Organising corporate catering usually isn’t high on most people’s priority list. Because although all we think about is food, we know that you have other things to focus on. This means details can be left off when the rush to get food on the boardroom table happens last minute.
To make life easy and all your catering events run like a well-oiled machine, we’ve come up with 10 things for you to remember when ordering corporate catering.
1. Day, date and time of order.
I know this seems like a given, but we’ve delivered catering more than once where the client has rung up and said, “Nooooo, this was supposed to be here tomorrow” and when we checked their paperwork, they’d written the wrong date.
By writing the day and date, if the details don’t match, we’ll call and check which date you actually want the food on.
2. What is the delivery address and on-site contact?
On the odd occasion you may deliver food to a client or be meeting off site. Regardless, it always helps us if you reiterate the address the food is being sent to who will be on site to take delivery of the food. This means our driver has a contact if he’s stuck on a wrong floor.
3. Do you need to inform us of a loading dock procedure?
Some buildings require dock numbers, access codes and authority to park in the loading dock. When we’re aware of this your food can be delivered on time and with no fuss.
4. What time you plan to serve the food?
We deliver as close to your delivery time as possible. Especially if you are ordering hot food. Always let us know when you’re serving so we get the food to you as fresh and hot as possible.
5. Disposable or melamine?
If you’re having a casual staff gathering and you’d like your food delivered in recycled/recyclable packaging, ask for disposable.
If your event is a bit fancier, we will present on melamine plates and pick the platters up next time we’re in the area (free of charge).
6. How many people are eating?
We don’t want you to under cater, but more than that we hate waste. You wasting money and the environments impact on wasted food. So always let us know how many people you’re catering for so we can help you order the right amount.
7. Do you have any vegetarians?
When making gourmet sandwiches we always make a few vegetarian options. The problem is, our vegetarians are always so tasty that carnivores often steal them off the tray. Always let us know if you have vegetarians in your mix and we’ll pack their sandwiches/food on a separate plate.
8. Are there any special dietary needs?
There are more dietary requirements going around than ever before and we will cater to all of them. What we need to know from you is if someone not only has a nut, dairy or gluten intolerance but if they require a halal, vegan, pescatarian or low carb option.
9. Is there a budget you need to stick to?
Often giving us a budget will help you get the most bang for your buck and keep your bosses happy. So where you can, give us an idea of what you want and what you want to spend and we’ll come up with a few options for you to choose from.
10. Enjoy your food
Corporate catering doesn’t have to be sandwiches. There are so many options to choose from. Keep it different and interesting by asking for alternatives to sandwiches and salads (even though our sandwiches are bloody delicious).
For any more tips and ideas on how to make your next corporate catering event a smash, hit us up at orders@pencatering.com.au and have a chat.