Table manners play an extremely important part in making a favorable impression.

First impressions are
extremely important when meeting new people.They are visible indicators of our manners and essential to
professional success. Your table manners speak volumes about you as a professional.

Dining etiquette plays a role in everyday life, as well as our professional lives. If you have a co-op / job
interview coming up within the next few months this may be something worth reading. Often times,
employers enjoy conducting interviews, networking or having meetings over lunch or dinner . 

SEATING ETIQUETTE

 Your host may have seating arrangement in mind, so you should allow him to direct you to your
seat. As the host, you should suggest the seating arrangements.
 In a restaurant, the guest of honor should sit in the best seat at the table. Usually that is one with the
back of the chair to the wall. Once the guest of honor's seat is determined,
 The place of honor at the table is to the right side of the host because most people are right-handed.
Other people are then offered seats around the table.

NAPKIN USE

 Place the napkin in your lap immediately upon seating. If there is a host or hostess, wait for him or
her to take their napkin off the table and place it in his or her lap.
 Unfold your napkin in one smooth motion without "snapping" or "shaking" it open.
 The meal begins when the host unfolds his or her napkin. This is your signal to do the same. Place
your napkin on your lap, completely unfolded if it is a small luncheon napkin or in half, lengthwise,
if it is a large dinner napkin.
 The napkin remains on your lap throughout the entire meal and should be used to gently blot your
mouth when needed.
 If you need to leave the table during the meal, place your napkin on your chair as a signal to your
server that you will be returning.
 Once the meal is over, you too should place your napkin neatly on the table to the right of your
dinner plate.

ORDERING

 If, after looking over the menu, there are items you are uncertain about, ask your server any
questions you may have.

FOOD SERVICE

 During service of a formal dinner, the food is brought to each diner at the table; the server presents
the platter or bowl on the diner's left.
 At a more casual meal, either the host dishes the food onto guests' plates for them to pass around
the table or the diners help themselves to the food and pass it to others as necessary.

THE TABLE SETTING

 Deciding which knife, fork, or spoon to use is made easier by the outside-in table manners rule –
using utensils on the outside first and working your way inward.

HANDLING UTENSILS

 Hold your fork in your left hand, tines downward.

 Hold your knife in your right hand, an inch or two above the plate.
 Extend your index finger along the top of the blade.
  Use your fork to spear and lift food to your mouth.
 If your knife is not needed, it remains on the table

WHEN TO START EATING

 At a small table of only two to four people, wait until everyone else has been served before starting
to eat. At a formal or business meal, you should either wait until everyone is served to start or begin
when the host asks you to.

PASSING

 Food should be passed to the right - but the point is for the food to be moving in only one direction.
 One diner either holds the dish as the next diner takes some food, or he hands it to the person, who
then serves herself.
 Any heavy or awkward dishes are put on the table with each pass.
 Always pass salt and pepper together. If a person asks for just one, pass both anyway.

RESTING UTENSILS

 When you pause to take a sip of your beverage or to speak with someone, rest your utensils by
placing your knife and fork on your plate near the center,

 You can rest your utensils in one of two ways when taking a break from eating:
 Put your fork and knife in the center of your plate with the tips facing each other in an
inverted V (slightly angled); Or
 Rest your knife on the top right of your plate (diagonally) with the fork nearby (tines up).

WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED

 Do not push your plate away from you when you have finished eating. Leave your plate where it is in
the place setting.
 The common way to show that you have finished your meal is to lay your fork and knife diagonally
across your plate.
 Place the knife and fork parallel with the handles in the four o'clock position on the right rim of the
plate.
 You should place your napkin neatly on the table to the right of your dinner plate.

IMPORTANT RULES TO BE FOLLOW

 It is inappropriate to ask for a doggy bag when you are a guest.

 Sit up straight at the table. It makes a good impression.
 When you are not eating, keep your hands on your lap or resting on the table
 Never chew with your mouth open or make loud noises when you eat. Although it is possible to
talk with a small piece of food in your mouth, do not talk with your mouth full.
 Do not slurp soup from a spoon. Spoon the soup away from you when you take it out of the bowl
and sip it from the side of the spoon. If your soup is too hot to eat, let it sit until it cools; do not
blow on it. Better yet, don’t order soup.
 If food gets caught between your teeth and you can't remove it with your tongue, leave the table
and go to a mirror where you can remove the food from your teeth in private.
 Table conversation should be pleasant but entirely free of controversial subjects. Do not ask
someone a question as they are about to take a bite.
  If you need something that you cannot reach easily, politely ask the person closest to the item you
need to pass it to you. “After you have used them yourself, would you please pass me the salt and
pepper? “
 If a piece of your silverware falls onto the floor, pick it up if you can reach it and let the server
know you need a clean one. If you cannot reach it, tell the server you dropped a piece of your
silverware and ask for a clean one.
 If you or someone you are dining with is left-handed, it is best for the left-handed person to sit at
the left end of the table or at the head of the table. This arrangement helps ensure that everyone
has adequate elbow room to eat comfortably.
 Under no circumstance should you blow your nose into your napkin. If you do need to blow you
nose, excuse yourself and go to the restroom.
 Do not eat food from someone else’s plate. If someone insists of offering you a taste of their meal,
pass them your bread plate for a small sample.
 If you see someone you know in the restaurant at another table, you may acknowledge their
presence, but you should not leave your table to socialize with them. Keep your focus on your host.
 Turn your cell phone OFF, and put them out of sight.

TOP MISTAKES

 Arriving late – always arrive a few moments before scheduled time

 Talking with your mouth full – take small bites, and swallow your food first
 Chewing with your mouth open
 Cell phone use – keep it away and off the table
 Burping – excuse yourself from the table and walk away
 Purses, glasses, phones on the table – keep them on the floor or hooked on your chair
 Picking your teeth – excuse yourself and go to the washroom
 Poor posture – sit up straight, do not cross your legs
 Tasting someone else’s food
 Blowing your nose
 Start eating right away – wait for everyone to be served first!