HobNobs: third favourite.

Research by Holiday Inn, reveals that the quality and type of biscuit presented in a meeting can make or break a deal. (We don’t normally approve of spurious surveys as a means of getting an editorial mention, but we quite liked this one – Ed.) 

First impressions

58% of those surveyed said the biscuits served in a meeting can ‘positively influence a company’s first impressions’, with a massive 80% stating that biscuits improve the quality and outcome of a meeting.

Those in the legal profession are most likely to be influenced by a good-quality biscuit (67%), followed by sales, media or marketing professionals (65%). And 59% of public sector workers agreed that biscuits can have a ‘favourable influence’ during a meeting.

In what is considered the first ever ‘Business Biscuit Study’ (let’s not make it an annual event, please! – Ed), Holiday Inn surveyed over 1,000 businesspeople across the UK.

Overall, nearly half (47%) of those quizzed thought that it was very important to serve biscuits during a meeting, with almost two-thirds (64%) confessing that the quality of biscuits on offer was a matter of note or discussion. Surprisingly, biscuits were also deemed the second most important aspect of the boardroom behind only tables and chairs and were prioritised over lighting, technology and artwork.

According to the data, biscuits – or the absence of them – can help highlight the meeting agenda particularly when breaking bad news. 42% of professionals indicated that they would not serve biscuits if they were about to fire an employee. (I notice Sir Alan doesn’t hand round biscuits – Ed.)

Biscuit league table

That said, the chocolate digestive was singled out by 18% of professionals as the top biscuit used to soften the blow when delivering bad news. Indeed, chocolate digestives proved the leading contender throughout the research and topped the list of the boardroom’s ‘most wanted’ ahead of shortbread (second), oat biscuits like HobNobs (third), Jammy Dodgers (fourth), with Bourbons completing the top five.

Jammy Dodger: off limits when presenting.

Business biscuit etiquette shows that 50% of business professionals would take a maximum of two biscuits during a meeting, with three being the magic number for 18%. A single biscuit was the limit for 10%.

Etiquette has the business world almost equally divided on the subject of dunking: 48% insisted they would dunk, against 52% who said they would not. Men (55%) are rather more likely to dunk than women (45%).

Too crumbly

However, the research also showed in certain circumstances biscuits are totally off limits. Almost half (49%) of businessmen and women would decline a biscuit when presenting, with 28.2% revealing they would refuse the biscuits if they looked too crumbly.

Nearly a quarter (24%) would wait until someone more senior than them had one before joining in. Just 9% of women and 17% of men would take a biscuit whatever the circumstance.

IHG’s vice president marketing & communications, EMEA, Chris Hale said: ‘With Holiday Inn customers munching their way through a whopping total of 3.1 million biscuits annually, key players in the business world are clearly being influenced by the quality of boardroom biscuits. The results show a good-quality biscuit can have a weighty impact on business proceedings, while biscuit etiquette is high on the agenda.’

About the research: the survey was commissioned by Holiday Inn and conducted by Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net, 13-21 May amongst a nationally representative sample of 1271 members British working population ages 16+.

My Question / Comment Is...