After being admitted as a civil servant, I am about to leave my original employer. The employer holds a farewell banquet. What should I pay attention to?

Haha, I happened to learn about this etiquette yesterday, please refer to it!

——Seating

Generally speaking, the seating arrangement is "to the left and to the east" and "to face the door is to respect". If it is a round table, the one facing the door is the host and guest, and the positions to the left and right of the host and guest are based on the distance from the host and guest. The closer the host and guest are, the more respectable they are. At the same distance, the left side is more respected than the right side. If it is the Eight Immortals table, if there are seats facing the door, the right seat on the side facing the door will be the host and guest. If it is not facing the gate, the right seat on the east side is the chief.

If it is a big banquet, the arrangement between the tables should be such that the chief guest is in the front and center, with seats 2, 4, and 6 on the left, and seats 3, 5, and 7 on the right. They are divided according to the identity and status of the host and guest. sit.

If you are the host, you should arrive early, wait near the door, and lead the guests to their seats. If you are an invitee, you should follow the host's seating arrangements.

Generally speaking, if your boss is present, you should lead him to the main seat and ask the highest-ranking customer to sit on the left side of the main seat. Unless the leadership level of the person being entertained this time is very high.

——Ordering

If time permits, you should wait until most of the guests have arrived, then circulate the menu to the guests and ask them to order. Of course, as a business banquet, you will worry about the budget. Therefore, to control the budget, the most important thing for you is to do more homework before the meal. It is more important to choose a suitable banquet venue, so that the guests can also fully understand your intention. Budget. Moreover, generally speaking, if you pay the bill and the guests are too embarrassed to order, they will let you make the decision. If your boss is also at the banquet, never let him/her order food because you respect him or think that he has rich social experience and eats a lot at the banquet, unless he/she takes the initiative. Otherwise, he will feel unworthy.

If you are a dinner party, you should know that you should not take the initiative when ordering, but let the host take the order. If the other party asks kindly, you can order a dish that is not too expensive and not everyone's taboo. Remember to ask the opinions of people at the table, especially asking "Is there anything you don't eat?" or "What do you prefer to eat?" to make everyone feel taken care of. After ordering, you can ask for instructions, "I've ordered something, but I don't know if it suits everyone's taste," "Would you like anything else," etc.

When ordering, you must know what to expect. When ordering, you can follow the following three rules:

First, look at the composition of the staff. Generally speaking, one dish per person is a more general rule. If it is a dinner party with more men, the amount can be increased appropriately. Second, look at the combination of dishes. Generally speaking, it is best to have meat and vegetables, cold and hot dishes on a table, and try to be as comprehensive as possible. If there are many men at the table, you can order more meat dishes; if there are more women, you can order more light vegetable dishes. The third is to look at the importance of the banquet.

If it is an ordinary business banquet, the average price of a dish is about 50 yuan to 80 yuan. If the banquet is for a relatively important person, then order a few dishes of sufficient portions, such as lobster, saury, anchovies, and a larger size, such as abalone, fin powder, etc.

Another thing to note is that when ordering, you should not ask the waiter for the price of the dishes or bargain with them. This will make your company look a bit petty in front of customers, and customers will also feel uncomfortable.

Attachment 1: Guidance on ordering Chinese food - three good things and four taboos

For a standard Chinese meal, usually, cold dishes are served first, followed by hot stir-fry, and then the main dish. The dishes are served, then snacks and soup are served. If you feel a little tired of eating, you can order some desserts, and finally a fruit plate is served. When ordering, you should take into account the dishes of each program.

There are four categories of priority dishes:

The first category is dishes with Chinese characteristics. When entertaining foreign guests, you should pay more attention to this point. Dishes such as fried spring rolls, boiled yuanxiao, steamed dumplings, lion heads, kung pao chicken, etc. are not delicacies, but because they have distinctive Chinese characteristics, they are highly praised by many foreigners.

The second category includes dishes with local characteristics. For example, Xi'an's mutton steamed buns, Hunan's Maojia braised pork, Shanghai's braised lion's head, and Beijing's mutton-shabu-shabu. When entertaining foreign guests there, these special dishes will probably be more popular than the same raw seafood.

The third category is the restaurant’s specialties. Many restaurants have their own specialties. Serving one of the restaurant's special dishes shows the owner's attentiveness and respect for the guests.

When arranging the menu, the dietary taboos of the guests must also be considered, especially the dietary taboos of the guest of honor. There are four main dietary taboos:

1. Religious dietary taboos cannot be ignored at all. For example, Muslims generally do not eat pork and do not drink alcohol. Domestic Buddhists should eat less meaty food, which not only refers to meat, but also includes onions, garlic, leeks, mustard and other pungent-smelling foods. Some Buddhists who believe in Guanyin specifically prohibit beef in their diet. This should be especially noted when entertaining compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas Chinese.

