Etiquette Luncheon

The Business Dining Etiquette Luncheon is held every semester for students enrolled in Soft Skills (BUS2 137A). Students come dressed in business attire to practice the lessons they learned on business dining etiquette as they enjoy a free 4-course meal at a fine dining restaurant. Corporate representatives from the Bay Area Retail Center join us to impart their wisdom and experience with Soft Skills in the workplace. The event is organized and delivered by Dr. Jennifer Bechkoff, a certified etiquette consultant.

The luncheon starts with a networking mixer where students network with BARC representatives and fellow colleagues as they practice entering and exiting conversations while waiters serve delicious hors d’oeuvres. After the mixer, everyone is seated with one BARC representative at each table. A sommelier will give a wine tasting lesson as waiters take orders. During the soup/salad course, Dr. Bechkoff will walk around the room lecturing and critiquing students’ dress and dining skills. During the main course, each BARC rep in attendance will stand up and speak for 3-5 minutes on their experiences with soft skills in the workplace. Questions are always welcome and politely answered throughout the event. The meal ends with dessert and coffee/tea and the opportunity to pick Professor Bechkoff’s brain on all things related to job acquisition, etiquette, interviewing, business dress, body language, etc. as well as have relaxed, meaningful conversations with corporate representatives who are always on the lookout for good students to hire. This event (created in 2012) has consistently been reported as students’ best educational experience at SJSU.