Power lunches today no longer hold fast to the traditions of sipping martinis and exacting conversations around the latest sports game or newest fashion trends. They are conducted like any other business meeting at work with a time frame, an agenda and a goal, according to corporate professionals in the client service industry. And most of the time, it doesn”™t involve eating a three-course meal at a fancy restaurant.
The changing culture of power lunches is driven by increasingly busier work days for corporate professionals and the desire for greater efficiency and maximum productivity in business-related meetings, even if it means reducing face time.
These days, power lunches are a luxury and planned far in advance. They appeal mostly to business partners who have established good rapport over a long period of time.
More commonly, business meetings take place during breakfast as opposed to lunch, said Stacey Cohen, president of Co-Communications Inc., which she founded in 1997. She said mornings provide greater opportunities to maximize time with business executives.
“Once the day takes hold, there”™s a greater likelihood for them to cancel a lunch than a breakfast,” said Cohen, who regularly meets with her clients for business breakfasts at City Limits Diner in White Plains. She said she often bumps into other clients who sit down and join her conversation, accomplishing more on her agenda in a one-hour group meeting over breakfast than a 10- to 15-minute one-on-one meeting during a lunch break.
“I know a sizeable percentage of people who meet at City Limits because it opens at 7:30 instead of 8 a.m.,” Cohen said. “I”™ve set up several back-to-back meetings over breakfast because it”™s convenient and fits into my schedule before work.”
On average, Cohen said she schedules two lunches and four breakfasts a week, which typically last no more than an hour.
“Gone are those martini types of lunches where people sit around and eat for two hours,” Cohen said.
For business meetings conducted over lunch, Cohen said location matters. The environment must be conducive to talking business and offer well-thought-out menu options. She said La Paneti̬re in Rye is a popular venue for PepsiCo executives and Restaurant North in Armonk is frequented by IBM employees. SamӪs of Gedney Way in White Plains is a practical meeting location because of its parking lot, she added.
Business meetings, whether conducted over lunch or coffee, should be driven by the goal of adding value to the clients, said Kristen Ruby, president of Ruby Media Group L.L.C., which she founded in 2008.
“Face time is rare: If you have it, you want to maximize that opportunity to show your clients what you”™ve done,” said Ruby, who brings a pen, pad and report to each meeting.
Lately, she has also been bringing juice to her clients who don”™t have time to eat lunch.
“Juicing is great for executives who are in the office all day and don”™t get to eat their fruits and vegetables,” Ruby said. “A lot of the CEOs are very healthy and very into it. I usually ask them if they want a bottle of juice and pick out a variety at the Equinox Fitness juice bar. Our power lunch meetings are basically lunch in a bottle.”
Although breakfast meetings fit more flexibly in people”™s schedule than lunch meetings, most corporate professionals prefer congregating over lunch rather than dinner, said Christina Rae, president of Buzz Creators Inc., which she founded in 2009.
“Lunch is more popular than meeting over dinner mainly due to the cost factor and because people want to get home to their families after work,” said Rae.
When choosing a lunch or dinner venue for business meetings, Rae said she considers a range of factors from the wait time and parking space to noise level and menu options. She said she consistently takes her clients to Gaucho Grill in White Plains for lunch.
“Lunch meetings have changed from just going out to coffee or a casual restaurant to people wanting to eat nicer lunches,” Rae said. “I”™ve walked out of a restaurant recently because the environment just wasn”™t conducive to my lunch meeting.”
Not only is the venue important for business meetings, but people are becoming more health conscious and selective about what they order on the menu.
“Business people don”™t want heavy lunches because they”™re looking to keep their energy level up throughout the day,” Cohen said.
Another emphasis is ordering food that won”™t be distracting during the business meeting. “It”™s a business meeting so the focus should be on the conversation and not the food,” said Paul Okura, president of CMIT Solutions of Southern Westchester, who regularly meets with his clients over lunch. “But don”™t select a place that serves bad food as that will negatively impact the entire experience of the meeting.”
For larger group business meetings, corporate professionals have requested specific seating accommodations. Roundtables are preferred over rectangular ones.
“Once it gets past six people at a table setting, it gets difficult to hear everyone,” Cohen said. “Once you get eight to 10 people, you”™re better off meeting in a conference room.”
She said Crabtree”™s Kittle House Inn in Chappaqua is one of the few restaurants she found to be conducive to holding lunch meetings with groups of 12 or more people.
Although power lunches are becoming a thing of the past, some of the greatest meetings are the ones that are unplanned, Ruby said.
“You could be at a charity event with your dog, and the person next to you could be talking to you about Pomeranians, and the next thing you know, you”™re talking business with a potential client in an industry where they need your help,” Ruby said.
