特有一条最重要的原则：在商务宴会上，你不能太强调自我、强调自己爱吃的东西。她举出了一件让她气恼的事情，那就是在吃饭或者点菜的时候，有些人会大谈自己的过敏食物或是其他的饮食禁忌。



Since food shouldn't become the focus of the evening, she avoids dishes that are complicated to eat such as lobster and spaghetti, and she says it's all right, if you're not hungry, to request half-portions or to offer to share appetizers or dessert.


鉴于食物不应该成为商务晚餐的主题，她就不会去点那些吃起来比较麻烦的东西，比如龙虾和义大利面。她还说，不太饿的时候，你完全可以只点半份，也可以提议与客人分享开胃菜和饭后甜点。



In a similar vein, if she is the first person to finish her entree, she won't let a waiter take the plate until her dining companions are finished. If the other diners aren't ordering tea or dessert, she'll skip the last course. And if she leaves the room momentarily, Ms. Zagat discreetly leaves her napkin on the chair, rather than displaying it -- and its possible food spots -- on the table.


基于同样的逻辑，如果是第一个吃完了自己的饭菜，她也不会让服务生收走盘子，一定要等到其他人吃完。如果其他人没点茶或者甜点，她也会省去这些东西。临时离席的时候，扎加特总是会小心翼翼地把餐巾放到椅子上，不会让餐巾--以及餐巾上可能会有的污渍--晾在桌子上展览。



Ordering the most expensive bottles of wine could also draw unwanted attention, coming off as showy, Ms. Zagat says. Asking the sommelier to recommend a low to midrange bottle is your best bet. 'Even at dinner last night, we said 'Can you recommend a wine that's not more than X' and gave some other qualifications,' she says.


扎加特说，点酒水单上最昂贵的酒也可能会招来不必要的注意，让人觉得你存心炫耀。最好的办法是让斟酒员推荐一种中低价位的酒。她说，昨天的晚宴上，我们就对服务生说了句，"你能给我们推荐一种价格不超过X元的酒吗？"，然后又补充了一些其他的限制条件。



She draws no rigid boundaries when it comes to conversation. She even talks about politics, as long as the conversation doesn't get heated. One kind of communication, however, is discouraged. While she believes taking out a mobile device to read notes or refer to an email is acceptable, she never leaves her phone on the table or lets it ring.


关于聊天的内容，她并没有制订什么硬性的规定。只要不会把场面搞得太过火爆，她连政治都聊。不过，有一种类型的通讯是应该避免的。她虽然觉得在席间拿出移动通讯装置来读短信或者查邮件的做法可以接受，但却从来不会把自己的手机放到桌上，也不会让它振铃。



Ms. Zagat likes to chitchat until she's well into a meal, rather than turning to business-related topics right away. Start off 'with a nice conversation, find out what people are interested in,' she suggests. Be careful of coming across as pushy. 'If there are points you want to discuss, don't throw them on the table right at the beginning,' she says.


扎加特喜欢从闲聊开始，饭吃到相当程度才说起跟生意有关的事情，不会一上来就直奔主题。她的建议是，开始的时候要谈一些轻松有趣的事情，看看别人喜欢什么东西，不要给人留下急不可耐的印象。她说，如果你想谈一些事情，也不要一上来就把它们甩到桌子上。



At the same time, Ms. Zagat never waits until dessert to bring up serious business matters. She wants the night to end on a casual note: 'The most important thing is to have a relaxed time,' she says.


另一方面，扎加特绝不会等到吃甜点的时候才开始谈正事，因为她希望晚宴在轻松的氛围当中收场。她说，最重要的事情是维持轻松的气氛。



Alina Dizik


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