If you’re in the midst of planning your next corporate event, you’re likely starting to ask yourself who is going to handle the catering and what will the menu look like.
There are a lot of choices when it comes to business catering, which is why we’ve developed these handy tips to create awe-inspiring menus and conquer the logistics of getting food into your event’s itinerary.
Here are three excellent ideas for corporate event catering that’s bound to please your guests!
Southern Table Dinner Buffet Menu
Southern fare is comfort food, but you can also elevate some of this rustic cuisine with choices like cornbread-stuffed Cornish hen or quail, or grits dressed up with gourmet items like jamon iberico or prosciutto.
You can also consider how to accentuate these dishes with vegetable sides like baked or braised carrots or potatoes, or some other tasty root vegetables glazed with a sauce or presented buttered or crisped. For dessert, opt for a tasty apple crumble with whipped cream instead of a traditional apple pie.
This buffet-style menu can easily form part of an attractive high-end corporate event that is sure to impress.
The Roman Feast Buffet
Silver goblets? Big turkey legs? Yes, please! If you’re looking to host a Roman-style feast, take a page out of a Roman chef’s cookbook with delicacies like “istal d’colum” crab salad, or other ‘frutes di mare’ that Romans have hauled in from the Mediterranean coast for centuries.
Their menus were also packed with red meat and carbs, but you may not want to stuff your guests quite as much as the Romans did so sprinkle light options in amongst the heavier fare to ensure guests can see out the afternoon without feeling too full.
Hawaiian Island Buffet Theme
Take your event to a tropical level, with a uniquely Hawaiian style buffet complete with pineapple and delicious pork. Dress your spread up with a pineapple cheese platter that uses the bromelain-rich fruit along with various fromage options for an excellent gourmet effect.
Serve your pork on skewers to make it easier to eat or add it to sides and salads for extra flavour. Piña colada punch makes a great drink to go with this type of spread, and guests will feel relaxed and social as their taste buds are transported to an island oasis.
Don’t Forget To Consider These Questions When Choosing Your Buffet Theme
As you look at these mouthwatering menus, you also want to consider some key logistics when it comes to catering for your corporate event.
What Time Do You Plan On Holding Your Event?
Depending on the time of your event, you may need to tweak menus to suit breakfast, lunch and dinner options. All-day events can really have fun with flavours by adding hero ingredients across three courses. Be sure to make breakfast and lunch options lighter so that your guests have enough energy to last the day. Go all out and play with heavier options for evening events.
What Is The Preference Of Your Superiors?
Our best advice when it comes to getting corporate buy-in is by presenting the powers that be with options early on in the planning process. Having support from the leadership team is critically important for corporate event catering, or any major decision you make when it comes to your corporate event.
How Many People Will Attend The Event?
One thing that should be high on your list of considerations is the size of your event. How many people will be attending and what resources will be in place to ensure everyone is well-fed? Your menu will be vastly different when you’re catering for 10 people as opposed to 100 people. As will logistics. Will your event be plated service or buffet style, and how will you ensure that everyone is served in a timely manner?
Summary
Ensuring you create a crowd-pleasing menu, and thinking about the logistics to facilitate, should be a high priority when designing a corporate event catering plan. Just because it’s a corporate event, doesn’t mean you have to give your guests a bland, run of the mill offering.
Give your guests a dining experience they will never forget at Navarra Venues. Contact our experienced team today to discuss your upcoming event and catering options.
