Decrease the Stress, Increase the Praise in Office Catering

Being in charge of catering for an office event can be stressful, even when you’re ordering everything from Whole Foods. There are just too many things that can go wrong, from ordering the wrong types of food to getting your orders later than agreed. Fortunately, we have several tips that will decrease your stress and increase the praise you receive for your catering savvy!

Consider the Event Type

The type of event including its duration, agenda, and participants before deciding on the type of food to be ordered, especially in terms of its temperature when served. When food is the event’s focus, such as team celebration, your best bet is hot food since it will rejuvenate the body and mind. Make-your-own sandwiches and soups are great suggestions.

When food has a more practical function, such as a working lunch, then cold food items are better choices. You can add Asian noodle salads and French baguettes to the menu. You are assured that these will still look and taste delicious even when cold.  

Change Things Up

Many people just go for the tried-and-tested options without acknowledging that safe can mean bland, especially when it comes to the menu. Instead, you should change the menu from the usual food and drinks offered during office get-togethers, whether it’s a monthly employee meeting or a special client presentation.

For example, instead of the usual sandwich platter, you can offer flavorful and filling hot food served in a buffet style. You may aso have finger food platters for working lunches and build-your-own taco bar for entertaining clients.

Know the Portions

When you already have your list of participants for the office event, you can then decide the portions of food for each individual. You should first consider whether you want to:

• Provide food to the people but fall short of feeding them a square meal; or
• Satisfy the people with food but nothing overboard; or
• Feed the people with square meals and satisfying desserts

Afterwards, you can determine your budget, which can range from a few hundred dollars for an entire department for its finger food to a few thousand dollars for an annual corporate event. Your choice can also be influenced by the gender of the guests – men, as a rule of thumb, eat more than women – as well as the venue and duration of the event.  

The best way to ensure smooth catering arrangements for your office event: Always plan ahead!  In general, you should allow 5-7 days for a cocktail event, 2 days for an evening event with platters, and 1 day for breakfast or lunch events. Just to be sure, you should coordinate with your caterer about timelines.