General information:
Business lunches are preferred to dinners. Actual business, however, is not supposed to be conducted during lunch or dinner. Sharing a meal is intended to help establish a personal acquaintance. If business has to be discussed, wait until dessert is served.
A business lunch will start at 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. and may last until 3:00 p.m. or later if required.
A business lunch is a formal event starting with an appetizer, followed by a main course, cheese, dessert and coffee.
The person that extended the invitation for the meal or drink is expected to pay.
Reservations are necessary in most restaurants, except in brasseries and hotels.
If you're making the dining arrangements, a French restaurant is a safe choice.
Wine is customary with meals. Do not refuse wine; just sip it slowly. In France, the wine is carefully selected to complement the food, and, consequently, will sometimes change with each course. Generally, white wines will be served with appetizers and fish, while reds will be served with appetizers and meats. A sweeter dessert wine may accompany dessert.
The French do not switch knives and forks, as Americans do. When both are to be used, the knife remains in the right hand, and the fork remains in the left.
When not eating, keep your wrists resting above the table.
Ensure that you make appointments for both business and social occasions. While you should strive to be punctual, you won't be considered late if you arrive ten minutes after the scheduled time. There is an increased tolerance for arriving late as you go further south.
Find more information on appropriate dining manners
here.
Dining protocols – western service standards, tipping
Service is included, by law, in all French restaurants bills. Unlike in the United States, however, where waiters live mostly off tips, waiters in France are normally paid a fixed income, which is either an hourly wage or a monthly salary. Waiters in France are also given health care, paid vacations, and retirement benefits; the service charge is used to cover these salaries and benefits. Some restaurants still include a 12-15% service charge that goes directly to the waiter, but most restaurants nowadays favour the salary system.
According to Where magazine, waiters in France make anywhere from 15,000 (in more casual restaurants) to 50,000 (in the Michelin-starred establishments) Euros per year.
Since service is included in your bill, you are not required to pay one centime more and shouldn't if service is poor, but most people leave a few extra Euros for good service.
A good rule of thumb is to leave the small change in a café, say .20- .50 centimes and then a few extra Euros for dinner.
Depending on the service, 1-5 € per person, is appropriate.
Dining Do's and Don'ts
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Don't order a Coca (Coca-Cola) with dinner.
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Don't try to re-arrange the menu to suit your desires. If you don't like the sauce and side dish that goes with the salmon, then order something else. French chefs take great pride in their creations and don't like to accommodate the whims of customers; unless, of course, you have specific dietary concerns or allergies.
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Don't ask for a doggie bag. The French might love their dogs, but doggie bags are unheard of in France.
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Don't be afraid to put your bread on the table if you don't see a bread plate.
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Don't expect to see large glasses of ice. If you ask for ice you're likely to be given just one or two cubes because the French don't normally serve drinks with ice.
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Don't be surprised to be surrounded by smoke. A universal public place smoking ban in France will not be in full effect until January 2008. If smoke is an issue, we suggest dining early when you're likely to be surrounded by other non-smoking tourists, rather than French customers.
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Do speak softly to your neighbour (especially if you don't want to get dirty looks); English speakers tend to speak much louder than the French.
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Do dress up. The French are becoming more and more casual and it's not necessary to wear a jacket and tie, but most Parisians are still dressier than Americans. Casual is acceptable, but sloppy is not.
You can find more information on French dining protocols
here.
