Where do you go to be seen having a power lunch in Silicon Valley?
Asked by
Jeruba (
56062
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September 6th, 2009
Two characters in my story meet for lunch in the premiere Silicon Valley restaurant where ambitious middle-management yuppies and influential VPs dine with their respective peers and talk business. One of my characters wants to be seen there by people he thinks are important.
Is there such a place? If so, what’s the name of it? Where is it? And what does the thirtyish young man who’d like to become a VP in a high-tech corporation order for lunch?
If his companion is slightly gauche (or rebellious) and does not order the fashionable thing, what does she have?
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5 Answers
They don’t so much frequent the premier places anymore because money is tight.
They could go to Birk’s which is right off the highway in the MacAfee building.
Interesting story there… the owner of the establishment was murdered by a suicidal woman who was released on bail for a previous attack on the man. When the police arrived on the scene, the 27 year old woman was straddling the rail of a 3rd floor balcony. They tried to talk her down but she repeatedly cut and stabbed herself with the murder weapon until she passed out from blood loss and was apprehended.
You’d think the police would have told the victim that his assailant had been released.
Ordering ribs or generally messy foods for a business lunch or dinner is a big faux pas.
Eating with your hands is a no-no for business lunch etiquette so anything like hot wings would be considered lowbrow.
Powerful business guys will usually order expensive food, steak, shellfish, lobster etc. because it’s expensive.
I can’t help with a location, but I can help you out with my experience in modern business lunch etiquette.
Dos
– Order small, healthy meals
– Order water or iced tea
– Eat a small meal in advance to avoid eating much at the meeting
– Eat cheaply
Grey area
– Red meat
– Soda
Don’ts
– Order something with any sauce, particularly dark sauce
– Order any pasta
– Order booze
– Finish your meal
– Eat bread
– Order anything fried
– Order soup
– Order large sandwiches
So, for your story, let’s see…
I would have the tactful, ambitious young man order a small chicken breast and mixed vegetables with a water, and perhaps have the rebellious associate order a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs with whatever is available on tap.
Hope this was helpful.
At Cafe Borrone, in Menlo Park, CA, usually at one of the outside tables in the ample shade provided by the pavilion, is where many, many, many deals have gone down, thought it is not neccesarily a “see and be seen” sort of place.
Those are:
Bucks Diner in Woodside, famous for all the weird stuff on its walls and its excellent food, and
Il Fornaio, a posh italian place in downtown Palo Alto.
Googling for any of those will give you a lot more pictures/data.
I don’t know about San Francisco, but on the Peninsula the happening spots are mostly in Downtown Palo Alto and Downtown Mountain View, though San Jose has some cool stuff.
Very helpful so far. Does the Lion and Compass in Sunnyvale rate? How about Il Fornaio at the Hotel Sainte Claire in San Jose?
@The_Compassionate_Heretic and @lefteh, great menu advice. Thank you! She (no name yet) won’t order what he (Michael) tells her to, and this incident, which goes wrong in several ways, is that little crack that widens to break the relationship. Michael is counting on it to help him get ahead. And the issue of doing this in a down economy is another stressor.
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