Sushi Bar Savvy – Keep your business private at the bar
By Mike Skurko
On a recent business trip I was having lunch alone at Karuma-zushi in New York on 47th. This is quite possibly one of the best sushi bars. Not just in Manhattan. Globally. It is as good as it gets and, yes, compares to anything I’ve had in Japan. It’s painfully expensive and a perfect place for a power lunch. This is not a ‘first date’ lunch spot unless you are Donald Trump. The bill for my ‘chef’s choice’ (o-makase) sashimi lunch with a single (small) beer was $380 (before any gratuity). It is sashimi of the gods. This is where you take someone who you do the big deals with. Regularly…
As I was enjoying my solo meal and chatting with Uezu-san I couldn’t help bust notice some business was going down at the sushi bar and it showed a serious lack of savvy. I had a five thousand dollar custom suit to my left and sitting next to him a more casual gray haired guy. It became *quite* clear that the ‘suit’ was from one of the larger investment banks and the casual guy was his client. Ah, private banking and a high end meal to cement the ongoing relationship. Still, having spent the past four years in the IT/Security space I sat there and watched one of the larger power lunch blunders I could imagine. Private banking is about trust and privacy. No one needs to know your financial business. So? You really should not be having this type of meeting at the sushi bar. Especially if you can’t keep your voice down. Nope. There are private dining rooms at Kuruma-zushi. Use them if you are there to delve into private matters. Not all power lunch meals involve trade secretes or issues of national security. However, if you are a banker with a client you should never, ever sit at the sushi bar and discuss the specifics of your client’s portfolio. It’s really dumb. So, as I sat there eating another buttery slab of hamachi I couldn’t help but tune in. The banker was talking about moving a seven figure amount from one fund to the next. He was talking about the total projected value of this man’s portfolio. He ran a few numbers with a calculator. (note: never use a cell phone, calculator or laptop at a sushi bar. Ever. It’s very bad form) I couldn’t believe this. As I glanced to my tea cup there was the printed portfolio placed next to my elbow. On the counter! I could read the client’s name, phone and account number. Oh, this is really stupid. I was almost tempted to interrupt, but instead re-engaged in chatting with Uezu-san, and happily tucking into another beautifully marbled pink wedge of 0-toro with freshly ground, light green wasabi.
So, here’s the sushi lesson of the day. Be aware of your surroundings. Your business is your business. Keep your voice at an appropriate level and never put confidential business documents on the sushi bar or any other place where they can be seen. You can discuss business at the bar, but run numbers back at your office. Doing business at the sushi bar is fully appropriate, but delving into the specifics of a stock portfolio at the bar is certainly rude to the sushi master and also a serious breech of business privacy.
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