Want to make the best impression on attendees at your corporate event? Treat them with tasty food and excellent service by hiring an experience and professional corporate caterer.
How well you run your event will reflect the professionalism of your organization. Hiring a great corporate caterer will ensure that your guests, clients, and employees keep talking about how enjoyable your event was.
Whether you’re hosting a corporate event in Lehi or a neighboring city, here are five critical points to consider before hiring a corporate caterer.
1. Professional Staff
Catering is a skill that improves over time. It's not just about preparing good food. The food’s presentation and delivery also have to be top-notch.
We know you might have invited potential customers and stakeholders to your event. It's in your corporate caterer’s best interest to represent you well.
Professional caterers understand the demands of the situation and adapt accordingly. Guests attending your event generally want minimal distractions. The refreshments must be distributed as noiselessly as possible. Likewise, people enjoying a buffet after a product launch won't mind the noise, but they don’t like to wait in long lines. In this case, the food delivery must be served quickly and efficiently.
Professional staff members will expedite the food in a refined manner. They’ll adjust their conduct to be slow and graceful, or fast and active, as needed. If a catering company has professional staff, one can safely assume that they’re timely as well.
Ask the catering service about their experience with catering large corporate events. A professional corporate caterer will easily understand your needs and provide the highest level of service.
2. Open Channels of Communication
The best corporate caterers keep an open channel of communication, from event planning to execution.
Event planning is a dynamic activity. You and your caterer will be sharing lots of information to streamline the planning and make the event a success.
If you've planned events in the past, you will know that preparations for an event must begin several weeks in advance, which leaves a margin for errors. Similarly, catering services start with preparing in advance and making changes, if possible and as needed.
They will appreciate communication from you. They will also try their best to keep you up to date with their progress. If you convey any changes in your plans – like a change in the menu, venue, or the headcount – early enough, your catering service will listen and put forward their honest opinion about whether making such a change is feasible.
A hard-to-reach contact at your catering company is a red flag. Working with a catering service with amiable and accessible staff will make running your event a breeze.
3. Menu Planning Assistance
If you need help with the menu, ask your corporate caterer. Experienced caterers know what kind of food will suit what event.
At an evening office party where everyone sits together for chit-chat, a tasty plate of Shrimp with Feta or Roasted Garlic Hummus will suit the occasion.
If you’re hosting a seminar, light snacks or finger foods like bacon-wrapped dates, baklava, or cannoli will allow the audience to listen to the speakers while not getting too distracted with the food.
In longer meetings, light and healthy salads will keep attendees satiated and attentive.
The presence of a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and desserts will complement a multi-day event.
4. Customized Service
Corporate caterers have a great deal of experience catering professional corporate events like yours. They understand the unique needs of the guests and hosts.
Remember to ask for your caterer's opinion on the arrangements. You might find their suggestions amazingly practical.
The most common catering settings are sit-down catering and buffet-style catering.
Sit-down catering makes sense for events like seminars, meetings, interviews, etc., where the guest will not be getting up from their chair time and time again to get food. Buffet catering is more convenient at office parties, award ceremonies, or corporate retreats.
Food-station style catering is another fantastic option. It allows your guests to mingle while enjoying their food, without having to wait in line. Give this catering style a shot if you’re hosting a networking event.
The best corporate caterers will adjust the number of staff they provide according to the size of your event. Sit-down catering requires more staff than buffet-style catering.
5. Customer Experience
A good catering company cares for its staff members, who in turn care for the people they’re serving.
When you see self-motivated staff, you know that you’re working with a catering company that cares about its employees, customers, and quality of service.
Happy staff members go out of their way to attend to the needs of attendees, whether it’s by promptly refilling the buffet utensils, fetching napkins, or explaining a dish's qualities to a curious guest. They’ll present their best selves while communicating with the guests at your corporate event.
Your guests will credit you for the excellent experience they received at your event. And the next time you host an event, they’ll know they won’t want to miss it.
Choose the Best Corporate Caterer for your Event
Lehi is a hub for tech campuses. Numerous corporate events are held here every year. If you want to make the best of your corporate event, make sure all your arrangements are perfect to delight your guests.
Food is the most anticipated aspect of any event. It can re-energize and boost the mood of your guests. When the event is over, your guests are going to talk about the activities, their experience and the food. After hiring a professional caterer, you rest easy in the knowledge that your attendees are in good hands.
The best catering companies maintain professionalism, customize their catering, keep in contact with you, and provide useful ideas regarding the menu.
Ridge Cafe has catered numerous corporate events in Lehi and the surrounding area. Call today to discuss your event with us!
