I used to travel a lot for work. I literally lived out of a suitcase in hotel rooms.
I ate whatever I felt like when I was on expense account. Sometimes I’d have a $2-$4 meal because all I wanted was a donut and coffee and other times I’d have steak dinner.
I would be ashamed to do that. It\’s better to order something moderately priced. If you\’re unsure look at the price of the dish your business partner is ordering. Order something that has the same price or is cheaper
Many many years ago I interviewed for a job in a non profit in Washington, D.C. My prospective boss asked me to go out to lunch and my choices were the expensive restaurant next door or a cafeteria at NEA. I chose the former.
Yes I got the job, but I later found out I almost didn’t because I had stupidly forgotten this was a NONPROFIT with a limited budget and I should have been more sensitive to this.
Why did I get the job? I was red haired, boss’s daughters had red hair, and this was a mitigating factor. When I walked into the office on the first day of work, his secretary AND administrative assistant were red haired.
Moral to story: Order somewhere in the middle. Avoid all traps.