It’s the kind of mistake that could end up costing your job: behaving “like a baller” on your boss’ dime.
Many companies host holiday parties to boost morale and thank employees for their hard work all year. But one Boston man discovered, to his chagrin, that “order whatever you want” doesn’t literally mean that.
By his own admission, Jay (@.jaydave) should’ve asked just one more question before ordering his meal. “I know you don’t wanna be that guy,” he says in a TikTok that’s gotten over 25 million hits.
A Delicious Learning Opportunity
Jay knows you don’t want to look like an idiot asking how much the “market price” for something at a restaurant is. But he says you should. He “learned the hard way” that it matters. He says, “The thing you don’t want to do is just f—— go for it, then see how much it cost after.”
He was at a work dinner, and his boss was being generous, telling everyone to order “whatever they wanted,” he explains. And Jay decided to “ball out, because it wasn’t coming out of his pocket,” he says. So when it was time to order, he went with the surf and turf. It was a 12-ounce steak and a “to order” amount of lobster—all at market price.
Given a choice between one, 1 and a half, or 2 pounds of lobster, he decided to splurge out. “F— it, 2 pounds of lobster sounds good to me,” he decides. At this point, he has no idea what 2 pounds of lobster looks like—or what it costs.
Market price means the current market value of the key ingredients in a dish. “It is a fluctuating price for a dish that changes according to the cost of its main components,” reports the point-of-sale systems site Clover.
The Bill Always Comes Due
When the check finally comes to the table, Jay recalls that his meal alone is about $175 to $200. He’s utterly mortified. “I felt so bad,” he says. Then admits he was just being greedy, “I could’ve ordered just the steak or just the lobster; I did not need both.”
Ultimately, though the higher-ups in the company weren’t pleased with the expense, his boss (and gracious host) took the heat. He reminded the C-suite that it was Christmas time and that everyone had been encouraged to indulge. Jay’s just reminding everyone that there’s no harm in a timely question about cost. Especially when it involves your job.
What Does Being A Good Guest Mean?
Etiquette coaches everywhere would be shaking their heads over this breach of manners and form. Because there’s an art to being a good guest: personal as well as professional. Besides arriving on time and keeping your elbows off the table, it might be helpful to think of a business dinner (even among colleagues) as a relaxed business meeting. That means making sure you have positive topics to talk about, following your host’s cues, and even having a little elevator pitch about yourself and interests at the ready.
Much of it depends on a given company’s or industry’s culture. There are surely rowdier industries and more conservative ones, too. But erring on the side of dignity and decorum never hurt anyone’s professional prospects.
Pounds And Pounds Of Food
The internet stays ready to do math. And though it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that Jay was served a whopping 32 ounces of protein, there’s a comment pointing that out.
“You got 12oz of filet mignon and 32oz lobster are you serious,” asked Jolyn (@justjolyn). Jay responded, “Yes. None went to waste at least!”
Others, like Betsy (@betsy_atx), did some more math, calculating, “$150 is nothing for the company. That’s like the equivalent of a $2000 year salary bump. And they get to write it off.”
Meanwhile, Spoon (@aiden.huynh7) says, “Don’t feel bad bro, I do this for my employees 2 to 3 times a year , you’re only greedy if u can’t finish it and take it home. If u can eat 4 lbs of lobsters is ok with me.”
As for what Ms. Post knows, “business is built on good relationships—and at the heart of all good relationships is good etiquette.”
‘Neither Of Us Faced Repercussions’
As for Jay and his manager, in an email to BroBible, he shared, “He did have a great attitude about it! And luckily, neither of us faced repercussions seeing as though it was an honest mistake.”
When asked if anyone at the table thought to discreetly counsel him against a pile of meat, he recalled, “At the time of ordering, no one really had anything to say. Everyone at the table (including me) had no clue what I had just done. Once we saw the bill, the jokes started flying in. Everyone was jokingly accusing me of bankrupting the company.”
So while yes, he does plan to attend this year’s holiday dinner, he says, “I am definitely going to order extremely lightly just to make up for my previous wrongdoings.” As for the $200 meal, he says, “It was worth the money, easily one of the best meals of my life.”
@.jaydave Lesson learned #market #price #restaurant