If you are planning a corporate event you’re probably already learning about the catering business. The best event planner has an idea of event menus before they even contact outside catering services; but a smart event planner also realizes that the corporate menus on offer by good caterers have a lot of experience behind them. You’ll want to make all your decisions with the caterer’s advice in mind, and if you’re considering your corporate menus, here are some tips to help you make just the right choice for your event.
Breakfast
Breakfast corporate menus are always a challenge. It can be crucial to provide food and beverages that will keep people focused but also satisfied. For beverages, you of course need coffee and tea. Some people will also appreciate smoothies, cold milk, and fresh orange juice. Some of the health-conscious may prefer vegetable juices. Avoid heavy and fatty foods, which will weigh people down, and avoid too much blood-sugar spiking processed carbohydrates even though these are quite cheap. Things like doughnuts and pastries tend to give people a quick burst of energy followed by a fast crash into sleepiness. For those morning munchies, consider slower acting carbohydrates like potato dishes, chutneys, and whole-grain pancakes or oatmeal. Yogurt can also be a great choice, but not if it’s stuffed with sugary additives. You can provide a wide variety of fruit and vegetable bites that can give people a bit of a lift, and hard-boiled eggs are always a great addition to any breakfast menu.
Lunch
Corporate menus for lunches will vary according to whether you are interested in a buffet lunch or a sit-down lunch. The buffet lunch is the perfect choice when you want your guests to be mingling, while a sit-down lunch provides guests with an opportunity to disconnect for a few minutes. Typically here you want to offer one kind of appetizer salad, two types of main courses (with at least one being allergy-friendly) and possibly a pasta dish for those who need a little extra to fill themselves up. If you did not offer much in the way of breakfast at your corporate event, remember that people will be quite hungry at lunch and may have a long wait before dinner. If you don’t want them to fade between now and supper, make sure you provide them with high quality protein, filling vegetables, high-quality fats, and a minimum of processed carbohydrate and sugar.Dinner
Again, you need to choose whether you prefer a buffet or a sit-down dinner when choosing corporate menus. For many companies and their corporate events, the evening meal is an excellent time to sit down and really relax as well as process the events of the day. Additionally, most people will be expecting a more satisfying and varied meal at dinner time. The last thing you want is to have your guests leave dissatisfied and go off on their own to get a second dinner somewhere else–grumbling about you the whole time. At this meal be sure to offer more variety of proteins and fillers, and provide at least two options for those suffering from allergies. Be sure to include something for those with gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, and nut allergies. At dinner you can also consider serving alcohol, and a few nice dessert choices will be greatly appreciated. Also remember to tell your caterer if there are any special needs or accommodations that need to be made for religious requirements.
The most important thing you can do when planning the menu for your corporate event is to look for professional catering services with the expertise and experience to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch and everyone leaves satisfied. There are currently more than 320,000 people working in the food service management industry in the United States, so plenty of options are open to you. Just make sure you hire a caterer who is in compliance with all the most up-to-date food safety laws in your state.
