Try this
- Check privacy, appetite and whether either person wants a break from conversation while eating.
- If the topic is welcome, keep it within the meal’s practical constraints. Move it elsewhere if the setting stops feeling comfortable.
A worked example
“Would you rather keep dinner light and talk afterward?”
An invented example to adapt, not a real exchange or a script you have to follow.
Before you leave it here
Consider who else can hear before discussing anything either person would prefer to keep private.