Welcome to Professional Lunch

Are you thinking about lunch? Maybe you should be.

There’s a strong nexus between hospitality and work. We can achieve more over a meal or coffee than we could after hours around a conference table.

Yet proper lunch seems to be drifting towards extinction. For many of us, we’re lucky to get 20 minutes to grab something from Pret and eat it at our desk. Going out for lunch has become a Tolkein-esque fantasy.

Recently, I promised to rage, rage against the dying of the lunch.

So, after lots of lunches and dinners and breakfasts and coffees, I started my crusade to restore lunch by compiling some of my favourites into a list for anyone looking for a bit of inspiration for their own work- or business-related moment of fellowship. The resulting quick reference guide now lives here, and I’ll be updating it regularly.

This Substack is the next step.

What You’ll Find Here

I’m going to publish regularly with at least one review of a place that I recommend for a great professional lunch or other meal. I’ll try to cover a range of price points, styles, and occasions.

I am also planning to compile a summary of that week’s relevant reviews from the UK’s best critics.

From time to time, I’m also planning to write-up a conversation, over lunch, with someone interesting. We’ll see how that goes.

I live and work in London, so my focus will naturally be there, but I intend to include some favourites elsewhere around the world, and possibly do profiles of my favourite cities.

A note about price guidelines

All of the reviews and capsules include an indication of price. Here’s the key:

• £ = <£20 per person

• ££ = £20-35 per person

• £££ = £30-50 per person

• ££££ = >£50 person

Andy Hayler runs the best restaurant review website around, and he’s very careful to document price levels with specificity. I’ver decided that I don’t really want to do that because (a) I’ll just forget and (b) I think the shorthand is more useful.

Where we go from here

Over time, if there’s interest, I might also expand into some of my favourite places for a cocktail or a glass of wine. We’ll see.

All of this is in service of a simple principle:

Eating and drinking together should be more, not less, common

I do have hope about the future of lunch: Post-COVID, if we’re going to come to the office, we will do so because we want to spend time with colleagues and friends. And what better way to spend time together than gathered around some fantastic food and drink? And even if your company, like most, is being more cost-conscious these days, the crucial point is to find ways to spend time together, regardless of price point.

I’ve been lucky that my working life in London has, so far, given the latitude to practice (in appropriate moderation, I hope) what I preach. I love restaurants, eating out, exploring a new menu, discovering a great wine list, and enjoying the comfort and fellowship of a meal with friends and colleagues.

With that in mind, I hope you’ll join my campaign to come to the office, then leave it for your favourite local spot. Enjoy the time together. You’ll never regret it.

As for me, I'm going to lunch...

A Note About My Tastes

I appreciate that not everyone loves classic food and a great wine list quite as much as I do. Because I was thinking of meals in a business context, they also veer towards expensive. Not everyone will prefer that vibe. It’s all good. Please contribute your favourites in the comment thread.

Second, I bias towards places with a local owner or chef and try to avoid chains. There are few small chains (like Dishoom) in the list, but they are London businesses rather than global brands.

Last thing: The choices also reflect where I’ve worked (mostly central as opposed to City) and live (southeast, so I spend lots of time near London Bridge). I wish I had more favourites in the west and north, but I don’t. Again, please do add your own in the comments.

About Me

I’ve basically been in client service for nearly 30 years. I’ve worked in communications and marketing since 2004 following a decade in U.S. politics. I’ve been a partner at Brunswick, UK CEO of Ogilvy PR, and EMEA of Digital for Edelman. Currently, I’m advising a range of companies, organisations, and individuals on communications. (I do work more than I eat, so if you need help with anything, please do get in touch.)

I’ve lived in London since 2008, and have come to love the dining scene here and across Europe. I’ve been lucky to have experienced some pretty extraordinary meals. Highlights have been Noma, Kadeau (also in Copenhagen), La Duca (in East London), the French Laundry, and others. My current favourite spot is Trivet near London Bridge and Bermondsey.

I’m also into wine, and have my WSET Level 3 Award in Wine. I’ve tasted in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, Napa, Sonoma, and others.