How much food do you need for your corporate event?

At Brisk Catering we organise menus for many Melbourne businesses and we often get asked about food quantity. There are some things to be taken into account when organising your office event or corporate party so we decided to give you some guidance. It’s all too easy to go completely overboard when planning for your corporate do or business meeting but there’s no need to have a huge amount of wastage at the end of any catered event. 

How Much Catering

By the same token, no one wants to be responsible for organising a corporate function and having too little food! Important clients and customers leave feeling hungry, if it’s a party purely for pleasure you’ll find that people start to drift away early and if it’s a business meeting, your attendees won’t be giving you their full attention because their tummies are grumbling! So how do you strike the right balance? We’ll give you some of our best tips so you never get it wrong.

At Brisk Catering we organise menus for many Melbourne businesses and we often get asked about food quantity. There are some things to be taken into account when organising your office event or corporate party so we decided to give you some guidance. It’s all too easy to go completely overboard when planning for your corporate do or business meeting but there’s no need to have a huge amount of wastage at the end of any catered event.

By the same token, no one wants to be responsible for organising a corporate function and having too little food! Important clients and customers leave feeling hungry, if it’s a party purely for pleasure you’ll find that people start to drift away early and if it’s a business meeting, your attendees won’t be giving you their full attention because their tummies are grumbling! So how do you strike the right balance? We’ll give you some of our best tips so you never get it wrong.

Think About The Time of Day

Firstly, the amount of catered food you order for your corporate function depends on many different factors. You should consider the time of day because different mealtimes need different quantities of food. Always rely on the fact that people will eat more at lunch and dinner than breakfast. They will eat the most at dinner time (even though actually breakfast is the most important meal of the day). So take this into consideration and provide more meal options at dinnertime than at breakfast. That’s not to say you should skimp at breakfast time, but perhaps keep it lighter and have a few different options because some people like a hot breakfast whereas others are happy with cold, lighter choices.

Then again, sometimes you will be holding a meeting at another time of day, so consider when you’re holding your meeting, if it’s close to lunch then you’ll need a snack rather than anything too filling. If it’s mid-afternoon, rather than just a snack, serve a full tea with our sweet treats to keep your clients, customers or staff going until their dinner time after work. So – rule of thumb and obvious, cater according to the time of day!

Try and Avoid Too Much Waste

Obviously what you serve depends on how much money you have at your disposal, if money is no object you might not care too much about waste (but make sure you distribute it to those in need after your event), however if you do have a strict budget try and allow approximately 700 grams of food per person. This should satisfy everyone as it’s more than average to allow for a little waste. For a successful corporate function you shouldn’t have zero waste because then you have probably under-catered. Always remember that mains are more important than sides so go generous on these portions.

Seasons Vary

Another thing to bear in mind is time of year. When it’s hot, people don’t eat as much because their appetite dips so choose lighter options, sushi, salads, fruit platters, finger food is sufficient for events held in hot weather or mid-summer. Now, during the winter months and when weather cools right down people want more filling food, this is when pies, pasta and hot dishes should definitely be on the menu!

Type of Event

All of the above are important factors to consider when choosing the amount of food you want for your corporate do but also think about the kind of event you’re holding. For example, if you have a stand up do, it’s hard to hold full plates of food if there are minimal seating areas. Finger food is a better option but remember people do tend to eat more food when they’re relaxed because they are less conscious of themselves. At a business do, guests will put on a different side of their persona when eating so won’t over-eat or pile up their plates as much as they might do with friends!

For more advice on what to serve at your business or corporate event don’t hesitate to contact Brisk in Melbourne’s CBD, we will help tailor your event to perfection.

Types of Catering

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