I had a sit-down with Benjamin Haugh—not at lunch, but at his office—and asked him to talk to me about one thing: meetings. Specifically, how he connects with people in business for the first time.
Now, I’ll admit—I’m a foodie. My idea of a good meeting often includes a menu and a great plate of something I’ll probably write home about. In fact, I’ve caught myself halfway through business lunches talking more about the sauce than the services. But what Benjamin shared with me was something I didn’t expect: a refreshingly real, straightforward take on business meetings that has nothing to do with appetizers and everything to do with honesty.
It changed my view—and it might change yours.
Benjamin told me he used to do lunch meetings all the time. That was the standard—grab a bite, talk business, build relationships. But over time, he realized those meetings were doing more harm than good. They were loud, unpredictable, and full of unnecessary distractions. “You’re there to talk business, but suddenly you’re juggling a menu, the noise, the awkward pauses, and trying to figure out who’s picking up the check,” he said.
For someone like Ben, who lives with dyslexia, even reading the menu and staying focused through the interruptions made the process frustrating. “I’m trying to give someone my attention,” he said, “but I’m also trying to not order something ridiculous or overpriced. It’s a weird kind of pressure, and it pulls focus away from what really matters.”
Add in the dietary restrictions, cost considerations, and the uncomfortable etiquette of public dining, and you’ve got a formula for a meeting that rarely stays on track.
There’s another layer to this. When you’re sitting in a restaurant, it’s easy to feel like you have to present yourself and your business in a certain way. Benjamin said he often felt that people weren’t able to be fully honest in those settings—especially if they were struggling or still building. “It’s easy to talk big at a table. But if someone’s in a rough season, or just getting. started, that lunch meeting can feel like a performance,” he told me. “And if they’re trying to cover something up, you’ll feel it.”
Being vulnerable about where your business is at—whether it’s growing or rebuilding—is tough when you’re worried about how you come across. But for Ben, honesty always wins. And lunch meetings rarely created the space for that kind of honesty.
So he made a shift. No more first meetings over lunch. Instead, he invites people to meet him at his office.
And honestly? It makes perfect sense.
“When someone walks into our space, they know right away what we’re about,” he said. “They see how we operate. They meet the staff. They see how we treat people. That’s worth more than anything I could say over a meal.”
Bringing someone into your physical business removes the guesswork. There’s no need to pitch or sell or put on a polished front. The reality of the business speaks for itself—through the people, the systems, the energy in the room. When someone walks through the shop, sees the General Manager coordinating jobs, phones ringing, jobs in progress—it tells a story you don’t have to narrate.
This approach also sets the tone. You’re not trying to impress someone with the perfect location or fancy meal. You’re saying, “This is who we are. Take a look.” That kind of transparency builds trust. And if the other party respects that and wants to move forward, now you’re dealing with someone who’s not just impressed—they’re aligned.
“If someone sees your shop and sees your team in action, they know the truth of your business. You don’t have to explain it. You don’t have to oversell it,” Ben said. “And if they’re still in, now you’ve got a real shot at doing something together.”
If that first visit goes well, Benjamin says the next step might be a more relaxed meeting—coffee or even lunch. But by then, the tone is completely different. It’s no longer about convincing someone you’re legitimate. That part is already clear. Now you’re just building the relationship further.
“When we sit down for lunch after that, it’s not a pitch—it’s more like a friendship,” he said
Talking with Benjamin made me realize how much we lean on tradition—lunch meetings, networking events, small talk over salad. But real business happens when people show up as they are, in the place where they do their work, and invite someone to take a look.
So if you’re someone who stresses about what to order, how to talk through the clatter of a crowded café, or how to manage the pressure of first impressions—maybe it’s time to rethink it.
“Come to my shop,” Benjamin says. “See how we work. That’ll tell you more than I ever could.”
And you know what? He’s right.
Stay Strong, Stay Focused and Stay in Business. -Benjamin Haugh
