陳豪在北京的ABC美國公司工作。他在上班路上遇到了美國同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
A:How was dinner last night? Didn't you go out with upper management to entertain some new clients?
C:沒錯,我跟老板一起請新客戶到街對面新開的餐館去吃飯,飯菜很棒,但是安排上出了一些小問題。
A:What happened?
C:老板Mr. Brown讓我去安排。我通知了所有人,但是沒跟餐館預約,結果等了很久。
A:I'm sure that didn't go over well.
C:能看出來,Mr. Brown很不高興。
A:Anytime you invite people to a business meal, whether the group is large or small, call the restaurant and make reservations.
C:其實我打電話了,但是他們因為新開張,還沒有訂座的服務。
A:Did they know how many people you were bringing?
C:我說了,一共有12個人。
A:You should have asked Mr. Brown if he wanted to choose another restaurant.
C:我就是沒想到要換餐館。等大家到齊了,所有人都已經饑腸轆轆了。
A:When that happens, you end up with a group of cranky people. That's not good for business.
C:是啊,下次你得好好給我講講請客吃飯時需要注意些什么。
******
當天下班后,陳豪和Amy有見面了。
A:What did you do while you waited for your table last night?
C:開始的時候,服務員讓我們在門口的大廳里等。
A:Did you ask if you could wait in the bar and order everyone a drink and some hors d'oeuvres?
C: Mr. Brown很懂行,他提議先到酒吧去,還問服務員能不能給我們每人一杯免費的酒水。
A:That was the thing to do since the restaurant made a mistake in not taking a reservation for the large group. Even with reservations, if your group has to wait long time, you should politely ask for some sort of compensation.
C:最后我們可以上桌的時候,酒還沒喝完,大多數人都自己把酒拿到了桌上。
A:You should have requested the bartender or his staff to carry the drinks, considering the kind of restaurant it was. At a casual place, you are expected to take your own.
C:除了免費的酒水以外,不少人還點了第二杯第三杯,大家走后,我只好留在吧臺結帳。
A:Next time ask the bartender to add the bar bill to your dinner tab.
C:Amy, 你能不能最后總結一下,請客戶吃飯有哪些注意事項呢?
A:Whenever you entertain people over meals, insist on reservations. If your table is not ready, offer your guests a drink at the bar. Ask the bar staff to carry your unfinished drinks to the table and to add the bar bill to your final tab.