4 Tips for Choosing a Caterer for your Office Event

From September 20th, Irish workplaces will reopen after a strange time of online meetings and social distancing. Some of you will be meeting new colleagues for the first time face-to-face. Some of you will be organising the first office event since 2019! This is your chance to show what you can do. Follow our guide and you will be the talk of the office.

 

Find a Caterer that suits your needs

“If you don’t know what you want, you will probably never get it.” – Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.

The most successful office events, whether you are a global giant or a local start-up, have a clear vision. It is noticeable in everything from decor to diet. That approach will mark you out as someone who can take a project from concept to completion.

Most event caterers specialise in a certain type of catering. Some do very formal black-tie events with silver service waiters in attendance. Perfect for award ceremonies or celebrations. In Crêpe Wagon we love casual events where the atmosphere is fun and relaxing. So we are more suited to breakfast brunches, lunches or picnics.

Your job is to decide on what type of event it is going to be and then visit websites. You will soon see the caterers that are suitable for your style of event.

Can they handle your event?

“When making experiences, attention to detail matters.” – Richard Branson

Knowing what you want is a great start but knowing what you need is better. Details are the difference between a stressful event and one that is plain sailing. Your job is to keep an eye on the bottom line. While your colleagues might only remember the experience, your supervisor will be watching the sums.

To make sure you hire a company that can handle your event you need a budget, even if it is provisional. Have a number for how many people will be attending. Ascertain if it will be indoors or outdoors. Will you need food cooked on site or prepared in advance? Do you need furniture? This information will allow you to narrow your search. Now is also a good time to check reviews from previous clients to see how their experience was.

How responsive are they?

“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin

You have chosen your caterer. An email has been sent outlining your needs. They have all the details you think they will need for a quote. You wait. More so than most businesses, how they respond to your request is a good indicator of how they will deal with the rest of the project. You don’t hear back from them. The clock is ticking and the day is getting closer. This is a red flag for a business in the event industry. If they reply quickly, that is usually a good sign.

Us caterers are busy people. Along with keeping the kitchen going we also have to look after the business. We get lots of queries and the food is the part of the job where we are most comfortable. However, being a good caterer is about organising and keeping many things going at the same time.

A successful catering company will respond with questions of their own. They will want to know more about your event. This is also your chance to discuss cancellation plans, invoicing and payment process. You need to clarify these sooner rather than later.

Taste the Food

“There is hardship in everything, except eating crêpes” – Anonymous

Finally we get to the star of the blog – the food. This is what most people will remember about your event. This is how your colleagues will judge you – what was the food like and did it taste good. It is the food that will result in happy faces and make you one to watch.

Your role here is to check the menu. What type of food is it? Is it local? Is it sourced in a sustainable manner? What kind of ingredients do they use? Will they prepare the food fresh or will they transport it to the location and heat it up? These questions will help you discover if your food is going to be drab or fab.

One of the biggest issues for caterers these days is food allergies. 5% of the Irish workforce now have food allergies. This means that menus need some flexibility. Whatever caterer you choose, ask them about alternatives for food intolerances. Insist on some vegan options (like our homemade chocolate or chunky apple and cinnamon toppings). Make sure that those with Coeliac disease are considered beyond gluten-free as this can still cause problems.

We hope that our suggestions above will help you as you get return to face-to-face work. We are looking forward to returning to the corporate spaces with our Crêpe Wagon offering the finest crêpes and churros in Dublin. If you have any questions about our food, contact us today.