Serving Style Dilemma for Catering
Meetings are a huge part of business these days! And everyone knows that meetings are much less dreadful with food. Most people love all the variety Unique Dining Catering provides; the struggle then becomes what is the right serving style. A few tips for deciding what kind of catering style is right for you would be helpful right about now! We have the answers below.
Boxed Lunches
This is a great way to serve your group when your meeting is on a tight timeline and can’t afford to take a meal break. It also allows the flexibility of grab and go. Do you have enough space for a buffet? Boxed lunches are a great space saver too!
Buffets style
The best kind of casual! It's all setup before your even enter the room. Each person can pick and choose exactly what they want. This option is perfect for a group with special dietary needs, picky eaters, or just to offer a fantastic smorgasbord of different items.
Family Style
An elegant buffet with the coziness of home! Have a group that is new to each other? What better way to bond than over food! Generous portions making the rounds all while being able laugh, talk and enjoy each other’s company.
Plated
Going formal, but traditional! Usually this is an elegant evening affair with unique and impressive food! This is not the typical office event, but it is nice to be able to pull this off for a special occasion.
Your options are limitless with Unique Dining Catering, and we'll be happy to talk over all your different options to make sure you have the service style that is perfect for your meeting or event!
What Do Caterers Do?
Definition: A caterer is someone who arranges the delivery, preparation and presentation of food for clients. If you've ever attended a bridal shower, fundraiser, rehearsal dinner, wedding reception or a bar mitzvah that had beautifully prepared and presented food, chances are that event was catered.
10 Things that make up good food caterers
Like many careers, catering takes a combination of training, hard work, and carefully honed skills to succeed. While there is much in common with being a chef, caterers face many additional challenges. Caterers have to handle such business matters as accounting, marketing and customer relations, in addition to the quality of the food. Online directories like Culinary Training feature a variety of courses that are specifically tailored for people entering this highly competitive field. Finding a way to stand out, and integrate sound business savvy with inspired culinary vision, is a big part of the challenge. But thereafter, a successful catering career is ahead.
What Makes a Good Caterer?
Cooking
At its most basic level, catering is all about food. No matter how beautifully the venue is decorated or how carefully the place settings are arranged, clients won't return if the food is awful. You also need enough cooking experience to make recipe substitutions, plan menus, and safely prepare, reheat and transport large amounts of food.
Food safety
A good caterer (and their staff) should be aware of and comply with the most-up-to-date food safety laws in their particular state. The Food and Drug Administration is in charge of food safety regulations throughout nation, and FoodSafety.gov allows you to find your state agency. Further training in this field is offered many culinary institutes and local colleges.
Customer Service
Caterers work with clients to design a menu. Being courteous throughout the process is a huge part of helping the client get what they want for their event. Good communication and people skills are also vital to building up a client repertoire and catering a successful event. A satisfied customer is the best recommendation, and word-of-mouth remains some of the most effective advertising out there.
Flexibility & Creativity
Recipes may need to be adjusted to comply with food allergies, and cooking methods may have to be altered to conform to religious dietary requirements or personal preferences. An imaginative and adaptable person will be able to triumph in these situations, and instill confidence in their clients in the process.
Leadership
A caterer has to manage a staff of cooks, servers, cleaners, and dishwashers, while ensuring their team is aware of their schedules, place settings, serving customs, and food safety regulations. It may also be necessary to provide direction and advice to customers.
Motivation
Caterers must be enthusiastic and proactive, to promote themselves and bring in business. During the busiest times of year, a caterer may work long hours, seven days a week, which demands stamina. It's also important for caterers to motivate one's employees (and stay motivated themselves) in moments when business is slow.
Financial planning
Fluctuating work is part of the job. The often busy periods, such as weekends and holidays, must be balanced with the times of year when business is only trickling in. Being able to financially plan and weather the slowdowns is particularly important to a caterer.
Business Management
More than just cooking, a catering service has to be a profitable business. The administrative tasks in catering deal with pricing services, accounting, taxes, managing employees, ordering food, and organizing schedules and budgets.
