Guide to Ordering Drop Off Catering
We often work with exceptionally busy people that have been asked to order corporate catering for a last-minute boardroom meeting or office party, just like the corporate breakfast catering in Mount Waverley recently that we had to deliver for a client who had international guests arriving and the receptionist originally forgot to organise breakfast! Fortunately, Essential Catering + Events was there to help save the day.
Essential Catering +Events specialises in drop off catering and corporate catering throughout Melbourne, and Melbourne Eastern suburbs including drop off breakfast, lunch and dinner corporate catering to areas such as such as Mulgrave, Burwood, Balwyn, Camberwell, Doncaster and many more. Often this can be the first time a staff member has had to organise, and for many ordering, the right type of food for your business event can sometimes seem to be a daunting task. So, we have developed a ‘drop off catering essential guide,’ to help businesses to easily nail their food catering orders!
Before your order your drop off or corporate catering here are few things to consider first:
How many guests are attending and are there any special dietary requirements?
This one might seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how often guest numbers go up at the very last moment with corporate catering! If you think your numbers are likely to increase, it is best to order extra catering just to be on the safe side.
Finding out if your guests have any allergies or special dietary needs is a must! If you are unsure of any special dietary requirements, it is best to play it safe by including some ‘all-rounder’ special meals that can cater for the most common allergies (e.g. Gluten, Dairy and Nut) and we would always recommend selecting some vegetarian choices for your guests.
What is the purpose of your event or drop-off catering requirements?
This is an important question to answer because if the purpose of the meeting is for a ‘working lunch’, you may like to consider catering choices that are easy to eat on the go such as finger food, sandwiches and wraps. If the purpose of your event is to entertain some VIP clients at an office catering event, you may wish to consider a hot buffet lunch or a la carte menu.
How much to order?
Remember that male guests will generally eat a little more than female guests. As a general catering rule, we would recommend that you order at least 1.5 ‘rounds’ of sandwiches for a male guest. Sandwiches and wraps are quite filling and some side salads, fruit and cheese boards and a sweet item for after lunch will always be well received.
If your boardroom meeting runs for the entire day, we would recommend ordering both morning tea and afternoon tea in addition to your lunch menu to ensure your guests are energised throughout the day.
Equipment and refrigeration
Remember to ensure that your office has enough bench and fridge space for your drop-off catering order if you are not planning to serve your food straight away. Other important things to consider are serving utensils and tea and coffee making facilities and equipment (no good office meeting ran without a good cup of coffee!)
Delivery Times
Finally – make sure you communicate your delivery times clearly with your chosen caterer. It is always to be well prepared with an earlier catering drop off. Make sure you communicate your address and delivery access so that catering orders can be dropped off at the right place with no hold ups. A good tip is to advise reception or security that you are expecting a drop-off catering order so that you be alerted to this straight away once your delicious boardroom catering arrives.
Whilst Essential Catering + Events offers flexible corporate catering and corporate drop-off catering at affordable rates including vegetarian options, gluten-free catering and utilising fresh and local produce and a large range of corporate catering menus to choose from, we also have a specialist corporate and office catering team who can help and guide you with all your needs and answer any questions you may have. All you need to do is phone us on 9761 4188 and our foodies will be there to help.