2． For health reasons, certain foods are prohibited. For example, people with heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension and stroke sequelae are not suitable to eat dog meat. Hepatitis patients should avoid eating mutton and soft-shelled turtles. People with gastroenteritis, gastric ulcer and other digestive system diseases are also not suitable to eat soft-shelled turtles. , Patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol should drink less chicken soup.

3. People in different regions often have different dietary preferences. This should be taken into account when arranging the menu. For example, people in Hunan Province generally like to eat spicy food and eat less sweet food. People in British and American countries generally do not eat pets, rare animals, animal offal, animal heads and paws. In addition, when entertaining foreign guests, try to order as few dishes as possible that require chewing. Foreigners are less likely to spit out the food they bite during the meal. This also needs to be taken into consideration.

4. Some professions, for some reason, often have different special taboos when it comes to catering. For example, state civil servants are not allowed to eat and drink when performing official duties, are not allowed to eat or drink excessively during official banquets, are not allowed to eat beyond the standards set by the state, and are not allowed to drink hard liquor. Another example is that drivers are not allowed to drink while working. If you ignore this point, you may cause the other party to make mistakes.

——Eating vegetables

Chinese people are generally very particular about eating, and they are also very particular about the way they eat. As workplace etiquette becomes more and more important, eating and eating habits at business dinners are becoming more particular. The following takes Chinese food as an example to teach you how to be polite and skillful at the dinner table.

At the beginning of a Chinese banquet, the first wet towel given by the waiter is for wiping your hands. Do not use it to wipe your face. When lobster, chicken, and fruit are served, a small watermelon will be served, with lemon slices or rose petals floating in it. It is not a drink, but a hand wash. When washing your hands, you can take turns to wet your fingers with both hands, rinse them gently, and then dry them with a small towel.

Be civilized and polite when dining. When dealing with foreign guests, do not repeatedly persuade them to eat. Instead, introduce the characteristics of Chinese food to them, and it is up to them whether they want to eat it or not. Some people like to ask others for food, or even pick up food for them. Foreign guests don’t have this habit, so if you keep being polite, they might get offended and say, “I said I won’t eat, so why do you have to force me to do it?” By analogy, when attending a banquet hosted by foreign guests, don’t expect the host to repeatedly give you food. If you wait for others to provide you with food, you will have no choice but to be hungry.

After guests sit down, do not take food immediately. The guests should wait until the host greets and raises their glass to signal the start, and the guests cannot get ahead of the host. You should be polite when picking up food. You should wait until the dishes are in front of you before using your chopsticks. Don't rush in front of your neighbor. Don't pick up too many dishes at one time. Chew carefully and slowly, which is not only good for digestion, but also a requirement for table etiquette. Never stuff large pieces into your mouth and devour them greedily, as this will give people the impression of greed. Don't be a picky eater, don't just focus on your favorite dishes, or rush to pile your favorite dishes on your plate. The movements of the meal should be elegant. Don't bump into your neighbor when picking up food, don't push the dishes on the plate to the table, and don't spill the soup. Don't make unnecessary noises, such as "gurgling" when drinking soup or "baping" when eating vegetables. These are all vulgar expressions. Don't eat and chat with people at the same time.

Don't spit the bones and fish bones in your mouth on the table. You can cover your mouth with a napkin, take them out with chopsticks and put them on a plate. Don't eat any food that falls on the table. Do not play with the dishes or chopsticks while eating, or point them at others. Don't pick it in your mouth with your hands. When picking teeth with a toothpick, cover your mouth with your hands or a napkin. Don't let the utensils make any noise.

After the meal, you can wipe your mouth with a napkin, napkin or a small towel given by the waiter, but it is not suitable to wipe your head, neck or chest; do not burp or belch uncontrollably after the meal; When the signal is over, guests cannot leave the table first.

——Drinking

As the saying goes, the more you drink, the thicker the wine becomes, but there are also many things to pay attention to at the wine table. The following summarizes some things you have to pay attention to at the wine table. Small details.

Detail 1: After the leaders have finished drinking with each other, it is their turn to toast. When toasting, you must stand up and raise the glass with both hands.

Detail 2: Many people can respect one person, but one person must not respect many people, unless you are a leader.

Detail 3: Respect others by yourself. If you don’t clink glasses, how much you drink depends on the situation, such as the other person’s drinking capacity and attitude towards drinking. You must not drink less than the other person. You must know that you are honoring others. .

Detail 4: When you toast others, if you clink glasses, just say, "I'll finish the drink, you can do whatever you want" to show your generosity.