Marketing
Your food may be delicious, but the phone won't ring unless people know about you. Getting your business noticed is important. In catering, a good network of contacts is essential. You'll have to liaise with florists, venue organizers, event planners and a variety of other services that it takes to pull of a large event, but this also acts as your network of referrals.
Attention to detail
A caterer may also be in charge of some décor, table arrangements and food presentation. Setting up, running and clearing the dining room all fall under the task of a caterer. Here's where you can impress your client and all of their guests - who are all potential clients themselves.
Taking time to study the field of catering and learn about its particular challenges and demands can make all the difference between failure and success. If you love cooking, interacting with people, and have a flair for parties, a career as a caterer may be a good choice for you.
Corporate Team Building with Food
How Can Food Strengthen Team Building?
When building a team, it is really important to create opportunities for team members to effectively interact and communicate with each other. Nothing builds positive interactions faster than food!
Consider this team building exercise for your next executive team meeting: Several weeks prior to the team building event, ask each of your team to write down a dish or a food that represents their…(fill in the blank.)
...their culture
...their personality
...their dream
...their favorite place to travel
...their favorite holiday
Use those reflections to work with Unique Dining Experience to create a menu for your team meeting and then ask your team to guess whose dish is whose. The voting of the dishes can be written, by voting with dots, or many other fun and interactive methods that the group can employ to learn whose favorite food belongs to whom. The interaction amongst the team will create a lot of fun energy and your team will learn a lot about each other. And of course, there needs to be prizes.
To make this an even more competitive and interactive team building exercise, consider dividing the team into small groups and see which group can more accurately identify the correct matches. This team building exercise will give your team an opportunity to communicate and interact over food and prizes. It just does not get any better than that!
Corporate Catering And The Benefits To Your Business
Can catering a working lunch increase your company's revenue? Employee health / appreciation?
Whether you're planning a weekly company luncheon, a quarterly meeting or an annual corporate party, we understand there's a lot riding on your choice of a caterer. You need catering that is on time, accurate and most importantly that it is DELICIOUS!
First off what is corporate catering?
A mobile catering service such as UDE Catering who serves food directly to a business, club, or school. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events (such as business meals, lunches, events, road shows, concerts, club events, benefits, fundraisers, and company picnics).
What are the benefits of corporate catering?
Bringing a team together by using the best corporate catering in Minnesota for collaboration, projects, goals, initiatives, or just getting to know each other better, to assist in a team or work place. When you think of the hourly rate of each employee and the rate you bill the employee out at vs the cost to cater an event you are making money providing the team a working lunch, even if it is only an hour. On top of that, the benefit your employees feel from the appreciation the company is giving them.
What if I'm looking for some unique catering?
This is our specialty. Once you have contacted us we will get you lined up with one of our catering or event specialists. There are many options from buffets, plated meals, BBQ's, box lunches, or even a full our Pig Roast.
What kind of office space is needed?
A room where everyone can sit and see each other is ideal. We know that not all companies have a open space readily available, that's why we are partnered with one of Minnesota's best corporate event centers. At the Courtyards of Andover there are many options for small to extremely large groups that need to get together for meetings, a meal, or even a road show/trade show.
How to determine what food or how much to order?
If you can get a close head count, this can be very easy to figure out. As your catering team, we will price food options, side dishes and related items on a per person head count so you can very easily and quickly scale your costs to align with your company's budget.
How much notice is needed to contact a catering company to serve at a business event?
Corporate meetings or any related business event usually requires a standard 7 day notice to the catering service for preparation and setup of your meal. However, at Unique Dining, we only require 30 hours in advance for corporate events. The team at UDE Catering does know that not all situations are ideal. If you are in a pinch or crunch on time, we have a Last Minute Lunch menu that needs no more than 3 hours notice. You can send a request on our site and we will get back to you in a jiffy. For immediate assistance please call our team at (763) 754-6521.
