It’s time to order food for the next sales meeting or team happy hour, and you start flipping through take-out menus. While you browse sandwich platters and veggie trays, you may not realize all the details you’re leaving out. There is more that goes into a team meal than the food itself, and forgetting one of these items can cause extra stress on event day.
When planning your next catered office meal, here are a handful of items to consider. Be sure to ask these five questions when selecting a catering partner—or better yet, let Zerocater handle these details for you.
- Dietary Restrictions:
Gluten, peanut, shellfish, egg, dairy, and soy—do any of your team members have food allergies? Planning a meal around dietary restrictions can be a tedious process. Dishes must be appropriately labeled, noting any of the eight common allergens. Make sure your caterer can accommodate special requests—you don’t want to be the one telling a coworker they won’t be eating that day. - Budget:
It is extremely important to agree on a budget before planning your next office meal. What is your headcount? How much are you willing to spend per person? When discussing the budget, make sure there are no hidden fees. Tax, tip, set-up, and delivery need to be factored into your overall price point. - Delivery Logistics:
Does your caterer know how to get into the building? Are there loading docks and freight elevators you need to tell the driver about? Will they need identification to get access to the building? Even the most experienced caterers are often late due to miscommunication about delivery logistics. Food deliveries and set-up often require certificates of insurance, so be sure your caterer is properly equipped. - Setup & Presentation:
Once the food arrives, what happens? Many food delivery services may simply drop the food off at the front desk. Do you, or one of your coworkers, have time to set the food up yourself? If so, are you properly trained to handle food? Ask your caterer if they include food set-up with service, and what their presentation standards are. - Post-Meal Feedback:
In order to collect feedback on office catered meals, will you be creating a survey and sending it out? Will the caterer take your feedback into account in case you order from them again? If your employees liked certain aspects of the meal, but not others, be sure to take their feedback into account.
There are many pitfalls that come into play with corporate catering. Make sure you consider each of these when planning your next event.
Zerocater is a corporate catering service that handles each of these roadblocks. We take dietary restrictions into consideration and label each dish appropriately. We work with you to find a menu to match your budget, with tax, tip, and delivery included. We handle each stage of the ordering process, from preparation to arrival. Feedback is collected after each meal, so your team stays happy and satisfied.
Does hassle free office catering sound good to you? Contact Zerocater today!
