Four Fabulous Catering Tips To Make Your Corporate Event Shine
By Beth Bach, Director of Catering
A good catering partner will have the “chops” (pun intended) to help you be creative, yet mindful about executing a successful event. Here are four great tips to consider when choosing your catering company for your next special occasion.
- Seek Local, On Trend and Let It Be Instagrammable
People are still trending towards local and very fresh cuisine. In general, with food shows and reality TV focusing on chefs, bakers and everything in-between, people are generally more experienced in food trends. They are looking for catering companies to bring them a creative mash-up of cuisine a-la David Chang of his Momofuku fame. Of course, making anything “Instagramable” is huge! So think big abundant stations and fun vessels for your dishes, plus anything out-of-the-ordinary that encompasses your preferences or likes.
- What to Look for in a Caterer For a Corporate Event
When interviewing catering companies, I recommend that you find out their level of experience, and gauge their responsiveness and professionalism on the phone and via email. If it takes a week to get a quote, something is wrong. It is nice to ask what other companies they work with to know if they have clientele similar to yours.
Also, see if their representative is willing to be creative with your menu. Your employees and guests are important, so communicate to your catering company that you want to stand out. Are you competing with warehouses around USA Parkway for employee retention? Have an afternoon hot chocolate bar set up for your team just because. Have a big sales pitch and know your client loves to travel to Mexico? Maybe because they Instagram their favorite dishes from there? Let your caterer know. We love to have fun facts about the clients you are trying to impress to help you sell!
- Should You Ask for References Before You Choose Your Caterer?
It is definitely worth asking. We are always happy to share references. Typically we share Yelp! reviews or emails from other clients. We rarely have people ask to talk to our old clients directly.
- How Important Is It to Have An Alternative for Those With Dietary Restrictions?
We get a lot of requests to work with dietary restrictions. It’s just the norm these days. Keep in mind; it is easy to plan your menu gluten-free, and a good way to go for most guests. If you have gluten in your passed appetizers, it’s no big deal. Keeping the entrée gluten-free really helps make the menu and event go smoothly. We find most guests understanding if other guests have allergies. It is fun to incorporate “build your own” stations for work events. We can implement build your own buddha bowls, build your own salad bars, taco bars, etc. These all help work around allergy restrictions with a dash of creativity!
Need a little help with your corporate event? Give Roundabout Catering & Party Rentals a call at 775-747-2090. From creating your event’s signature cocktail to table and linen rentals, we’ve got you covered. Located in Sparks, Nev., Roundabout Catering & Party Rentals serves Reno, Tahoe and surrounding areas.