7 Must-Knows When Selecting the Catering Menu for Your Wedding
So, you are getting married next year and don’t know where to start on the menu for the receptioN? what is the best food to serve at a wedding?
When you come to UDE Catering, our professionals will help you put together a perfect catering menu to fit your special occasion. Some questions to consider when planning your menu include:
1. What time of day will your guests be dining?
2. Where will the reception be held?
3. How many people will be dining?
4. What is the theme or vision for your event?
5. Do you want a sit down meal? A buffet? A light meal?
6. Will there be children attending?
7. What time of year will your wedding be held?
Each of these questions are important to answer. We can help you plan around options that you may be considering. For example, if you are not sure about a sit down plated meal, a dinner buffet, or something in the middle, we will get the right information from you about your event so that we can make menu suggestions. These may include seasonally available options, as well as what food is going to make the most sense for the time of day of the festivities.
You can have a lot of fun planning the menu for your wedding and we would love to help you!
∗ Do you want to do something a little different? How about a hog roast?
∗ Planning to have lots of kids? Maybe try a mashed potato bar, a baked potato bar or an appetizer menu?
∗ Having a fall wedding? Consider a delicious pumpkin or squash soup served out of pumpkins family style with overflowing baskets of breads?
∗ Want to pay a tribute to a fond family memory? How about a clam bake or a lobster boil?
Whether you want to go elegant, informal, traditional or innovative – UDE Catering has something for everyone! Give us a call and let us help you plan a perfect wedding menu.
What Will Your Guests Remember?
Over the years, we’ve gotten plenty of feedback from our couples and clients at UDE Catering. From this, we have found there are two main areas that their guests overwhelmingly remember. If you guessed that the food and the DJ are what your guests will talk about for years, then you are absolutely right!
Choosing your DJ and caterer are two big and important decisions you will make. You want to make sure they both fit with your personality and your plans. Remember, you will have guests of all ages at your reception, so you want to keep that in mind when choosing both the menu and playlist.
First, for a caterer, you want to make sure they have a personality you can work with. You need to have trust and confidence in the folks you have asked to prepare the food and serve it to your friends and family. Will they help you develop a menu? Are they flexible with the menu and services they provide? You want to find someone who is easy to work with and is willing to think outside the box with you. This is the day you’ve been dreaming about all your life. Do they understand and appreciate that?
Check out their equipment and abilities to make sure your food is served fresh and hot. Ask to tour their kitchen and schedule a tasting. You are asking them to provide food for perhaps hundreds of guests, so make sure you like the food they prepare. Lastly, ask for testimonials and check them out. You will get a lot of insight into how they operate and how they provide service by asking some of their former customers.
Ok, you have catering off your list, so let’s move on to the DJ. Here again, personality is king. You can put together a playlist and hook up to a couple of speakers, but that won’t get people on the dance floor. Good DJ’s have something special that allows them to engage folks and get them on that dance floor- both old and young! We've all been to weddings where no one danced and been to others where everyone from Great Grandma to two-year old Johnny are dancing. This is because the DJ knows the right song to play and the right words to use to get your guests dancing. Don’t underestimate their power to make your party great.
So, what can you do to make sure you have the right DJ? Step one is to make sure you like them. Here, personality is a key to how they will perform. Next, ask them if they have videos and pictures from past weddings. You will also want to review their playlist and make sure they have up to date equipment. Lastly, and probably most importantly, ask for references and check them out.
We hope this information helps you make a good decision when hiring the services your guests want most. If you have more questions or would like to learn how we can help with these services, please contact us or call 763-754-6521.
Finding a Wedding Photographer
Four Steps to the Perfect Wedding Photographer
Wedding planning doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming if you have professionals help you along the way. You can relieve the weight on your shoulders and enjoy all the great activates leading up to your big day. We have interviewed one of Minneapolis, Minnesota’s expert photographers Preston Palmer to help with you photographer selection.
