Who Is Picking Up The Tab? 10 Ways To Save Money On Your Next Business Trip

Business travelers looking to save money on travel can save on dining without sacrificing quality. Tim Zagat, the founder and publisher of Zagat Survey, shares with discerning diners his money-saving dining tips.

See Who Is Picking Up the Tab? 10 Tips to Save Money on Your Next Business Trip Slideshow

From picking the right venue to what to order, Zagat offers insight into how to save big while on the road.

Zagat recently released its annual America's Top Restaurants survey. This year's survey covered 1,578 of the U.S.'s top restaurants in 45 markets and was voted on by more than 156,000 diners who dined out an estimated 25 million times in the past year, or roughly 3.1 times per week.

The average price of a meal in the U.S. is $35.65, which includes a soft drink, tax, and tip, according to the annual survey. The most expensive city for dining is Las Vegas, at $47.53 per meal, and New Orleans, at $28.36 per meal. These tabs pale in comparison to the average price in London, which is $69.25, and Tokyo, which is $113.09, when factoring in exchange rates from September 2011.

"The purpose of a business lunch is presumably to make a deal," said Zagat. "You should be thinking not of the price of the meal but the value of the deal."

Lauren Mack is the Travel Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @lmack.