What do you do when you have to entertain a guest? What do you do when this guest may help your career by closing an important deal for your company?
There are endless possibilities of places to entertain in Milan if you're interested in impressing a client by bringing him/her to enjoy a wonderful meal, wine and atmosphere. "You don't want any surprises" says Eric Egan, interior designer, "when entertaining a client, you have to know exactly what to expect, you cannot risk trying any new places." Eric starts off by bringing clients to Corso Como 10 for apertivo, "...it always impresses" later he may take them to Le Lange or Ristorante Solferino for dinner.

Although it is important, there is more to consider when taking a client out rather that the look or feel of a place. The service has to be outstanding. Bad service can change the mood of the meeting. Just image your guest ordering something that arrives cold or a large, loud group of people are seated at the table next to you. The evening, (or afternoon for lunch meetings) has to move along smoothly. Chuck Chewning, associate of Hirsch Bedner Associates agrees, " It's always good to go to a place where they know you, that way you can take care of the bill discreetly." Chuck likes to entertain clients at da Giacomo.
Getting a restaurant "to know you" is certainly worth the investment. You may have to go quite a few times, but if you can get on the good side of the maitre dì or hostess, you are more likely to be able to reserve the table you like and have it ready for you when you arrive.

Popular Vs. Traditional

It depends on the purpose of the meeting and with whom you are with. Fabio Petrone says, "I will often bring clients to Nobu (if they like Japanese) or sometimes it's nice to bring a client to a small informal place." If your main purpose is to talk business and have dependable service and to impress, many luxury hotels have stunning dinning rooms, for example the Ristorante Galleria in the Hotel Principe di Savoia. In the evenings it is overflowing with celebrities (especially during fashion week) and by day, offers an elegant setting for business lunches.
According to Giuseppe Rossetto," It all depends on who you are dealing with and how much they know!" He explains that there are two distinctions to be made about entertaining a client; the first distinction is if the client has never been to or knows little about Milan, "then you are practically forced to bring him/her to the more popular or noteworthy places." he says. More often than not, these places may not be your style or personal choice and are dictated by others. The second distinction is if the client knows Milan. "In this case, you can bring your client to a beautiful but non-fashionable place. In the winter, for example, to the Frantoi Celletti which is a very nice 'olive oil restaurant' near the station, or else to Matarel in corso Garibaldi where they specialize in Milanese dishes. The best fish in Milan is at Lodigiani found on the strada provinciale on the way to Binasco."

If you are looking to impress or if you are looking for a discreet setting to hold your business dinner, there is a whole city of possibilities, it may take some time and effort to get to know some of the finer places, but you can always use the excuse that you are "doing research" and don't forget, charge it to the corporate credit card!