Top Four Key Points to Consider in Selecting Your Wedding Photographer
1. Wedding Experience:
How many weddings has the photographer shot? How long have they been shooting weddings? All wedding photographers make several mistakes in the early years of their career. Do you want to be the one they practice on? You will have to offset your willingness to compromise quality vs price. Just because someone is a strong portrait photographer – does not necessarily mean they are a strong wedding photographer.
2. Style of Photography:
Wedding photographers all seem to have a style they gravitate to. This is often times a reflection of their creativity and passion. Make sure you know what style you like and talk candidly with your potential photographer. There are three main wedding photography styles that most photographers are familiar with:
Photo Journalistic Wedding Photography:
This is a popular style today where wedding photographer’s focus on capturing candid photos with an editorial emphasis on telling a story of the day. The photographer spends a lot of the time hidden and capturing the special moments as they occur.
Traditional Wedding Photography:
Traditional wedding photography is very much as it sounds. The primary focus is to provide formal family and guest portraits in a staged environment.
Artistic Wedding Photography:
This style of photography often reflects the photographers core of who they are as an artist, how they see shapes, angles, shadows, depth of field, negative space etc. These photos often provide a dramatic feel and emotion to the audience viewing the photos.
3. Attitude of Wedding Photographer:
Your wedding photographer will be with you for every intimate moment, every stressful moment, and everything in between. Feel the photographer out and see if his or her attitude & vibe fits with you and your fiancé. The better the chemistry is between the couple and the photographer, the better the photos will be. The point to be made is that you need to get along!
4. Photography Pricing:
Statistics show that the average wedding runs between $21,500 to $35,500 with an average of $28,500 in the Minneapolis Minnesota area (Hennepin County). The number of guest’s is the biggest factor on wedding costs with an average cost of $114 to $140 for each guest. What has been seen through Preston’s experience is that 12% of the wedding budget is typically what an average person spends their photography. The couples that care more about capturing the memories made through photography may pay up to 15% or more of the wedding cost on photography alone.
Once you have selected a photographer you have come one step closer to completing that wedding checklist. A good photographer will make recommendations and tell you what looks best. Let the photographer guide you through the process as it is their profession.
"I have photographed hundreds of weddings and never have had a bridezilla. It’s not bad brides, its bad vendors.” Preston Palmer – Owner of Brovado Weddings
Q. How Does the Wedding Venue Affect Your Photos?
The truth is that the wedding venue can greatly affect your wedding photos. Your photographer should be fully prepared with the proper lighting tools to offset any venue challenges. Natural light is best for most all photos (unless your intent is to capture an artistic style.) Another important factor is the ceiling. A white ceiling allows a wedding photographer to bounce a light source (ie. Flash) off the ceiling down onto the targeted subjects, thus allowing for a softer more natural photo.
"Our wedding reception halls are designed with wedding photographers in mind. We have high white reflective panels to easily reflect light along with natural light sources. We also have a fantastic outdoor courtyard wedding area that makes for some absolute gorgeous wedding pictures," says Jeff Conner, Owner of Courtyards of Andover.
As you look at venues and reception halls, be mindful of what will yield a strong wedding photo as well.
Artistic Food Photos? What and Why?
Almost all weddings have catered meals including food, drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Capturing your guests enjoying this is nothing new – however being creative and having your photographer capture an artistic vantage point on your food can make for some great photographs.
"My goal is to make your mouth water and for you and your guests to have an experience with the meal that is as memorable as your wedding itself! The presentation of the food is definitely worth capturing and looking back on years to come," said Chef Ted.
All in all, your day will be amazing no matter the outcome. However, selecting an experienced team that knows how to make your day even that more special will relieve any added tension you may be feeling during the day of your wedding.
How to Throw a Football Party Like a Pro
The leaves are turning, the air is getting crisper, that can only mean one thing: Fall is just around the corner. And, with fall, comes football. Football games bring together families and friends who want to root for their favorite teams. Get-togethers and football parties are an absolute must in the fall. There are the definite essentials that you need for any tailgate or football party. The first few being the proper set up to watch or stream the game, the decorations, and, most importantly, the food.
