It is important to pick the right restaurant for a business lunch and Nigeria has an incredible selection of restaurants. Business lunches should be taken with caution as they can often lead to awkward conversations or even deal breakers. You might need to find a french restaurant for your french clients, or maybe an asian restaurant for your asian clientsIn order to help you make this decision, we have created a list of things that should be considered when choosing a restaurant:

Consider the location of the restaurant – Is it close to your office or in a central area with easy parking?

The location of the restaurant is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a restaurant for a business lunch. The last thing you want is either you or your client getting stuck in traffic or having to commute an even or longer distance to get to the restaurant (food). Pick an area that is central to both parties or close to your office, remember it’s a business lunch and you’d most likely have to return to the office. One way to find restaurants based on proximity is by searching for Restaurants on DineSurf.

A good rule of thumb is the more expensive a restaurant, usually means they have plenty of room available nearby as well as valet services if needed which can be very convenient during lunch time when traffic in areas like Lagos can begin to build up

Check out their menu and see what you like, if they have a lunch special, and how much food costs.

Business lunches don’t have to be expensive, but you do need food that is filling. Prices can range from N5,000-N15,000 per person for a nice meal and this should work well if your budget allows it.

When researching, ask ahead of time whether they’re able to accommodate allergies or dietary restrictions such as gluten-free diets . It’s very important to find out if your client has an dietary restrictions beforehand and factor that into your search process

For most restaurants lunch times are less crowded, and many restaurant employ a lot of tactics to drive traffic during that period, so be on the lookout for any lunch hour specials and discounts, especially between Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are the days restaurants see the least amount of traffic in general.

Read reviews online about this restaurant and others like it. 

Be sure to read the comments and not just look at how many stars a restaurant has. You can learn a lot about a restaurant by taking time to read the reviews, think of it like reading the comment section on an instablog9ja post, it’s usually richer content than the caption of the post.

There are a lot of platforms that allow you read reviews on restaurants from actual diners, not just influencers. Some of those places are Google Reviews, Dinesurf, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook reviews etc.

Ask friends for recommendations if you can’t make up your mind

We’ve all come to that point in looking for a restaurant where you just have to ask someone for help but when you get those recommendations always do your own research, you’ll be surprised how many people have already tried a restaurant. A lot of people have the habit of making a list of restaurants for scenarios like this and saving it on Instagram, but the real restaurant plugs in Nigeria have their hit list on their DineSurf account which they can easily share with you in a simple link.

Bonus Tips

Business lunches are usually more formal affairs, so it’s best to avoid casual dining venues that might not have the proper tablecloths or fine dishes. Business meetings can be a time of collaboration and sharing ideas but also a time for individuals within an organization to make important decisions about their future with the company.

You don’t want to choose a cheap restaurant, but you might want to go for affordable.

Make sure you make a reservation once you find the restaurant you want for your business lunch, you can also specify your seating preference when you make a reservation. The last thing you want on your business lunch, is showing up and finding the restaurant booked for occasion or getting sat at the table beside the restroom. You can make the reservation by calling the restaurant, going there yourself or using a restaurant reservation platform like DineSurf.