Power Lunches

Dining-room one-upmanship

The scenario is almost invariably the same. A young, go-getting executive invites an important client to a business lunch, but everything goes wrong. The maitre d' seats them at a table next to the kitchen. Then the executive orders what he thinks is healthful yet trendy fare: Lillet before the meal, followed by fruit salad, chicken `a la king, and date-nut bread for dessert. But the executive's entree costs him the client's respect, and worse, the deal. Reason: his food and drink give the wrong impression.

Help is on the way in the form of a new book, Power Lunching: How You Can Profit from More Effective Business Lunch Strategy. Written by E. Melvin Pinsel, 57, and Ligita Dienhart, 39, the book purports to instruct readers on effective business-dining strategy. In the spirit of "you are what you order," the authors divide food into two categories: power and wimp. The executive who wants to seal the deal should stick to power foods. These include London broil, bourbon and Brie cheese. Such foods are easy to eat and macho (the book applies the term to both men and women). Above all, the person who wishes to dine for success should avoid dishes that the authors label as wimpy: chicken, quiche and casseroles. They can guarantee a mailroom job and brown bags for life. A power luncher is encouraged to eat things uncooked. Raw oysters, raw meat and raw onions evoke a suitable image. Food size is equally important: "Steak is macho, and the bigger the steak, the more macho it becomes." Emulation is the ultimate in oneupmanship, since it creates a common bond with a lunch companion. "It's a very high power play to order the same thing as your guest in food or drink," write the authors.

Power Lunching began, naturally, with a conversation after lunch at The 95th restaurant in Chicago. Dienhart, head of her own public relations firm, asked Pinsel, a sales executive for Century Broadcasting, a radio-station chain, about the tricks of business lunches. Last August the pair approached Ray Strobel, president of Turnbull & Willoughby, a Chicago publisher, with a book proposal. Strobel was cool to the concept until Pinsel mentioned the words power lunch.

The book was released in early February and has already gone through three printings totaling 40,000 copies. The authors have promoted their book with personal appearances in the Northeast and the Midwest. Next on their agenda is a tour of the West Coast. In the midst of their schedule last week they took time out to power-lunch at one of their favorite restaurants, Chicago's Chez Paul. The menu consisted of sirloin steak rare, breast of duck rare, sliced tomato and raw onion with Roquefort dressing.