First let’s start off with some great game day decorations that will make your get-together truly memorable. Most of these are DIY and are perfect to use for future football parties.
Football Party Mason Jars - These are great to hold utensils, napkins and other essentials for your food table. The great thing about painting your mason jars are that you can paint them in your favorite team’s colors, make them a football, paint a game plan on them or even dress them up as a referee! These make a cute addition to any table and a perfect way to show your team spirit.
Football Party Food Labels - make football shaped picks that make it easy for your guests to know what each dish of food is. It’s festive and practical!
Football Field Party Table - this is a great way to kick up the festive attitude with a gridiron table dressing! This makes your table that neatly has all your snacks and food laid out look that much more appealing! It’s a super cute and fun idea and the best part is it leads to a quick and easy clean up at the end of the night!
Game Day Paper Chain - This is perfect for any game day party. The best way to complete this is to grab some brown and white construction paper and make little footballs with the brown construction paper and interlock the footballs with the white construction paper. These can be used to decorate anywhere you desire. It’s a fun and inexpensive way to make your party football ready!
Astroturf Yard Line Bunting and Coaster - Use some astroturf scraps to make a yard line bunting to hang wherever you please, it makes a great addition to any football themed party. Another great idea is to use the astroturf scraps for coasters. You can make them yard lines as well and they are a great and festive way for your guests to place their drinks!
The next item up for a perfect football party is the games. You want to make sure that you keep your guests entertained during commercial breaks and halftime. There is no better way to entertain them than having these three games ready. A lot of fun will be had and your guests will enjoy every minute of your football party.
Football Commercial Bingo - This is a great game to continue throughout the football game and for the duration of your party. It’s also great because you can create your own BINGO card or there are many templates you can find online. You choose different companies commercials and when they come up during the commercial break you mark them on your bingo sheet! It’s a great way to keep guests entertained through the commercial breaks.
Rate the Commercial - this is geared more towards a Super Bowl party, as there are specific commercials made for that game, but it would work for any football game. Give your guests paddles or popsicle sticks or whatever you would like to use, and have everyone rate the commercials on a scale of 1 to 5. It’s bound to lead to laughs and fun.
Bean Bag Toss (Cornhole) - this game is a staple to any football party. It’s fun, it’s a team game and it’s great to play during halftime. There are ways to make your own or you can buy an already made set. The game consists of two wood or plastic platforms with a hole in it on either side and guests have four bean bags to toss and score points. It’s a load of fun and will make your football party one of the best.
Now, on to the most important part of any football party, the food! Food is so important when it comes to a football party. You should, of course, provide a meal (UDE Catering is offering some great specials this season). But, on top of that, you might want fun appetizers and lighter meals because your guests will most likely want to snack and eat throughout the game. Here are some of the most have snacks at any football party.
Mini Pigs in a Blanket - Another staple of any football party is pigs in a blanket and while these are a more simple dish, they are a crowd pleaser. Make them even more on-theme by making them shaped like little footballs.
Meatballs - These are a great comfort food and a great way to appeal to all your guest’s tastes. Meatballs are great for a chilly fall day spent watching football.
Corn Salsa and Chips - While suggesting corn salsa, any salsa that appeals to you can be used. Chips and salsa is a great snack to have and compliments any other appetizers or hors d'oeuvres you may have selected for your party.
Hot Dip - now hot dip is a general term, but that’s because there are many types of hot dips you can choose from, such as spinach artichoke, but as long as you have some type of hot dip your guests will be happy. It’s an excellent snacking food to have available for your guests and something they can continue to munch on throughout the game and party.
These are just some suggestions that will help you to have a wonderful and fun football party. Whether you are watching a big game, such as the Super Bowl, or just having a small get-together with friends and family, any combination of the above will make for a fun and delicious football party. And one that will be remembered. So, this Fall, get your team’s jersey out, dust it off, and enjoy football season with a football party!
