Successful Entertaining in Portugal

Successful Entertaining in Portugal

Business entertaining forms an essential part of business development activities in Portugal.

It is considered very normal to invite business contacts for either lunch or dinner — although breakfast meetings are far less common. Lunch usually starts at about 1pm and will last for at least two hours whilst dinner will commence at some time between 8pm and 9:30 and can last for up to three hours.

Mealtimes are used for cementing relationship ties rather than discussing business details – so be wary of starting to talk business unless the topic is raised by your Portuguese counterpart. You should use this time to get to know your Portuguese guests or hosts more fully as people. Family, holidays, sports, your impressions of Portugal etc. will often be discussed on these occasions.

Wine is very often drunk during business meals — although it is becoming somewhat less common at lunchtime.

Service charges are often not included on the bill (except in good hotels) and you should therefore leave a tip. A 5% tip would be normal; 10% is generous.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Portugal only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.