Fast Food Restaurants – Are They Good for Business Meetings?
Fast food restaurants can be a great place for your team to bond, but are they good for business meetings? The casual atmosphere, informal approach, and “meal” setting can make your team feel relaxed and open to new ideas, but will they be able to focus, or will distractions keep them from paying attention? Join me on a journey to unusual meeting ideas.
Planning a business meeting is usually easy. You have your team, your schedule and your goals in hand when your staff joins another company upgrade, but what about those who work in the field? Or what if you want to shake up your team a bit to help them think outside the box? Are fast food restaurants a good place to hold your business meeting instead of the main office?
Obviously, fast food restaurants exist for a reason: to serve fast food so that hunger is quickly satiated. The kitchen is not too refined and the price is quite cheap. Table service is not always an option and the setting reflects a universal company theme. The atmosphere is relaxed but not too cold and they don’t want you to stay too long. There is usually canned music of questionable quality and often a family atmosphere. For a fast food franchise owner, faster turnover equals faster profits.
So are fast food restaurants good for business meetings?
1) If you are in a conventional business and planning to push some boundaries or unload new concepts on your staff, a fast food restaurant could be an advantage for you. You can eliminate the ‘traditional’ business meeting mode and help your staff participate in the meeting with a proper icebreaker.
Here are some tips to help with business meeting productivity:
* Choose a location away from the competitors! You don’t want to give them a bird’s-eye view of your plans.
* Choose the quietest period. E.g. Wait until the kids are in school and the moms in the shops!
* Notify the manager in advance if your team is large. Make sure there are vegetarian options on offer.
* Find the furthest place from evil music!
* Use the franchise model and environment to make comparisons with your new concepts.
* Thank the manager for the use of the facilities, especially if you want to return.
* Enjoy the event! Be sure to bring all the necessary equipment (agenda, pens, paper, etc.) so the meeting can start on time and end on time.
2) If you are a home business owner or MLM affiliate and time is of the essence, fast food restaurants are an ideal place to host a quick, casual business meeting to catch up with your team. Choose a location that is easily accessible by your team and local schools to facilitate a quick getaway. Make sure you’ve collected all the new products and information so conversations can start quickly and end immediately. Enjoy the event!
Business meetings are an unavoidable part of business life, but who said they have to be dull and boring? The trick is to find different places to turn them into nice events! To achieve this, increase your skill base to leave the ‘boring’ behind. Learn new methods and strategies that will take your business out of the daily league and even help you achieve multiple streams of income. That way, you won’t be dependent on a single business idea. I hope “Fast Food Restaurants: Are They Good for Business Meetings?” be useful.