5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Caterer
Have you ever been to a formal event where, after tasting the food, you felt the urge to use the sentence, “this is absolutely divine!” for the first time in your life? Then you have been to an event that was catered by Unique Dining Catering!
Throughout our lives, we are faced with organizing several important events-- engagement parties, weddings, baby showers, business receptions to name a few. Organizing events can be very expensive and time-consuming. So we try to makes cuts in every department, and perhaps one of the first things that comes to mind is the catering. Who needs it when you can buy the food yourself? Everything will be so much cheaper, right? Actually, that is far from being correct.
Here are five important reasons why you should hire a caterer!
Reason #1: It will save you money
It may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true. When you go through a caterer’s price list and add up all the guests that you expect, you start to think that the overall price is very expensive. Yes, the organization of an event in itself is expensive, and the costs increase proportionately to the number of attendees. There is simply no way around it.
At first glance, it say seem cheaper to buy the food yourself but what about its preparation? How much time would you have to spend on it? Who will help you? Do you have all of the appropriate pots and pans? What about all of the spices that will make everything taste better? Where will the plates come from? Would you have enough for all of your guests? How will you keep everything warm? And more importantly, who will serve it?
So many questions! The caterers have all the answers. They are professionals, and they know how an event works. They provide their own plates, and staff who will make sure that those plates stay always full. Additionally, they can prepare the food either in advance or on the spot, while the event it taking place, so that everything is fresh and delicious.
Reason #2: It will save you time
This one is kind of obvious for anyone who has ever been burdened with the task of being a host. Organizing events can be exhausting-- both mentally and physically. There are so many things to consider: the invitations, the theme, the decorations, the sound system, the DJ, the entertainment, and so many others. And let’s not forget the food! It’s one of the most important parts for a successful event.
There are too many things, and too little time to do them in! Nothing ever goes as planned, and the time gets shorter and shorter. Everyone knows that a good leader knows how to delegate. So why not do just that?
Professional caterers are experts in their field and their only goal is to ensure the delicious satisfaction of your guests. Let them worry about the food being fresh, and being served on time. They know what they are doing. Relax and take care of the rest. Leave the hard part to them!
Reason #3: It will be more delicious than you could have ever imagined
We would like to think of ourselves as people who know good food. After all, we all eat it, and we all enjoy it. However, you might be missing a small detail. Unless you are a chef yourself, you have a preconceived notion of what types of food go together and/or are available at the local supermarket. So when you make the grocery list, you will add only certain foods. This is completely natural but it will leave your tables looking very dull and flat.
Caterers, on the other hand, have spent countless hours negotiation deals with suppliers, and trying out various combinations of food that, at first, may look new or different but are, in fact, very delicious. If you have been to a catered event before, you know what we are talking about. Taking a bite out of a canapé with unknown ingredients and thinking that “it’s divine.” Only after do you find out that it contained a type of cheese you only heard about in movies. And it was combined with a piece of fruit that you never saw before.
Delicious!
Reason #4: You will be the talk of the town
What differentiates a good event from a bad one? The food. Whether we like to admit it or not, food can make or break a party. As many events take place in the evening, most people are hungry. But if what you serve is not held to a standard, many will be left disappointed.
There is one universal truth - if we have a bad experience with something, we will make sure that everyone knows about it. On the bright side, the same is valid if our experience was amazing. Which one of the two feedbacks would you rather hear?
If the food at your event was prepared and served by a caterer, your hardest task of the night will be to accept compliments. And who wouldn’t like to do that?
Reason #5: You should also enjoy the party
As we already mentioned, organizing events can be tiring, to say the least. You have to put so much effort into them. And unfortunately, that effort doesn’t end when the party starts.
On the contrary, many things need to be looked after and checked. Most hosts of events do not have time to sit down and eat even a bite. They have to run around dealing with the latest disaster, or making small talk with their guests. By the end of the night, the organizers are exhausted and hungry.
