Ordering food for the workplace can be a fun and rewarding part of the job, but for professionals handling a wide range of duties, it often feels like just one more thing on a never-ending to-do list.
Catering for corporate companies requires high-level attention to detail, and finding the time to research restaurants, compare menus, and accommodate various dietary needs can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. It doesn’t have to be this way.
If you want to create a memorable dining experience for your team, or impress prospects or clients with catered meals (without giving up hours of your valuable time), this guide is for you. Join us as we explore some of the ways you can streamline your current ordering process, so you remain the office hero and reclaim your days.
Key differences between corporate and other types of catering
Corporate catering isn’t your average party planning gig — it comes with its own unique set of requirements. When ordering catering for corporate companies, remember to keep these key points in mind.
1. Food choice is key
Catering for a corporate crowd often means accommodating a range of dietary restrictions and preferences. While providing vegetarian or gluten-free options, offering culturally diverse cuisines, or keeping peanuts away from the office may seem like minor details, the stakes are often higher than you may think.
During corporate events, impressions matter. Failing to recognize and accommodate needs can make your company appear insensitive or suggest that inclusion is not a high priority. This oversight can affect the comfort and satisfaction of every attendee, which in turn can impact the event’s overall success.
When catering for corporate companies, keep in mind that menu options need to be easy to eat, quick to serve, and suitable for a professional setting. It’s also important to avoid foods that are overly messy or have strong, lingering odors that can take away from the professional setting and disrupt the workday.
2. Flexibility is a must
From small team meetings to large, company-wide events, corporate catering often involves orders of varying sizes and scale. Unlike personal events, where the guest list is usually fixed, corporate events can change rapidly. A meeting might double in size at the last minute, or an all-day seminar could require additional refreshment breaks.
Ideally, your go-to corporate catering provider can accommodate a wide variety of group sizes and event types, while maintaining quality and consistency. The ability to adjust to these changes smoothly and efficiently can make a significant difference in the success of the event and the overall impression of your company’s organizational skills.
3. Timing is everything
Reliable, on-time service is critical to keep things running smoothly. When it comes to corporate catering orders, the food has to arrive on time. Late deliveries are annoying in a personal setting, but for corporate events and occasions, they can throw off the entire schedule, create unnecessary disruptions, and leave your team members feeling hungry and distracted.
Corporate catering challenges and solutions
1. Accessing a variety of food options — without the overwhelm
Along with hours spent researching menus, comparing prices, and checking restaurant availability, you’ll need to make sure the restaurant you choose can handle your group size and dietary restrictions.
While having a handful of go-to caterers is useful, it’s even better to have access to a wide variety of caterers and restaurants that excel in corporate catering. This is where ezCater comes in.
ezCater makes it simple to find exactly what you’re looking for, whether you’re planning a small team lunch or a company-wide event. With our easy-to-use filtering options, you can quickly sort thousands of caterers by food type, budget, and more, ensuring you find the perfect match for your event’s specific needs.
Additionally, you can take the stress of ordering off your back by using our Concierge Ordering service for corporate customers. After providing your preferred delivery time, dietary needs, and budget, your catering concierge will do the heavy lifting – building draft orders for your approval and following up with an email when they’re ready for you to review.
2. Choosing the right menu items
When ordering catering for corporate settings, it can be difficult to make everyone happy. Although some team members might prefer pizza or a burger, ezCater’s Food for Work Report found that 62% of workers say they want to eat healthier meals during the workday. But here’s the catch: a “healthy” meal can mean very different things to different people.
There’s also a good chance you’ll need to accommodate at least a few dietary restrictions and food preferences, from keeping peanuts far away from the office to ordering kosher or halal meals. These types of dietary restrictions go beyond simple preferences – they’re essential to keeping your team safe and respecting their cultural or religious beliefs.
ezCater’s group ordering feature is the perfect solution when you’re ordering catering for corporate companies. It lets every group member choose what they’re in the mood to eat, so you’re not left wondering if you ordered the right thing. You simply choose the restaurant, set a per-person budget, and share the menu link with each person in your group. It’s a time-saving option whether you’re ordering lunch for 5 or feeding a team of 500.
3. Ordering the appropriate amount of food
Ordering the right amount of food can be a tricky balancing act. Too little, and you risk leaving some team members hungry and disappointed. Too much, and you’re left with wasted food and a blown budget.
ezCater’s portion guide takes the guesswork out of ordering by offering suggested portion sizes based on the number of people you’re feeding and the type of meal you’re serving. This handy tool helps ensure you’ll get it right every time.
Choose ezCater for stress-free corporate catering
Corporate catering doesn’t need to be a hassle. Let ezCater do the heavy lifting, whether it’s getting the perfect order for a company kickoff drafted by a corporate catering concierge, or allowing each team member to choose what they’d prefer to eat at the weekly meeting with our group ordering feature. Start a corporate catering order today and see how efficient ordering can be.
