How to pick a corporate caterer

Hosting a business luncheon for your business associates, attendees of a product launch, or participants of a board meeting is a tough task. Since a good caterer is key to the success of these events, it’s important to choose a reliable, experienced and qualified corporate caterer that delivers quality food and service to satisfy guests. Wondering how to do it? Here are some tips to pick the right corporate caterer for your business event:

·         Take time to check the basics: After you have short-listed a few caterers based on their pre-printed party menus and price, meet them in person. Ask them to share references (with whom you can cross how they performed in past events with respect to food, service, professional skills related to management of the events etc), show them images of food presentations in their past events and even sample food to reach a decision. Check if they are members of any trade organizations as being so would ensure they stay updated about latest trends and new regulations that may be applicable.

·         Select someone who listens to and understands your requirements:When you sample food but don’t like an item or need some tweaks to be made, your catering toronto specialist needs to be willing to listen and make the changes accordingly. High-profile clients, bosses, board members and other higher-profile invitees may have specific likes and preferences. Your selected corporate caterer should be enthusiastic about hearing and executing these details with utmost professionalism. Rather than giving you cookie-cutter solutions and tell about what your event should have, your caterer should listen to your requirements, understand what you need and then deliver it exactly the way you need it done.  

·         Get a variety of food: Hosting a corporate event invariably means having guests with a wide range of dietary needs and restrictions. While you should ensure to satisfy such special needs of your guests by offering an assortment of dishes, you also need to manage it all within your stipulated budget. So, sit with your caterer to plan ahead of the event and design menus that offer eating options to vegans, those on a gluten-free diet etc. in case you opt for a buffet-style service, ask your caterer to label the food so that your guests with food allergies or dietary restrictions don’t have to do any guesswork.

·         Professional hand service: Imagine clanging of dishes or large noise due to dropping of trays and utensils by your caterer while your keynote speaker is addressing the gathering or your boss is handling out the best achievement awards to staff members. Won’t it be embarrassing? You bet it would be. So, choose a caterer with high quality service to ensure meals are served efficiently and cleared quietly without disrupting the proceedings of your meeting or event.

·         Vote for efficiency: Business leaders and other high-profile guests are busy people. Though high quality food and drink are integral to business meetings, you shouldn’t forget that the primary goal of many corporate events is doing business. So, your chosen caterer should offer high quality service with efficiency, while showing respect to the guests and their valuable time. For example, having a double sided buffet would mean your guests don’t have long wait times to eat. Since not meeting these criteria of quality service and efficiency would reflect badly on your business and brand, you need to be especially careful to tick these off your list when hiring your corporate caterer.

·         Remember the linens and décor: Your high-end clients and VIP guests can’t be wooed just with quality food and drinks. You need to focus on the aesthetics too. When you have an experienced caterer for your event, the professionals involved will know the right type of linens, accents and décor (from lights and flowers to live entertainmentetc) required to go well with your event. Thus, it’s advisable to find a caterer experienced in handling such requirements so that you feel comfortable trusting them not just with the food and drinks but also with the overall design and feel of your corporate events.

Before signing the final deal, review the payment terms and what the return and refund policies are of the caterer company. Also, ensure that all the products and services you need are included in an itemized bill so that you can verify the same. Keeping all these factors in mind, go ahead and hire a corporate caterer who delivers exactly what you need to make your event a grand success.