Forget lunching at length, a working breakfast won’t interrupt the workflow and starts the day on a positive note. We talk to five business people about the most important meal of the day.
Louise Stokes
Owner, Loulerie Jewllery Boutique, Dublin
Favourite place: Balfes in the Westbury Hotel. It’s five minutes from the shop, the team areIt’s five minutes from the shop, the team are terrific and I love the familiarity of it. The staff all know me by name and that makes for a nice start to the day. For me, the location, the menu, and the warm service are key. I like the fact that if I’m having a confidential meeting that there is space and that I can’t be overheard. I like the variety of seating areas in Balfes.
Top dish: I always have the avocado toast or the oat pancakes with fruit, an orange and turmeric juice and a coffee. I am very busy and have two kids so I am conscious of what I eat. I feel a lot better if I eat at a breakfast meeting rather than just having coffee.
The essentials: I trained in New York and the attitude was that meetings should be über-professional. I'm also very conscious of what the other person would like so there has to be choice on the menu. There also has to be variety especially if I am going to the place regularly. Wifi is really important.
The guests: I could be meeting anyone from a stylist to a journalist, a customer, supplier or my accountant.
The dealbreaker: I might have chosen random places in the past and you can have a bad experience. I prefer to go somewhere where I know what to expect. I'm all about the first impression, especially if meeting someone for the first time. If the service is late or someone's dish is forgotten it can delay things.
Bucks fizz?: I would not consider drinking with clients or at business meetings. At the end of the day with my staff we might have a glass of bubbly but never in the morning!
Keith Moran
Managing director, SL Controls, Sligo
Favourite place: The Sligo Park Hotel. The breakfast is very good, the meeting facilities are good and there's a nice feel to the place. We usually have breakfast in the dining room and then adjourn to the foyer to continue the conversation. Seating there is open but at the same time people can't hear what you are saying. They also have a good selection of gluten-free options which is great for people who are coeliac or gluten intolerant, you have to have a range of options for the people you are meeting.
Top dish: Three slices of bacon, three poached eggs and green tea.
The essentials: When you go for a breakfast meeting you never know who is sitting around you so the privacy aspect is important.
The difference: I think in an informal setting you get to know people better and they tend to open up a little more. There's a time and a place for formality of course but in the right context a breakfast meeting can be a good ice-breaker.
A breakfast no-go: When I am pitching business to a client for the first time I would never have a breakfast meeting. In that instance I like the client to come to us to get a feel for our facilities and the type of service we provide.
The dealbreaker: Bad wifi is a no no, anything else I can get over. If you want to appear professional at a meeting there has to be wifi and a selection of food; if someone makes a mistake during the process I don't have a problem with it.
Grainne Kelly
Ceo, Bubblebum, Derry
Favourite place: Gap Coffee Co in Bridgend, Donegal for their amazing buns (not for me but for whomever I'm meeting). They have great wifi but I can never get phone coverage which is fine, because I think you should have your mobile switched off during a meeting anyway. It's polite to give someone 100 per cent of your attention. You're never on top of people and there is music in the background so you can't overhear people's conversations.
I also like Ollie’s in Derry because there’s plenty of parking yet it’s within walking distance of the city. I don’t eat bread so Ollie’s, where they serve healthy breakfast and good decaf coffee, suits me. I also love Cloud9 in Eglinton which serves healthy food and terrific decaf. I’m guaranteed not to know anyone there. The last place I want to go is a place full of other people having breakfast meetings. If I am meeting my accountant, I don’t want to go somewhere swarming with accountants.
The essentials: Wifi, background music so you can't be overheard, a choice of food. I'm conscious of people's dietary requirements.
The downsides: When people ask me to a breakfast meeting in Belfast when I'm based in Derry, it means leaving home at 4.45am. I think people need to be conscious of where people are coming from in order to get to the meeting. If I'm meeting someone who I know has a family routine in the morning, I'm not going to pester them for a breakfast meeting.
The dealbreaker: Excessive noise when you're trying to concentrate, but to be honest I think that as long as you get what you want out of the meeting, thefood and everything else is secondary.
Michelle Murphy
Director at Collins McNicholas, Galway
Favourite place: I like to meet people for breakfast at the G Hotel & Spa in Galway. It's convenient, located on the main Dublin Road, so people don't have to go into the city centre. It has plenty of parking, lots of quiet breakout areas and a bit of a wow factor. There's also a good choice of food with plenty of healthy options, the coffee is very good and they've a nice selection of herbal teas.
Top dish: Something quick, healthy and often high protein, perhaps an omelette with spinach or tomatoes and mushrooms and a peppermint tea.
The essentials: People don't want to feel that the meeting is interrupting the rest of their day that's why I'm a fan of an early breakfast meeting at 7am or 7.30am; the agenda is set out and then it's productive. A good choice of food to accommodate both parties, and the quality of the coffee is important for many people. Wifi, parking, quiet areas to talk and a relaxed atmosphere are all important.
A breakfast no-no: When it comes to larger group meetings and company days, because we have offices nationwide, we typically have those later in the morning to give people time to travel to the location.
Stay in or go out?: I'm usually in the office just after 7am and can meet clients there early, but it's nice to get out for a breakfast meeting. It's good to have a change of scenery and also useful if you're meeting someone who is already out on the road and who needs to get something to eat.
The dealbreaker: Poor wifi. Parking is a major consideration. Tight timeframes at breakfast means the service has to be efficient.
Kevin Curran
Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office, Cork north and west
Favourite place: Inchydoney Hotel in west Cork for atmosphere and location. Many of the people I need to meet are from north and west Cork so the location outside of Clonakilty town is convenient for many. I think there's something peaceful about being by the sea and, if it's good for the mind, it's good for business. I believe your surroundings can have a positive effect on you – you can be more relaxed but at the same time more clear-minded.
Top dish: I'm quite a traditionalist in terms of breakfast and am just as happy with a scone and a cup of coffee later on in the morning.
The essentials: If you take your location and food as a given then I think the key thing is the preparedness of the participants. People are usually pretty on form in the mornings I find. I like that breakfast meetings are sharp and to the point. If you can meet early you still have the whole day to do whatever you need to do for the rest of the day. I'm far happier meeting someone earlier and having a full day ahead of me.
The guests: Many of my meetings are with people who are running their own small or microbusinesses. It could be anyone from a person with a ceramics business to an engineer or someone setting up a cheese-making enterprise. Many of
them run small operations so we can meet early at breakfast and then they still have time that day to put into their own businesses.
The dealbreaker: It is firstly a face-to-face meeting. Things such as noise and bad service are what I loosely call housekeeping issues. Problems such as these may determine whether or not you return to a place but it might be worth finding out whether the bad experience is an exception or the rule in the place. The key thing to remember is that you are there to do business.