This is where the caterers come in. They know what events are like, and will be able to assist you perfectly. You might even be able to take a bite of their delicious food!
All in all, catering is something that we think we don’t need but it turns out to be the thing that saves our lives. When we want a haircut, we go to the hairdresser. When we need to fix our teeth, we go to the dentist. And when we need to feed the crowd at our event with amazing food, we go to the caterer. Simple as that. Now, go, and organize the event of the century!
Catered Corporate Thanksgiving Parties!
Taking the Stress Out of the Office Party
by: Stefanie Rose Miles
There’s a growing holiday trend among businesses of all types — from the newspaper office around the corner to the national headquarters in a high rise downtown. The All-American Thanksgiving tradition has extended beyond home and family and become a cause for celebration at the office. For many, this is the new occasion for the annual, corporate holiday party. It’s not a rejection of Christmas; in fact, it may be more out of respect for all of the December holidays of faith celebrated across the country. In keeping with the true tradition, corporate Thanksgiving parties provide an opportunity for everyone to come together and commend the contributions of each for the benefit of all. And at the heart of every celebration—the ritual that brings people together—sharing a meal.
So, you’ve decided on a Thanksgiving party at the office this year. Don’t make one of the most common mistakes and assume that using a caterer couldn’t possibly be something you (or your company) could afford. If you haven’t organized or executed a similar type of party, then planning and budgeting for such an event will be a challenge, to say the least. And if you’re trying to piece the party food together, well that’s just the beginning. There are logistics from start to finish, plus other things you’re likely not to think of until you realize you don’t have them. Now put a number on all that. If you understand the notion that “too many cooks spoil the broth” then consider how too many co-workers, expected to fully cater, could end up costing far more than just hiring the pros. Can it be done? Yes. But plan on multiplying the unknowns, adding the forgotten items, and tacking on chaotic coordination. Feeling stressed? It’s not even the Christmas season yet! For these reasons (and more) we will share in this article why a catered, corporate Thanksgiving party is the way to go. It can be done for all types of businesses with a wide range of budgets.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CATERER
A good caterer will work with you to tailor party fare to suit all your guests. Perhaps late afternoon is slow at your office, making hors d’oeuvres and cocktails the best choice. Or maybe breakfast is a better time-- before the demands of the day get in full swing and everyone’s running in and out and in all directions. Will it be traditional turkey? You may need ham as an alternative. Don’t forget your vegetarian friends! The best caterers can do home-cooked, comfort food just as easily as they can do cutting edge, fusion gourmet.
Something you may not have considered is that generally, caterers do/can provide barware, tableware, and silverware; but they usually offer provisions for these needs in disposable and/or recyclable options. They show up, set up, keep things warm (if needed) and replenished while they serve it all up. Then they clean up, pack up, and not only make your and everyone else’s lives easier, they allow you to be a gracious host and everyone to have fun during the party.
Ok, so you got it, you’re sold on how a catered corporate Thanksgiving party makes the most sense, but you just can’t stretch the budget to cover the per person cost you want, even with the most basic menu. Share the idea with co-workers and see what the overall response is. If you can offer to cover half the cost per person, that shows your appreciation for them and your desire to celebrate that in an exceptional way. Far and away, employees are more than happy to pitch in around $10 for an office party with good food they don’t have to cook (and all that goes with that) and to get to knock off a couple of work hours. If you and/or others feel something is missing by not having that potluck participation, the perfect compromise is leaving dessert for the office bakers extraordinaire. Get them in on the act by giving them ownership of this tasty task by having them coordinate a dessert menu. They can choose the items and organize who’s doing what.
DOING THE THANKS
You’ve checked off the biggest and most important item on your party list—the food. You’re doing it up right, now you want to make sure you have maximum participation. Be sure you’ve chosen the best location to provide adequate seating, plenty of space for the food, and for any and all other things/activities you wish to have during the party. Set the tone and expectations and get everyone excited about the bash by sending out fun invitations (we recommend the easier, less formal email invites) that reflect the tone and style you envision. Include all pertinent information, necessary details, and request an RSVP by a set date. Most all caterers require a final, close-guess number of guests before your event date.
