Executive Chef

Can mean you are in serious contention for the job. When I worked for a professional group, ALL our interviews were at dinner, with all practice members present. The idea is to see how you integrate with all partners/division heads and to see if you can be an asset out of the office. Plus all the caveats above. Good luck.

Good general advice above and yes be cautious just in case this is a disingenuous request but don't be alarmed, interviews over lunch (or breakfast, coffee, dinner) are very commonplace in the professional world and usually come from one of two sources... more common with recruiters / head hunters but also if a second interview then usually a pretty strong sign and as noted above can be a mix of reasons from seeing how you interact with other people (e.g. servers) and/or how you handle a business conversation in a non-business setting and/or how you manage to maintain focus in a more distracted setting and of course can be as simple as an effiecient way to cram more hours into a busy schedule. But usually a second interview won't include the time and expense of a meal unless there is a good level of serious interest. Don't let your guard down on the inappropriate concern especially if you have any doubts about the individual concerned but also do not be paranoid about the lunch meeting, these truly are a very common and very legitimate means of getting to know a person better before extending an offer. Good luck!

Could be he was just crazy busy and decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. All comments on here are great. But yeah...if it starts to smell creepy (as in he's getting too personal/innapropriate)...I'd just leave.

I find it odd that your second interview would be over lunch? My first thought would be the person has personal interest in you and not the job. I would dress down, but professional and conduct yourself as a lady, if the conversation takes a turn to a more personable interest interview, excuse yourself and get out. Keep searching. Working for any person with lack of business code and integrity will eventually become a disaster.

There are a number of potential reasons as the other comments have noted. One that I have personally encountered is seeing how you interact with the wait staff, especially if you are interviewing for a supervisory or potential to be supervisory position. Be polite and professional to everyone you encounter and you'll maximize your image.

They probably want to see how you handle yourself in social situations. I think you should be okay just keep it professional.

Hi Debra, a lunch interview is a good thing! It's a chance for you and a potential employer to have a more casual conversation about the job, which is definitely a sign that you're moving in the right direction. Treat it like any other interview - dress appropriately, be positive, and come armed with plenty of questions, so it's not a one-sided conversation. Order foods that are easy to eat, so you can easily maintain a conversation.