[BU Today] From Napkins to Coat Check: Dining Etiquette for First-Gen Students

By Alene Bouranova

BU lecturer Lisa Flores’ Art of Modern Business dinners covers from how to hold utensils to where to place your napkin and how to stir your coffee

BU lecturer and food-and-beverage marketing professional Lisa Flores (CGS’00, Questrom’02) (standing, back left) shares etiquette tips with first-generation students at a 2024 business dinner at the Center for Computing & Data Sciences. Photos courtesy of Lisa Flores

Lisa Flores, director of sales and marketing at Columbus Hospitality Group and adjunct professor at BU’s School of Hospitality Administration, brings firsthand experience and insight to BU’s business etiquette dinners for first-generation students. As a former first-gen student herself, Flores leads these events with empathy and practicality, helping students feel confident and prepared for professional dining scenarios.

In “From Napkins to Coat Check,” BU Today highlights how Flores’ Art of Modern Business dinners demystify the unspoken rules of formal events—from how to handle silverware to navigating coat check—so students can focus on making meaningful connections without second-guessing themselves.

Link to article

  • Date: May 8, 2025
  • News source: BU Today

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