You’ve chosen your party space, now you should plot and plan all tables, chairs, special party activity areas and plan your decor. Depending on your event and budget, your caterer may provide tablecloths. Alternatively, you may want to choose and purchase disposable table covers that correspond to your chosen theme and colors. Traditional Thanksgiving decor can be both easy and elegant. Collections of colorful, autumn foliage with squashes, pumpkins, and/or Indian corn make great centerpieces and accents. For a little twist and sophistication try oversized, decorative, glass containers of varying heights and group them in clusters. Fill them with cinnamon sticks and a variety of nuts in their shells (e.g. walnuts, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and/or buckeyes.) Integrate dried or real, whole cranberries and maybe some pine trimmings or fresh mint for color. We also like decorating with magnolia leaves, white candles or votives, apples of any kind, pomegranates (whole or cut open), and oranges or tangerines pierced with whole cloves. Just be aware of leaking juices if you pierce and display citrus fruits.
Active appreciation is a must for every company Thanksgiving party. What you choose to do or offer, should be determined by the time of day of your party, your venue accommodations or limitations, the number of guests, and their collective, anticipated level of engagement. One popular thing many companies do is to ask employees to write one or more brief thank-yous to other co-workers on post-it notes and display them on a “Thank You Wall” in a central location or high-profile area within the party. For something similar, we suggest asking each co-worker to write what they appreciate about the others on slips of paper, or if there are too many people, have everyone draw names. Have a small decorative box or some receptacle labeled with each co-worker’s name, and ask everyone puts his/her notes in the corresponding boxes. Everyone has a party favor of, personal, appreciation notes. Still too many people? Make a power point, and on each page put one or more names with something that is uniquely appreciated about them, either written by you or others and play it on a loop on a big screen during the party.
DOING THE GIVING
Ask everyone to email you a favorite recipe—Thanksgiving or otherwise, and you can print and distribute or compile and send digitally as a book or recipe document. Maybe you want to do a community service project and have everyone bring non-perishable items to donate to a food bank or request coats for a winter coat drive. You could kick off the holiday season and invite everyone to choose an angel from an angel tree for whom they will purchase a holiday gift. Another idea is to assemble care packages during a designated time. Many VA hospitals see patients on a daily basis who are there for a full day of appointments, to be seen by numerous doctors. These veterans often are unable to get lunch due to these schedules, so care packages with some non-perishable snacks are in need and most appreciated. There are also plenty of opportunities to make and send care packages to various branches of the military across the world.
A fun game or two is always a hit among co-workers. Do you remember MadLibs? Have someone creative write a very short story about the office, then pick out keywords to replace with a blank, requesting the corresponding type word (i.e. noun, verb, adjective.) You may even want to get a bit more specific with those generic requests just to add humor. Read it at the end and let everyone vote for the best answer for each of the blanks and then read the story in its entirety, filling in the blanks with the winner words.
No party is complete without music. You can kick off the season with a compilation of holiday songs to play throughout the party or at least during the meal and social time. if you’re not quite ready for full-fledged sounds of the season, have fun with it and make a party playlist of your own. If you’re going with a “Thank you” theme, we can get you started with some of our favorite tunes: Thank You (Sly and the Family Stone), How Sweet It Is (James Taylor), Thank You (ZZ Top), Kind and Generous (Natalie Merchant), Thank You for Lovin’ Me (Bon Jovi), Thankful (Kelly Clarkson), and Thank You for the Music (Abba).
This year take time to enjoy and share in the appreciation of not only family but your work family and associates also. If you’re looking for corporate Thanksgiving catering in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, we’ve got you covered! It would be our honor to deliver a delectable culinary experience for you and your guests. We are especially grateful for all of our valued clients, and send our best for this season of Thanksgiving.