3 Big Myths About Corporate Catering

So your company is throwing a party, an event, a conference – and they need professional catering services. They’ve asked you to be in charge of the planning, and to find a suitable caterer for the event. Hopefully, they’ve given you some detailed information on what kind of catered food and drink should be expected – but even if you have a detailed program, it can be slightly nerve wracking to go out and choose the company that’s actually going to cater the event. What if you make the wrong decision? What if the event doesn’t go as planned? These are natural questions to be asking, since they could reflect directly on you.

In order to help people better understand what goes into a successful corporate catered event, here are three big myths about corporate catering.

1. It doesn’t matter which caterer you choose

The idea that one professional caterer is the same as the next has led to many corporate catering debacles. When the stakes are high and there’s a lot of pressure to put on a good event, it would be nice to simply choose the first caterer that comes up on Google, give them a call, and start planning your event. There reality is that quality varies significantly.

2. The rules are different

Corporate catered events are obviously not the only events where the pressure is high. In fact, some might argue that standards for corporate catering are lower than standards for events of great personal importance, such as wedding receptions. Others say that standards for corporate catering are definitely higher, since career prestige could be on the line. The truth is, both of these arguments are wrong.

3. The caterer should do all the planning

This relates to the first problem, in which busy professionals hope that the caterer will simply take care of the details. Of course, you should expect the caterer to take care of the details – but if they don’t have a strong grasp of what the event is all about, who will be there, and what the expectations are, there will be a greater chance of miscommunications. That’s why it’s important to carefully plan together with your caterer from the outset, and communicate any pertinent details. Once the menu is set and all the pertinent information has been communicated, you should be able to completely rely on your caterer to take the reigns from there.

Finding the right caterer

It goes without saying that corporate catering is a high stakes game, and you absolutely want the event to be a success. You should be able to rely on a skilled, experienced catering company in your area – a company with specific experience in corporate events.

You’re probably also working with a very specific budget, so it’s vital to find someone who can work within your budget to deliver a result that will not just meet expectations, but exceed them. Organizing a corporate catered event may not be the easiest thing you ever do, but it will certainly be rewarding when the event turns out even better than you’d hoped!