GolfHos

A post elsewhere made me wonder.  Dude said he was taken to lunch by a vendor; they went somewhere that served LARGE portions; he had them box up the leftovers and he walked out with them.

I've been on both ends of the business lunch in my day, and it just strikes me as poor form to scrape the leftovers into a box for the road when someone else is schmoozing you.  Not too distant from going somewhere cheaper and ordering two lunches, one for there and the other to go.

Maybe it's just me, though.

Anal retentive lawyers ftl

Put me firmly in the 'poor form' school.

I used to work outside sales in the Tahr Bidness, and I don't think I ever saw anybody do that. I know I'd be embarassed.

Maybe I'm not tracking.  I don't get it.

The dude was being taken out to lunch by the vendor.  Right?  The vendor was buying him the food. 

He wasn't buying him a lunch limited to just what he could consume at the table.

What were the options?  Leave it, and have it thrown?  Vendor takes the leftovers?  Wow, thanks for buying me some lunch.  Couldn't finish the rest of my pasta, but since you bought it, you might as well take it home.

Vendor dude throws it on his corporate AmEx, what does he care?

Like I said, I'm probably missing your point/take.

I never had a problem with this deal since whenever I met with vendors out, it was cocktails only.  Never any leftover beer.

OK, so Google Images + "starving children in africa" takes us well outside even Golfhos limits of jocularity.   :sad3:

Seriously, in the grand scheme of things, who really gives a *fudge* about left-over take-away decorum?  And if one does, one should reevaluate. 


</ (http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/500soapbox-pic.jpg)>

The take is it's poor move in a business setting, which is what it is when a vendor buys you lunch.

It just seems tacky.

On edit:

Can I change mine to 'What Uisce Said' ?

Definately poor form.

You just don't do that *feces*, regardless if it's being paid with a Corporate Amex or Diners card.

[uneducated hick]   [sm_anon] :bricks: Had no idea.   Well, luckily the events won't present themselves in my lifetime. [/uneducated hick]

Having been in similar situations many times, I can say that never once have I left with a doggie bag. Make of it what you will.

Put me down for "poor form", but it wouldn't leave a permanent scar if it was his own leftovers that he boxed. Over the line and plain creepy if he boxed everyone's.  [sm_disgust]

I've had the following happen to me, recently:

1. Client orders dessert, which is fine... but not to go.  [sm_devil]

2. Client chooses the restaurant, a smoky dive sports bar with uncomfortable chairs, wobbly tables, fugly waitresses, Judge Judy on the TV and salmonella as a salad dressing. I pay the bill and he hands the waitress his "buy one get one" card so that he can score a free lunch there later in the week.

I'm in the same camp as the uneducated hick.  Never thought about it being tacky or poor form on a business lunch.  However, I never take home a doggie bag.  I think it is a little strange in any setting. 

Now Gamma Pi's scenario # 2 is really strange. 

Wow! That is one serious sensor defect.  

In my book, a guy like that rates right there with the boss who's all handsy with the secretarial pool.

(http://thesituationist.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/****ual-harassment.jpg)

This from the guy who posts about whether it's "whisky" or "whiskey".
 [sm_shock] [sm_enguard] [sm_devil]

Seriously, we could say that about essentially EVERY topic here.  And then what would friends have left to casually discuss?



Stroh, the schmoozer typically is providing a meal.  It's a favor thing, and loading a pack mule on his dime just seemed to be a bit tacky to me.

Ok.  I guess I get that.  And I don't disagree that in the way described, yeah it's tacky and in poor form.

I guess I'm just hung up on the alternatives. 

business lunches are inherently no win situations

The O/P remarked that this establishment served large portions.

So, business etiquettes and protocol dictate that I come off as looking wantonly improvident as to avoid looking like a *8==>*?

I'm sorry, but "wantonly improvident" and "uneducated redneck" do not compute.

And you meant "wonton" -- they were having Chinese.

 ;D

Taking home a 'doggie bag' can be tacky.  But its not like the person ordered extra on purpose, seems it was the normal lunch portion for that establishment - so tacky perhaps, but tacky enough to post on a golf forum?  HTFU  ;)


I have had numerous instances were I was offered, and even given without asking, things to take with me from a business lunch.  So, perhaps I deal with a different class of schmooze.

That said - if they ordered extra just to take home or performed any of the acts that gammapi has listed - they are classless douches.

I'm with stroh.

Well, that solves the problem for me.  Never left a good Chinese joint with the leftovers, cuz I make damn sure there ain't no such thing. ;D

Fire in the hole!!!   [sm_devil]

So your outrage trumps my incense?  You silly, silly man.

The reason it is tacky is because an important element of a proper business lunch, so to say, is unzipping the fly and throwing the joneses on to the table, to make comparisons and declarative statements of dominance in the business relationship, and whatnot.

I mean, the 3 martini lunch has far more to do with one-upsmanship than with frank alcoholism. 

The only situation in which a doggie bag is proper is if you actually are scraping up leftovers from the entire table, and using this to augment the diet of your virile pack of hunting hounds back home, which are kept in an outdoor kennel 24/7/365.25

x3  [sm_dontknow]