Can you imagine a holiday party without food? Neither can we! It is important that you have your food and drink situation nailed down if you don’t want your guests sulking their way through the party.
We admit that organizing catering when you have a variety of food preferences and tastes is no small feat. You have to ensure that there are options for vegan and vegetarian food as well as any religious preferences your guests might have. Will your party be sit-down banquet style or will you have a buffett platter? How many courses of meals do you need? Are you serving alcohol at the party? (what kind of part is it if you are not?!) Have you arranged for the food to be delivered to the venue on time considering rush-hour traffic and parking options? Do you need servers and clean up staff or will the venue manage this? And don’t forget to check for possible food allergies! A medical emergency is the last thing you want to be worrying about at the event.
If this all seems overwhelming, it is because you plan to manage it on your own. Depending on a reliable corporate catering services provider in your city can take a huge amount of stress off your shoulders. Here we list the 6 things you need to consider to ensure that you remain the holiday party superhero. You can thank us later.
The Planning Phase
There are several decisions you need to finalize before you jump into the execution phase. Having all your ducks in order at this stage means you can focus on the execution. First you need to decide on the cuisine, variety, and quantity of food you need to order. There is no harm in ordering a little extra so that you don’t run out. You can always give away any leftovers to charities. Just give them a call and they will come and collect the food.
If it is a formal event or one with a stage, you will need to organise a banquet with sit-down meals. The caterers can arrange for servers and clean up staff. But they will require advance notice and access to the venue loading bay to set-up their equipment and the food in the kitchen. If you want appetizers, the caterers can organize a presentation table where guests can mingle.
If it is slightly informal, you can opt for a buffet. While you have slightly less control over the quantities of food, the guests are free to pick the food they like and will enjoy the opportunity to talk to others at the counter. Buffet catering also tends to be less expensive than sit-down meals. Any affordable catering provider in the city will assist you with the set-up of the buffet.
Food Preferences
Nothing derails a party more than the non-availability of food options for the guests. A good host will invite the guests to register their food preferences well in advance. Always opt for the most common food items. A good rule of thumb is if your grandmother can pronounce the name of the food item, don’t order it. And stick to one cuisine. No one likes to have Chicken Vindaloo after polishing off a plate full of Chow Mein.
Quantity of the Food
Count the number of guests, then add 20%. Repeat after me – It Is Always Better To Have More! A lot of factors can affect the quantity of foo you will require. Are there drinks? If it is a casual atmosphere some guests might be inclined to pass a joint. In which case you will have to deal with a serious case of the munchies. Although I pity the group who chooses to smoke pot at a company event. But hey, to each his own.
Going for a Theme
This one is a no-brainer. You wouldn’t order a turkey dinner for a Halloween party now would you? Most parties will be centered around an occasion and this will dictate the theme of your party. If it is a birthday, anniversary, joining or leavin party you will have some leeway in deciding the theme of the party. It would be a good idea to discuss the interests of the main guest or someone you are honoring at the event. This will give you some ideas for the theme. Once you have the theme it narrows down the food options to a more manageable number.
Add a Wow Factor
Most corporate parties are quite mundane and the only source of humor are the boss jokes (and we are being generous in the definition of humor here). Watch your budget but take some risk with entertainment – your guests will thank you for this.