Detail 5: Remember to add more wine to the leader or customer. Don’t blindly substitute wine for the leader. Even if you want to replace the leader, you must also pretend that you are doing it because the leader or customer really wants to find someone to replace you. Drink instead of drinking to drink for the leader. For example, if leader A is too drunk, he can stop the people who are about to pay respect to leader A by making insinuations.

Detail 6: Hold up the wine glass (beer glass), hold the glass with your right hand, and place the bottom of the glass with your left hand. Remember that your own glass is always lower than others. If you are a leader, be wise and don't put yourself too low, otherwise how can you call the people below you a good person?

Detail 7: If no special person is present, it is best to drink wine in clockwise order, and do not favor one over another.

Detail 8: Clink glasses and toast with words, otherwise, why would I want to drink your wine?

Detail 9: Don’t discuss business on the table. Once you’ve finished drinking, the business will be almost done. Everyone knows this in their hearts, otherwise they won’t be open to drinking with you.

Detail 10. If, purely if, you encounter a situation where there is not enough wine, put the wine bottle in the middle of the table and let people refill it. Don't be stupid and rubbish and pour the wine one by one, otherwise the people behind you will do it. What to do if there is no wine?

——Pouring Tea

The tea-pouring knowledge mentioned here applies not only to customers visiting the company, but also to business tables.

First of all, the tea set should be clean. After the guests enter the room, first let them sit and prepare tea. Before making tea, be sure to wash the tea sets, especially tea sets that have not been used for a long time. They will inevitably be stained with dust and dirt, so they must be washed carefully with clean water. It is best to scald the teapot and teacup with boiling water before making or pouring tea. In this way, you pay attention to hygiene and appear polite. It is impolite to pour tea for guests regardless of whether the tea set is clean or not. People feel nauseated when they see stains on teapots and teacups, so why are they still willing to drink your tea? Nowadays, most companies use disposable cups. Before pouring tea, be sure to put a coaster on the disposable cup to avoid The water was so hot that the guests were unable to hold a cup of tea for a while.

Secondly, the amount of tea should be appropriate. Let’s talk about tea first, generally it should be appropriate. Tea should not be too much or too little. If there are too many tea leaves, the tea flavor will be too strong; if there are too few tea leaves, the brewed tea will have no flavor. If the guest takes the initiative to introduce his habit of drinking strong or light tea, then make the tea according to the guest's taste. Besides, when pouring tea, whether it is a large or small cup, it is not advisable to pour it too full. If it is too full, it will easily overflow and wet the table, stools, and floor. If you are not careful, you may burn yourself or your guests' hands and feet, making both the host and the guest very embarrassed. Of course, it is not advisable to pour too little. If the tea is served to guests only covering the bottom of the cup, it will make people feel that it is pretentious and not sincere.

Again, serving tea must be done correctly. According to the traditional habits of our people, as long as the hands are not disabled, tea is served to guests with both hands. However, some young people now do not understand this rule and make trouble by handing the tea to the guests with one hand.

You should also be careful when serving tea with both hands. For tea cups with cup lugs, you usually hold the cup lugs with one hand and hold the bottom of the cup with the other hand to serve the tea to the guests. After filling a teacup with no lugs, the whole body will be hot, and it is difficult to get close to the cup with hands. Some comrades just hold the edge of the cup with their fingers and serve it to the guests. Although this method of serving tea can prevent burn accidents, it is unsightly and not hygienic enough. Please imagine, does it feel better to let the guest's mouth lick the owner's finger marks?

Add tea. If your boss or customer needs to add tea to their cups, you have to do it without hesitation. You can signal the waiter to refill the tea, or ask the waiter to leave the teapot on the table. Even better, you can refill it yourself. This is the best way to hide when you don't know what to say. Of course, when adding tea, you should first add tea to your boss and customers, and then add tea to yourself last.

——Leaving the banquet

Generally, cocktail parties and tea parties last for a long time, about two hours or more. Maybe after walking around a few times and recognizing some people, you soon want to leave. At this time, you must not understand some techniques for leaving the meeting midway.

It is common that when a banquet is in full swing, everyone will break up because someone wants to leave, making the host really anxious. To avoid this unpleasant consequence, when you are about to leave midway, never say goodbye to everyone in the conversation circle. Just say hello quietly to the two or three people around you, and then leave.

When you leave the reception in the middle, you must explain and apologize to the host who invited you, and do not disappear in a flash.

After greeting the host, you should leave immediately. Do not drag the host to chat endlessly at the gate. Because the other party has a lot to do that day, and there are many guests waiting for him or her to greet you. If you take up too much of the host's time, he or she will be rude in front of other guests.

Some people attend a cocktail party or tea party. When they are about to leave in the middle, they will ask everyone they know if they want to go together. As a result, the originally lively scene ended early due to her instigation. This kind of trouble is the hardest thing to be forgiven by the host of the banquet. A person with good manners must never make this mistake.