A catered lunch provided at work can infuse a sense of collegiality into a weary team. If provided as a morale booster, the meal allows people to skip packing or purchasing a lunch and encourages socialization. At meetings with board members or important clients, a meal can ease tension and encourage collaborative problem solving.
But if you’re the one in charge of coordinating a catered meal at work, the experience can be anything but encouraging. Details like the budget, dietary restrictions, timely delivery, and food quality pile onto your already heavy workload. Internet searches for the best catering options nearby yield hundreds of results and mixed reviews.
There is a way to provide a high quality catered meal without all the stress. Take ten minutes right now to simplify your next catering experience with the following approach.
Name your catering priorities
The most important aspect of planning a catered meal is… figuring out what’s most important. This can vary based on the formality of the gathering, purpose of the meal, and location of the event. Not every catered meal shares the same goal. Some are meant to smoothly integrate into important board meetings, while others are casual affairs with a buffet approach.
Consider the following priorities as you plan your catered meal:
- Presentation. Decide how formal or casual this meal should look and feel.
- Food quality. Determine the importance of providing locally sourced fare. Inquire about any dietary restrictions.
- Food durability. Estimate how long the event is going to last. It is crucial to select food that can sit out for the duration of the meeting or event so you’re not worried about clean-up or foodborne illness as time wears on.
- Convenience. Consider if delivery or pick-up would work better for your schedule. Decide if you want plates and utensils included in the order.
- Price. Based on the above decisions, solidify your budget for the event.
Next, arrange these aspects of the meal from most to least important before you even start looking up catering providers. That way, when you consider potential options, you already know what needs to take priority.
Narrow down your options
Equipped with your priorities list, now is the time to find two or three catering options and inquire about their services. Consider working with companies you’ve worked with before, or that come highly recommended by a friend or colleague.
Also factor in the experience of working with a particular service provider. If you are looking for a big name restaurant to bring food everyone has likely had before, ask if you will be assigned a point person or if all interactions will go through an app. If you don’t want to be checking your phone for delivery notifications during a big meeting, an app-based service may not work well for you.
Finally, plan ahead as much as possible. Most catering services require a lead time of at least a week, if not more. It’s important to determine your priorities and gather information several weeks or a month in advance if possible.
Consider Country Dairy your local catering expert
If you’ve gone through the above process and are looking for an affordable, trustworthy, local catering provider, look no further than Country Dairy. Although better known for their milk, Country Dairy also makes a delicious array of food available for catering, much of which comes from their own farm.
Options include hot or cold meals, breakfast or lunch and dinner menus, and delicious side and beverage choices. Country Dairy offers both delivery and pick-up, and can accommodate catering requests only a week in advance. Thanks to decades of family ownership, they have the ability to work with you on your specific needs to a degree which is hard to find with big name companies.
Imagine coordinating a locally-sourced meal of farm fresh food, signaling a commitment to both the local economy and the preservation of the environment, all without added stress for you. If you want to wow your colleagues or clients at your next catered meal, call Country Dairy at 231-259-0515 today.