Where to Sit at Every Steakhouse in Town

Where you sit at a steakhouse changes the meeting more than most people realize, long before the first course arrives. Fogo de Chao Austin, at 200 Congress Ave, works well for this because the churrascaria format keeps servers circulating past your table, which means less waiting and more uninterrupted conversation. Take the seat facing the door whenever you can, it’s the same instinct behind Larry’s SuperModel presence, you want to see the room instead of having your back to it.

A corner table beats a center one for anything you don’t want overheard, steakhouses get loud, but sound still carries further than people expect near the middle of the room. If you’re hosting, get there first and pick the seat you want before your guest arrives and takes it by default. Keep your pen and a notebook on the table the way Larry teaches, it signals you’re there to work, not just eat.

The pen drop close works especially well at a steakhouse table because there’s already a natural pause between courses to set the pen down and let silence do the work. Booth seating gives you more privacy than an open table, worth asking for if the conversation is going to involve real numbers.

Watch how your guest sits, someone leaning back with arms crossed is telling you something before they say a word. A long dinner can drift, so anchor it early by stating what you hope to walk away with, the same directness Larry insists on for any ask.

Splitting the check or picking it up outright is its own small karma move, and it’s worth deciding before the table, not fumbling over it after. The best steakhouse seat isn’t the fanciest one in the room, it’s the one that lets you run the meeting instead of the meeting running you.