Hot take: client lunches and dinners are wildly overrated. I’d much rather connect over a 20-minute coffee chat or a quick check-in than sit through a drawn-out dinner that takes up my evening and cuts into family time. Last month, I spent three hours at a client dinner that easily could’ve been handled in a 15-minute call—and the conversation felt more forced than meaningful. I know face time matters, but are we really building better relationships this way, or just checking a box? Anyone else feel like these events are more about optics than actual connection?

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I think it depends on the client and circumstance. I'm generally opposed to anything that takes place outside of working hours, but I've had a few dinners that were really positive and seemed to strengthen our working relationship. If given the choice, I'd still go the coffee route (or lunch) over a dinner 10 times out of 10, though.

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I think they can have value, but only if there’s genuine rapport already. A quick, focused coffee often builds more trust than a long formal meal. It really depends on the client and the context.

I think it depends on how good the dinner is, LOL

If there's some overriding need to have a long dinner with someone, fair enough, go ahead and have it. But it's honestly an old-fashioned relic of a bygone era in American business. Wasting time in a restaurant is not a sign of smart thinking in today's world.

I agree with you. I honestly always dread client lucnhed and dinners. There have been a few I looked forward to but the rest defintiely could have been a coffee chat and didn't need to take up so much of my time.

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