Lunch has been a midday nightmare. The mussels in cream sauce tasted like slime in cheap wine. The chicken in the roasted chicken sandwich had the flavor of burnt rubber. The vegetables in the salad tasted like month-old compost. Sitting across from your potential client at the bistro table, you watch as he slowly chews his food, trying not to grimace. When you ask him how his meal is, he flashes a fake smile and replies, "Delicious. I can't think of a better meal." Obviously, he's lying. But you don't want to talk about the food so you decide to change the subject. For the past year, you have been working on this multi-million dollar deal, and it has come down to this business lunch with the company representative. You ask him if his corporation is interested in the proposal your company has offered. He coughs ever so discreetly, clears his throat, and replies, "I'm sorry, but..."

Food and Business for Thought

Today, business and meals served on bistro tables seem to go hand-in-hand. There are business breakfast clubs, power lunches, and fundraising dinners. This makes sense, since we humans need energy from food to maintain our energy levels throughout the day. Also, the Information Age has virtually made business a 24-hour deal. Business can be done on an aircraft while flying through the skies, at home on the Internet, and worldwide by using videoconferencing. While "flex time" allows people to work during the most convenient times for them, much of the workforce still maintains a 9-to-5 schedule.

Power Lunch Minus the Power

Perhaps due to today's electronic and less personable business communication, the power lunch is making a comeback. Because people often eat lunch or dinner outside of office hours, the "power lunch" has become the most popular business meal, with a business news program and play named after it. Today, many businesspeople avoid using the term "power lunch," but still, the spirit of the meal is making a comeback.

Five-Course Plan

Before sitting at a bistro table, across from a businessman, you should know how to prepare for a...business lunch.

* Picking a location is important. Usually, the company conference room is not comfy enough. Also, it is best to allow the other businessperson to choose the location.

* Business breakfasts can be as effective as, if not more than, business lunches. People are less stressed at this time, and their schedules tend to be less hectic as well.

* Remember that the meal is only a means for doing business. Though they will be appreciative, a potential client will not do business with you simply because you bought the meal sitting on the bistro table. You probably should avoid sharing your ability to twist yourself into a human pretzel, but you could impress someone with the way you carry yourself, or with the tidbits of useful information you have.

* If the business lunch is the first rendezvous with a potential client, it does not have to be "strictly business." It is more important to simply get the person to be interested in you, which is ironically done by showing interest in him. As a rule, only mention your business if the other party asks.

* Lastly, it is important to leave the bistro table before either of you run out of things to say. Keep the business meal friendly, yet to the point.

The power lunch is coming back, this time around in the guise of a business lunch! When business lunches are done properly, bistro tables help you earn dough while breaking bread.