March 23, 2001

Diners get down to business

Business Report Correspondent

BOULDER ? A serious business lunch usually requires serious fare, not “messy” food such as Mexican cuisine, say local restaurant managers.

Selecting an eatery for an effective lunch means choosing a menu and ambience to enhance the gathering. Workers meeting a new client for the first time, for example, may want to steer away from sloppy items and go for elegance. Likewise, the noise level should be considered. Some places are more raucous than others and are more appropriate for a celebration or the closing of a deal, but not for conducting real business.

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Sushi is a good choice for those who want a quick, fun meal while discussing work. Carrie Willingham, manager at Sushi Zanmai on Spruce Street in downtown Boulder, says 25 to 50 percent of the restaurant’s clientele represents business lunches. “Most of our people get in and out quickly,” she says. “There are some that sit and go over paperwork.”

A lunch tab at Sushi Zanmai can range from $7 to $25, depending on the order, especially if the customer picks sushi, she says. Few of these diners drink alcoholic beverages at lunch.

Although the restaurant is fairly noisy at the dinner hour, it’s a little quieter during lunch, making it more appealing for business diners, she says. A group of 10 or more can reserve a special tea room for more privacy and have the option to order family-style meals.

For quiet and elegance, some professionals decide on Boulder’s chic European Café. About 60 percent of the noontime guests are there on business, and there are two to four diners in these groups, says Paul Price, the restaurant’s general manager.

Even though companies usually pick up the tab, most of these customers order fairly light, noontime meals. “We offer a great deal when it comes to lunch, but they’ll have a salad and entrée,” he says. “Most don’t have a dessert. Of course, that’s more the norm for the women who come in.”

The biggest change in the last decade has been the decline of alcoholic beverages at business lunches, Price says, although recently he sold $100 in wine and three cocktails to two customers. “That’s actually pretty high. It must have been the two parties celebrating birthdays, and they weren’t working,” he says.

In most instances, Price says the restaurant will sell only one cocktail or beer at lunch. Once upon a time, he says the norm was two or three martinis per person.

While the European Café likes to offer guests an hour and a half to enjoy their meals, some business diners may be in a hurry, and it behooves them to inform the waiter. Price usually advises his servers to place the bill in the middle of the table and not make assumptions about who is going to pick up the tab. When there are 10 people ? nine men and one woman ? it’s often the woman who pays. “She’s probably the presenter,” he says.

Most of the hosts Price sees are Boulderites entertaining business visitors from around the country. One change he has noted over the years is that business diners take the process a lot more seriously than in the past. Although there’s plenty of camaraderie, they seem to stay on track and discuss business more than they used to, he says.

Another restaurant manager, Juliana Oliveri of Antica Roma on the Pearl Street Mall, says the trattoria handles a fair amount of business lunches. “The ones that are small might only stay an hour. But the other day I had some clients that left at 4:30. They used the room for a meeting. They stayed at the table until the next shift came on. It was a very long business lunch,” she says. “That happens in a high-end restaurant like we have.”

At Antica Roma, diners often order a glass of wine or a beer during a business lunch. The type of fare is important for the occasion. “You don’t want a messy lunch like Mexican food,” Oliveri says. “It’s too informal, although it’s great for a celebration or closing a deal.”

She doesn’t see many “power lunches” in Boulder. Rather, they usually take place in Denver at restaurants such as Morton’s, where diners might order an expensive bottle of wine. In those situations, Oliveri says, “You’re dealing with a higher level of business in general.” Often, the lunchtime hosts are vice presidents in huge companies. They want to impress clients.

“I do have those people in more for dinner. They’ll have the power dinner, but lunch may be their first meeting,” she says. In Boulder, most gatherings are designed to conduct business rather than to impress clients, although hosts still want a restaurant with excellent service and ambience.

At Bacaro, an Italian restaurant located on Pearl Street’s West End, diners usually spend no more than 30 to 40 minutes eating, although occasionally gatherings stretch to an hour, says Corrado Fasano, restaurant owner. Bacaro generally attracts downtown customers, although some come from as far away as Louisville and other outlying areas.

About 80 percent of Bacaro’s luncheon visitors are there for business. The group size can vary from two to six or eight people. “They usually like to have a big salad and a lot of pasta. Then they stay for coffee,” Fasano says.

Business Report Correspondent

BOULDER ? A serious business lunch usually requires serious fare, not “messy” food such as Mexican cuisine, say local restaurant managers.

Selecting an eatery for an effective lunch means choosing a menu and ambience to enhance the gathering. Workers meeting a new client for the first time, for example, may want to steer away from sloppy items and go for elegance. Likewise, the noise level should be considered. Some places are more raucous than others and are more appropriate for a celebration or the closing of a deal, but not for conducting real business.

Sushi is a good…

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