Corporate events such as recreation days, company retreats, or company galas may require food and beverages to be provided to attendees. Fortunately, there are several benefits to corporate event catering, such as the ability to customize a catering menu.
Will a Catering Service Customize Menus for a Corporate Event?
An excellent catering company will always customize the menu for your event to meet your budget, theme, and preferences. Whether you want to replace a side dish, substitute an ingredient, or alter the meal presentation, a catering company will work with you to customize each aspect of your menu. In fact, the majority of your communication with a catering company will revolve around how the caterer can cater to all of your food and beverage needs.
This is true for all catering companies, even companies that specialize in one type of cuisine. At Patagonia On Fire, we specialize in South American food, but our services also include dishes from other cultures, including American food. When you contact us to arrange for catering for your event, we will walk you through all of your menu customization options.
Why Might You Need to Customize a Menu for a Corporate Event?
There are a few reasons why you may want to customize a menu for your corporate event. For one thing, a customized menu can ensure a large number of guests have plenty of food and beverage options. Other benefits include:
Accommodating Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
A customized menu allows you to have dishes that meet the food allergy and dietary restrictions of your employees. You can create a menu that accommodates vegetarians, vegans, and people who have nut, lactose, and gluten allergies. Customizing the menu for food allergies and dietary restrictions ensures the corporate event is safe and enjoyable for all guests.
Offering Easier Food and Beverage Decisions
A customized menu can also make it easier for guests to make food and beverage decisions. When a menu is customized for an event, you can set a selection of main dishes, side dishes, and desserts so that guests can order their desired meals more quickly.
For guests, making faster food and beverage decisions can reduce stress and can also help guests stay informed about what they are consuming. People who have allergies may especially appreciate a customized menu with a list of ingredients.
Setting the Theme and Tone of the Event
When you customize the menu for a corporate event, you can also be more thoughtful about setting the theme and tone of the event. A customized menu can be built around the event theme, such as having BBQ for a tropical-themed event or having high-end dishes for serious black-tie affairs. Selecting an appropriate menu for your event can ensure the theme and food are cohesive.
As for the tone of your event, some dishes lend themselves better to mingling, while others are better suited to sit-down eating. If you intend for the tone of your corporate event to be relaxed and friendly, customizing your menu with easy-to-eat finger foods is ideal, while formal events are usually best paired with dishes that can only be consumed at a table.
What Are the Benefits of Corporate Event Catering?
Aside from the ability to easily customize the menu for your event, there are several notable benefits to hiring a catering service for your corporate event. Corporate event catering is an essential part of simplifying the logistics of your event, especially if you intend to host several hundred people at your event or if your event will span several hours.
Reduce Cost
Arranging catering for a corporate event is a cost-effective way to serve all event guests. When you hire a caterer, you will set a budget for all the food and beverages you will need per person. Because catering companies can source bulk ingredients, this is a much more cost-effective way to serve food at an event than buying and preparing ingredients yourself.
Furthermore, if you need to customize a menu for dietary restrictions or food allergies, planning the budget allows you to set aside funds for these specialized dishes. Ultimately, this means that you will not go over your food and beverage budget, even if you have to meet the dietary restrictions for a large number of people.
Save Time
Hiring a catering company for your corporate event can also save you time. Instead of setting up the serving instruments and cooking the event food yourself, you can rely on the catering company to do the heavy lifting while you focus on other logistics. Saving time may be especially important if your corporate event will involve presentations, games, or guest speakers.
Furthermore, regular catering for corporate events can also help with employee time management. All too often, business lunches outside the office run late and prevent employees from returning to work. However, when catering is provided to employees at the office, employees can benefit from a healthy meal and the productivity of the business will not diminish.
Boost Morale
Corporate catering can boost the morale of employees and guests. Even if you are hosting a casual event, such as an office lunch, catering this event with a customized menu can improve an employee’s impression of the workplace. When the overall morale of a company improves, employees tend to be happier and get more work done. Boosting morale with corporate catering essentially makes for a more fulfilled and productive workforce.
Reinforce Company Culture
You can also use corporate catering to reinforce the culture of your company. If your company culture focuses on community and collaboration, then corporate events can bring employees closer together. Bonding over food is an important social interaction that can significantly improve employee relationships and even make employees feel more comfortable interacting with management.
Incentivize Employees
Catering corporate events can also incentivize employees. Some companies may choose to host an office lunch or after-work celebration at the end of a tough project, around the holidays, or at the end of each quarter. When employees have something to look forward to, they may be motivated to work more quickly, think more creatively, or have better overall job performance. Additionally, catered meals at the office can attract new employees and retain the best employees.
What Types of Corporate Events Can Be Catered?
In general, you can cater almost any corporate event, including events after work hours and during work hours. It’s common for companies to hire caterers for office parties, conferences, expos, important corporate meetings, and other types of business gatherings. Companies that host recreational activities for employees and their families also frequently hire caterers. Your corporate event catering can include buffets, pre-prepared meal portions, or finger foods to encourage networking.
Whether you want to regularly cater office lunches for employees or you are planning a large-scale corporate event, you can customize your food and beverage menu when you hire a catering company. Customizing your menu is a good way to meet the dietary restrictions of your guests, and can also save you time and money. If you’re interested in using a catering service for your next corporate event, get in touch with Patagonia On Fire today.
