Corporate catering is catering geared towards businesses’ employees and events. It’s an umbrella term used for any catering in any corporate setting, ranging from daily office lunches to holiday parties to shareholder events. Regardless of the size and reach of your catering, it’s all covered under the corporate catering umbrella.
If you choose to incorporate catering into any of your events or daily corporate activities, it’s essential that you choose quality catering options. Put yourself in the shoes of your eventgoers and staff. When you come up to get some food, you notice it’s cold and not very good or something else is creating an unpleasant experience for you. This will leave a bad impression on you, and in turn, a bad impression on the company you work with overall. Every decision you make as a business is an extension of your business, so if the catering feels careless, it will come off that your company is careless as well. The positive effects of using corporate catering can be completely negated when your catering is bad.
Benefits of Hiring a Corporate Caterer
Hiring a corporate caterer can help a lot with the logistics involved in catering an event or providing it as a service. You still have daily work tasks you have to complete on top of figuring out catering. Adding the logistics and stress of getting catering together on top of your regular work can easily make your catering turn into a mess.
Corporate caterers can help make decision-making a lot easier while they work behind the scenes, giving you the professional-quality catering you and your eventgoers deserve. You’ll be able to choose from a curated list of food options, get a high-quality catering experience, and be able to focus on your regular work stress-free without having to worry about your catering flopping.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Corporate Caterer
Corporate catering is different for every business depending on their needs. In order to get the best corporate catering experience, you should always assess what your needs are beforehand. We’ll go through some of the main considerations you should think of when you’re looking to hire a corporate caterer.
Budget and Cost Transparency: On both ends, you’ll need to look at your finances and what caterers can realistically do for you. While coming up with your budget, you should research quotes from various caterers and determine what you can responsibly spend on your catering in relation to the rest of your event budget.
Menu Customization and Dietary Needs: Research catering options that accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions and diets. People can’t enjoy your catering if they can’t eat it or have very limited access to your catering menu. It’s important to give everyone a positive and thoughtful experience to have high-quality catering.
Flexibility and Availability: Check the caterer’s cancellation and rescheduling policy to see if it’ll fit in with your needs. If you often have to reschedule or think you might need to make last-minute changes, strict policies might not work for you. Always double check what policies a corporate caterer employs before you lock down your decision.
Experience and References: Vetting your corporate caterer ensures you’ll get the experience you’re looking for. Be sure to check reviews from others on how their catering experience went and choose a caterer that’s worked with large events before. Ideally, your caterer should have positive reviews overall and experience working with corporate catered events in the past.
Trends in Corporate Catering for 2025
Keeping up with catering trends can help you give your eventgoers and staff the best experience possible. Let’s take a look at what’s trending for corporate catering in 2024:
Sustainable and Locally Sourced Ingredients: Sustainability is a hot topic, especially with increased discussions about global warming and excessive waste. Eco-friendly packaging and locally sourced ingredients are two major ways companies are shifting their catering options to stay conscious of their carbon footprint. Caterers are becoming increasingly up to date with these trends, making it easier for you to implement sustainability into your menu.
Health-Conscious Menus: Nutrient-dense foods are not only becoming more and more popular, but they benefit your staff’s productivity and focus as well. With new science coming out about the long-term effects certain foods can have on your body, many are looking to eat healthier foods to keep themselves feeling good. Healthy food helps with cognitive function and physical health overall, allowing people to function at a higher level. You can show you care about the health and well-being of your staff while also gaining increased productivity, making it a win-win for everyone.
Interactive Food Stations and Experiences: Engaging experiences in catering is a great way to interface with the food you’re being served. The interactive element creates a more memorable experience and it allows people to see the freshness of the food being made in front of them. Overall, people enjoy the engagement aspect of seeing the food prepared in front of them on a social and entertainment-based level.
Technology Integration: Catering in the digital age is a lot different than what it used to be, and for a good reason. It’s now easier than ever to use apps on your phone to get corporate catering and QR codes for digital menus. Smartphones allow people to access catering options and menus instantly without hassle. The technology-centric options make your catering feel modern and accessible.
Questions to Ask Potential Corporate Caterers
Now that you’re ready to start looking for a corporate caterer, you should be prepared to get some quotes and ask some questions. It might seem like extra work, but it’ll be a lot more work for you in the long run if you choose a caterer that struggles to meet your needs. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got some good basic questions to ask your potential caterers.
- Can you provide any professional references?
- How do you manage special dietary requests and allergies?
- What, if any, are your sustainability practices?
- What is your policy on rescheduling, cancellations, etc.?
- How much is your deposit? Do you require a minimum headcount?
These are all great questions to ask your potential caterers to get a feel for who would work best for you. Asking a lot of questions and getting as much information as possible will save you a headache in the future, so don’t be afraid to go over everything.
Making the Right Choice for a Memorable Event
Corporate catering is a fun, mutually beneficial way to say “thank you” to your staff and eventgoers. When you choose your corporate caterer, you’re entrusting someone to deliver that “thank you” on your behalf. Corporate caterers are hired to give you a highly professional, curated, and enjoyable atmosphere at your events. The initial work you put into choosing a caterer that works with your needs will pay off with a positive, memorable experience that has a lasting impact on the perception of your business.
