Philippines: Prosperous Entertaining
From ExecutivePlanet.com
PROSPEROUS ENTERTAINING
Typical meal times. Lunch Break in the Philippines’ offices (both private and public) starts 12NN up to 1PM. Dinner typically starts around 7PM or 8PM.
Venues for Business Entertaining. In the Philippines, business deals are completed informally during meals, entertainment, or sometimes, over a round of golf. Often times, a good first impression is made by a foreigner if you treat your Filipino counterpart to a hearty meal, either lunch or dinner in a nice restaurant.
However, if you're planning to have a short trip to the Philippines and would not have time to explore the various fancy restaurants in Metro Manila (or other key cities such as Cebu) where you can bring your client/business partner, lunch or dinner at your hotel’s restaurant would suffice - this is assuming that your hotel has a nice restaurant.
It’s highly recommended that if you are bent on going out and treating your local partner to a hearty meal, find a restaurant just near your hotel… that's the only way you beat the traffic that is commonly heavy on any given day of week (except Sundays and Holidays).
When to arrive at a social event. For most social occasions, it is almost rude to arrive at the stated time. Being “fashionably late” is the name of the game by as much as 15 minutes. At a party, the more important the guest, the later he or she arrives.
Etiquette concerning seating at a dinner table. Typically, good posture at the dinner table is expected. If you have your fiancé or wife with you on a social event, try to remember that in the Philippines, kissing and displaying affection in public is considered rude, especially among the young people.
Proper etiquette for eating. While Filipinos use forks, spoons and knives, those utensils are used differently, particularly because rice is a part of most meals. Chopsticks are not normally used outside of Chinese and Japanese restaurants.
Philippines is still not regarded as a wine-drinking country. However, if one is offered an alcoholic beverage (wine, beer), do feel free to accept a drink or two.
Accepting/declining an invitation. Receiving an invitation to dine out should be considered an honor and should not be refused. Dining out with your hosts can help build your relationship and establish trust, which will help you with your business endeavors in the long run. If you must refuse, offer a legitimate reason.
Tipping in a restaurant. Tipping is expected for many services. The standard practice is 10% of the total bill. Tipping is optional on bills that already include a 10% service charge. That’s the standard practice. However, if you aim to build a strong presence, both indirectly and directly with your local business contact and the people around him, be generous. Filipinos have the tendency of providing that extra smile to a hearty tipper.
