What To Look For In A Corporate Caterer

If you’re looking for a catering service for a corporate event, the professionalism, efficiency, and taste are the most important components that a caterer must have. Corporate events are where people of significance gather, you don’t want to ruin the reputation of your company by serving sub-par food at a high-end event.

In recent years, the norms for corporate events have shifted from serious and professional to a more casual style. As the years go by, more and more people are being turned off from the idea of being too “corporate,” and the black suit look has been associated with many a negative thing. Also, the newer generations care more about performance and comfort than dress codes and seniority.

From all of these reasons combined, you can understand why most catering services have turned more towards comfort foods and family-style dishes rather than the traditional finger foods. The main question is what exactly a great corporate catering service is, which is what we’re going to discuss in this article.

Why is corporate catering so important?

When you host an event, you’re showing your guests that you’re being generous and willing to open your arms to other people and show them something good. You can use these events as a minor networking event where you get to meet and talk to new contacts, which may open up new business opportunities for your company. Food is a very big part of our lives. Think about it – just about every important event and milestone in your life has probably involved food. Therefore, it’s pretty reasonable to expect that corporate events should involve some good eats.

With that said, here are four elements that make for a good corporate event caterer:

An understanding of the size of the event

The size of the event will tell the catering service a lot about what they should expect and how much people they should be prepared to serve. The bigger the event, the less complicated and more prepared the food should be.

The ability to create an atmosphere

A corporate event will usually be more serious than a casual event when it’s not managed well. People will act as if they’re attending a work-related event, and if that’s not what you want, then you want to make sure that the caterer has a way to lighten the mood.

An air of professionalism

A catering service has to understand how to conduct themselves, and in a corporate event, people will often have a high expectation for everything in the event. You want all the chefs and staff to be as discreet as possible, as that will guarantee that they won’t interfere with the guests’ activities and conversation.

The delivery of good food and good service

It should go without saying that the food and service quality should be on point because how the catering service performs will reflect on your brand. If they can’t deliver good food or customer service, then you, as the host, will suffer for it. You want to look for a caterer that has had years of experience in the field to make sure that they are as capable and professional at what they do. After all, you want professionals representing you

Here at Elegant Touch, we pay detailed attention to every aspect of our catering. If you’re in need for a corporate catering service in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: Guidelines to Follow When Handling the Catering of a Corporate Event.

If you are hosting an event, you don’t want to leave your guests disappointed when they find that the quality of your foods is less than satisfactory. To make sure that your catering game is as strong as it can be, you need to know the right things to do and to avoid. Here are a few things you need to keep in mind when catering for your next event:

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Know the Number

First of all, the most important part of hosting an event that you need to get right is ensuring that you know the number of guests. This is to make sure that you have enough foods prepared for everyone. Nothing is worse than leaving your guests hungry after the event wraps up. Also, be careful not to go overboard. You don’t want to waste your money on food if there aren’t going to be enough attendees to finish it.

Be Inclusive

Another important thing to remember is the dietary needs of your guests. Because it’s unlikely that you will be informed beforehand how many vegans or vegetarians there are among your guests, it’s better to always include options for everyone, including meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and people with specific requirements. Making sure that everyone feels included should be on top of your priority list.

Go For Seasonal Selections

It’s always a good idea to throw some seasonal options on your catering menu. This will ensure the freshness of your foods as well as low the cost.

Support the Locals

Along the same line, getting your ingredients from a local shop can be an excellent way to give back to the community.

Have an Appropriate Menu

Make sure that your menu is appropriate to the time and place of the event. Not everyone wants to have pancakes and slices of bacon late in the evening. Also, you need to take into consideration the type of venue you’re hosting. If you’re catering a buffet, you will want to make sure that your venue has enough space for your guests to move around freely as well as appropriate tables to put their plates on. On the contrary, if you’re having a cocktail party where your guests will be mingling and walking around, finger foods might be your best choice.

Sufficient Staffs

You have to make sure that there is enough staff on duty to serve your guests. Moreover, make sure you hire competent staff members who are polite and well-mannered in order to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable during the event.

WHAT YOU NEED TO AVOID:

Spoiled Foods

Do not ever leave food outside of the fridge. The food will need to be prepared before the scheduled time of the event, and you don’t want everything to go bad before the MC even opens the event! Avoid hearing multiple complaints of food poisoning the day after your event by ensuring that everything you serve is fresh.

Overwhelming Your Guests

You should send out the food at appropriate intervals to allow people time to savor each plate. It can be quite overwhelming for your guests if they are being bombarded by all of the dishes at once.

Bad Timing

Even though you need to cook and get everything out in time for the event, you don’t want to cook the food earlier than necessary. This is particularly true for hot foods, such as soup, that should be served hot. Having your foods prepared too early can turn even the greatest quality food into something unpleasant.

Cluttered Space

To keep the area clean and sightly, you should always have your staff clear out empty food trays and glasses throughout the event. Your guests should be able to move around without having to worry about which glass of wine is theirs.

Improper Staffs

Again, having great waiters and waitresses are essential if you want to host a successful event. To keep it professional, your staff should only be there to serve the foods and drinks, and nothing else. Most importantly, they need to know how to treat guests with respect.

Here at Elegant Touch, we pay detailed attention to every aspect of our catering. If you’re in

need for a catering service in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: 7 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Catering Company For Your Next Event.

When we talk about catering services, many people will say the taste is the top priority, and any other aspects are secondary. The truth is that the way the food is visually presented is equally, if not more important than the taste of the food itself.

