The Scoop on Double-Dipping

If you have been to a business social and want to look polished and socially secure, do you know what to do and say? Many people feel perfectly fine until hors d’oeuvres and beverages get in the way of introductions. How can you juggle plates or napkins with food, beverage glasses and still be ready to meet a new person? Or better yet, how do you negotiate the communal food in a business social setting?

Let’s be more specific, what do you think of double-dipping? The term double-dipping conjures up many thoughts. Double-dipping is used in accounting, economics, food service, government, securities, physical training and etiquette. This is one of those words that is great if you are playing the game Same word, different meaning.

In this case, I am referring to its use in business etiquette. Using the term the etiquette of double-dipping would simply be an oxymoron. Double-dipping is a term that has been around for a long time, but the Seinfeld episode where George Costanza double-dipped his chip in the dip bowl is one that is classic. Why is it so memorable? Because double-dipping is something that happens all the time. There is usually a sense of discomfort if you observe someone double-dipping and you are not a double-dipper, but for those who do double-dip, it generally is not even noticed. There are all sorts of questions concerning double-dipping. For instance, suppose you pick up a chip and dip one side, take a bite and then re-dip the chip, but on the unbitten side. Is that really double-dipping? Here is my definition:

Double-Dipping (v) 1. the act of successively dipping the previously dipped section of a chip or other dippable food item into a communal dip. 2. the act of successively dipping a chip or other dippable food item into a communal dip.

A purist would side with the second definition because once a food item is dipped once, the second dip is truly a double dip.

So what’s the big deal with double-dipping? It has to do with courtesy and etiquette. It is simply not polite to double-dip. I have seen hosts, hostesses and restaurants go to great lengths to hinder the double-dipper. Here are some of the countermeasures that I have observed - bite size vegetables, chicken/meat tidbits, individual servings of dip, or a serving spoon in the dip bowl to encourage spooning instead of dipping. It is amusing to see all this, especially when the bite sizes are so small that ones fingers go into the dip as well as the dipping item.

Back to the Seinfeld episode. George was called to task because of his social faux pas. In business however, the opposite is true. Your colleagues, subordinates, and clients will generally not correct you. If someone stops doing business with you because he or she doesn’t like your manners or habits, they will never tell you the reason. Simply put, poor business etiquette is a silent killer.

Business etiquette, protocol and social savvy are tools important for every businessperson. We spend so much time learning the details of our professions and perfecting our businesses because this is what initially attracts customers and employees.

The ability of a business to retain clients and employees is challenging, especially in our competitive global economy. When you integrate the skills of business etiquette and protocol, it differentiates you from your competition. Its impact increases customer satisfaction, loyalty and profitability.

Published July 2004

Greater West Chester Chamber of Commerce

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