Germany: Prosperous Entertaining - Part 1
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Entertaining for business success
Breakfast meetings are not part of German business culture. However, when Germans get together for dinners after business, talk often remains about business; especially as Germans generally find it difficult to do small talk with people they don't know well. Business talk mixed with a pinch or two of general personal conversation tends to be the mix with which many German businesspeople are most comfortable.
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German businesspeople, as a rule, do not make business decisions during mealtimes. Follow the example of your German dining companions and wait for them to initiate any discussions about business.
Lunch is the primary meal for business discussions and is usually served from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Except for a few official dinners, do not expect your German hosts to entertain you with an evening program every day. They will expect you to want to have some time to yourself. This is because Germans themselves clearly separate private time from their professional duties.
In some of the more informal restaurants during peak hours, you may be asked if you would mind sharing a table with other patrons, instead of waiting for a free table. If this happens, and you accept, you are not obligated to initiate conversation with your tablemates and socialize with them throughout the meal, as is often the typical behaviour in many relationship-oriented cultures.
Non-smoking sections in restaurants are still uncommon in most European countries. North Americans, especially, should refrain on exercising their “non-smoker rights” too vocally here, as this can provoke aggression and will be met with very little public support [even from the management!].
Etiquette regarding who should pay at the end of a meal is quite different in German culture. The person who extends the invitation will be the person who pays. It is not at all expected that the guest should even offer to pay. This is very different from the etiquette prescribed in relationship-oriented cultures, where the designated guest still makes a significant “show” of fighting for the bill, with the aim of giving generous “face” to the host. Especially East Asians should refrain from their typically dramatic and persistent efforts to obtain the bill, as this will not only create confusion and embarrassment in their German hosts, but in some cases it could be that they do, in fact, end up with the bill. Don't forget: Germans are likely to take your insistence literally! Similarly, businesspeople from relationship-oriented cultures should not expect a “fight” for the bill from German guests. If they are the guests, it will be clear for them who is paying.
Tip: if you really feel like you need to put up a little “fight”, it's better to do it before you go to the restaurant.
Dinner is usually served from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and this is also the customary time for dinner parties to begin. Consequently, dinner parties usually end at around midnight or later.
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