Think about it. When was the last time you’ve ever seen a poorly presented dish from a top-tier catering service? Chances are that’s never happened while the tastes may fluctuate for each caterer. This proves our point that for catering services, the presentation is of utmost importance.

Why is a visual appeal so important?

People are driven by looks more than anything else. We judge everything based on how it looks, as that’s typically the first piece of information we have about anything we come across. When it comes to food, we judge it based on the look, smell, and taste, but the very first thing that we can really perceive is how the dish looks.

This is why food that’s made into unappealing shapes are so off-putting, regardless of its taste. Imagine having to eat a neon-blue pizza that everybody says tastes just like a normal pizza. We would bet that most people don’t find the blue pizza very appetizing. The same principle applies to any dish out there, but probably not on the same scale as fluorescent baked goods.

How does that translate to a catering service?

People associate taste with food that looks a certain way. If your dish doesn’t look appealing, the guests will most likely say that the food doesn’t taste good, even if it’s actually one of the best dishes you will ever find. It’s simple psychology, really.

We unconsciously let our first impression, perception, and judgment dictate how we feel about something, and this perception is very hard to get rid of. Usually, we aren’t keen on giving second chances, especially for things that don’t matter too much. That’s why catering services have to make sure that their food looks the best so that they don’t have to beg for second chances.

How does the visual appeal add value to the event or venue?

It’s hard to make people remember your service, but by making a memorable presentation to your centerpiece of a dish, you will help to bump up the value of your meal by a mile. For example, say you attend a gathering where the food choices consist of boring finger foods and mediocre drink choices.

The food may be incredible, but that’s all that they’re going to remember. If you have a chocolate fondue fountain in the middle of the venue where every guest can dip their dessert into, that holds a lot more weight than a dish that just tastes good.

So which is more important?

As mentioned, we wouldn’t say that the visual appeal should take priority over everything else about the catering, but it’s just as important as the taste. A bad meal is a bad meal, and there’s no excuse for that, no matter how good your dishes look.

That being said, visual appeal is important. After all, people eat with their eyes first. It’s usually best to find a fine balance between aesthetics and taste.

If you’re looking for a creative catering service that can bring your favourite dishes to life, please give us a call! Here at Elegant Touch, we pay meticulous attention to every detail, that goes into the process of making the dish to ensure that it comes out looking and tasting great! If you’re in need for a catering service in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: What to Consider When Hiring a Professional Caterer

A wedding is the most memorable day of your life, and you want to make sure that every element is as memorable as possible. One of the ways to make sure every guest is happy is to serve good food. However, everyone who has ever tried to cater an event knows that this is no easy feat.

Tending to every single one of your guests and making sure that they’re all happy is not simple, and that’s why you’ll need the help of a professional catering service. To help you find a caterer that can help make the event go by smoothly, we have come up with this comprehensive guide to wedding catering.

Here are the questions to ask yourself when hiring a wedding catering service:

“What’s my budget?”
There are many different types of catering services in the market at various price points. Sure, the cheap ones have a higher margin of error compared to expensive ones, but that doesn’t mean that they must be bad.

You have to do some digging to find out about all you can about their business — read online reviews, look at their pricing, and peek at their portfolio. These things will help you to have a better idea of what that catering service is about and what you can expect of them. This way, you can choose one that’s the best fit for your event and budget.

“What can the venue recommend me?”
Wedding venues usually have their own rules and regulations, so you have to make sure that the catering service you’re working with can comply to them. If you haven’t made up your mind about which catering service you should go for, you can ask the venue manager about which service has worked there before.

It’s easier to work with a caterer that the manager knows personally, as that means that the communication between the two parties will go smoothly and expectations will already be clear in everyone’s minds. Regardless of this, it’s still a good idea to leave a memo with the caterer so that they know the ground rules beforehand.

“Who are my candidates and what is their pricing?”
It’s usually not the best idea to go for the cheapest service, nor is it a good one to always go for the most expensive. You have to compile a list of candidates and get multiple proposals so that you have some choices to choose from.

This list will help you to have a better idea of which service is the best fit for your wedding theme, venue regulations, and budget. It’s also a good idea to give the catering service a call to see how they treat their clients and how they answer your inquiries. You can use this information to gauge whether the catering service is the best fit for your event.

“Do I need to provide the tables?”
Some venues provide tables, chairs, linen, plates, and cutlery, while others don’t. If your venue doesn’t have them, you have to make sure that your caterers do. After all, nobody wants to show up on their wedding day only to find that there are no tables. As a side note, you may want to ask them about the additional fees for these services so that you can compare whether or not you should rent them from somewhere else.

“Which one do I choose?”
Once you have talked to enough candidates, you will start to have some ideas about which caterers you would like to work with most. It’s a good idea to set up a tasting for the final three or four candidates to have a better picture of who makes the best style of food you’re going for. This is going to cost you a few extra bucks, but to guarantee that you’re getting the service you’re after, it’s worth it.

You have to remember that every catering service has their own specialty, and these dishes will be the centerpieces of the wedding dinner. You want to make sure that there’s a wide variety of food choices to cater to all sorts of diets. For example, if the bride’s family is vegan, the catering service should accommodate them with vegan dishes.

It’s a good idea to have the tasting done months in advance so that you can finalize your decision within the same time frame. This way, the catering service has plenty of time to prepare themselves for your event. This can ensure better quality service and food, as the staff will have had time to practice and perfect the recipes.

Elegant Touch specializes in catering services in Perth, get in touch today to see how we can help.

Related Article: 7 Excellent Wedding Venues in Perth