Mom always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In 2014, your boss just may agree as trends indicate that lengthy business lunches seem to be giving way to what many describe as the more efficient business breakfast.
According to a survey conducted by OnePoll in the UK, participants in morning meetings believe they have more positive outcomes than get-togethers later in the day, and the majority of those polled said they are more attentive at this time of day.
“I have plenty of business breakfasts. It helps get the day off to a good start, rather than interrupting the flow in the middle of the day,” says Don Pausback, creative director for Pausback Advertising in Durham. “I think many people are not only more attentive but are also more enthusiastic in the morning.”
Alison Fragale, associate professor of organizational behavior and an expert in conflict resolution negotiation, power and influence, and communication at Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC-Chapel Hill, said there is no published psychological research that shows the impact of time of day or setting on business negotiations. “The exception is research on the ‘home field advantage,’ which means negotiators do better when they are on home turf (their own office). So, strategically, a restaurant is a good ‘neutral’ location,” she says.
Kenan-Flagler’s Jessica Christian, clinical assistant professor of organizational behavior, points to interesting research that indicates eating together is a good thing, generally, for business dealings. Lakshmi Balachandra, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College and a fellow at the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, conducted experiments using MBA students challenged with completing complex joint ventures between two companies in restaurants, in office conference rooms where food is served and in conference rooms without food.
“The students who ate together while negotiating … created significantly increased profits compared to those who negotiated without dining. Individuals who negotiated in restaurants created 12 percent greater profits and those who negotiated over food in a conference room created 11 percent greater profits,” according to Balachandra, who continues to look at other reasons why eating together might be positive for businesspeople. “This suggests that eating while deciding important matters offers profitable, measurable benefits through mutually productive discussions.” (Read more in her blog: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/01/should-you-eat-while-you-negot/)
If you want to make major headway before your competitors even get to the office, check out our Fave Five business breakfast hotspots.
1) Carolina Crossroads Restaurant at The Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill, (919) 918-2777; www.carolinainn.com/crossroads-restaurant/; breakfast hours 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday with validated parking (self-park or valet) complimentary up to three hours. You can expect fresh, local and organic fare when dining at the Carolina Crossroads – think a three-egg Farmer’s Market Omelet made with local eggs from Latta’s Family Farm, house-made Carolina Inn Granola or NC Apple Flapjacks, cinnamon spiced and served with warm syrup. The Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four Diamond restaurant is elegant, offers free WiFi, and two private spaces (one seats 10 and the other accommodates 30) for meetings. Located in the heart of downtown on the UNC campus at the historic Carolina Inn, the restaurant is doing a brisk business in breakfast meetings, according to Food Director Allal Kartaoui. “You can get something quick, eat at the buffet or order a la carte,” he says.
2) Café Carolina at Meadowmont Village, 601 Meadowmont Village Circle, Chapel Hill, (919) 945-8811; www.cafecarolina.com; hours 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. At Café Carolina, you can have as little or as much breakfast as you like – from a fresh-baked muffin with a cup of hot espresso to a tasty Huevos Wrapchero or a hearty country breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, potato casserole and toast. The café, like the locations in Raleigh and Cary, is cozy and comfortable, and has the feel of a neighborhood eatery. A big selling point for the Chapel Hill location is free parking. WiFi is free, and the café welcomes businesspeople, according to owners Steve Zanella and Ron Hines.
3) Another Broken Egg, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham; (919) 381-5172, www. anotherbrokenegg.com; open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Due to its location near Duke Medical Center and the University’s East Campus, Another Broken Egg, headquartered in Fayetteville, La., is an ideal place for business breakfasts. The French country-influenced décor is cheerful and bright, and demonstrates that breakfast joints can be attractive and still offer great food. The breakfast menu is a blend of healthy selections, such as Granola, Fruit & Quinoa, Gluten-Free Friendly Jumbo Pancake, and Skinny Omelets to richer fare, such as Cinnamon Roll French Toast (covered with fresh berries), Shrimp & Grits, and Eggs Benedict. Tweaked southern favorites include Blackberry Grits and Biscuit Beignets (a little heavier than the New Orleans version and served with marmalade sauce for dipping). Another Broken Egg, which also has locations in Morrisville and Raleigh, offers free WiFi, catering on- and off-site and a private room that seats 25.
4) The Bagel Bar, 630 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite 109, Chapel Hill; (919) 929-7700, http://bagelbarbagels.com; hours, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Bagel Bar, which serves breakfast all day, is owned and managed by Karra Pate and Jon Collins, who took it over in July 2012. They revamped the menu and say they’ve worked hard to create a “clean, cozy and welcoming space where people can eat, meet, work and visit.” The Bagel Bar now offers fresh bagels, a variety of cream cheeses, hearty breakfast and lunch sandwiches and specialty items, like their signature cream cheese stuffed bagel bombs. Other breakfast favorites include Canadian Comeback bagel stuffed with locally made Canadian back bacon with scrambled eggs and cheese and the Veggie 5 bagel filled with egg whites, tomato, onions, cucumbers, sprouts, spinach and light veggie cream cheese. They serve coffee from Carborro Coffee Roasters, offer free WiFi and outlets built into the bar to accommodate laptops. There are also oversized chairs for those looking for a comfier place to meet and talk.
5) Jessee’s Coffee and Bar, 401 E. Main St., Carrboro, (919) 929- 0445, http://jesseescoffee.com/; hours 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast is served from open to close and this “coffeeaddicted” family-owned and -operated restaurant roasts its own coffee and espresso and also bags it up for you to take home with you. Their offerings include products from local sources such as Maple View Farm, Cliff’s Meat Market, Touch of Green and Sweet Jane. The breakfast menu includes express sandwiches as well as heartier fare, such as Brisket Biscuit, Texasstyle slow-cooked beef brisket with scrambled eggs and melted cheese on a buttermilk biscuit with BBQ sauce and house-made pickles, and the Open-face Biscuit featuring maple-roasted turkey with scrambled eggs, tomato and melted cheese on a buttermilk biscuit. Jessee’s offers free WiFi and serves as the site of business meetings every day, according to owner Chyenna Jessee.
