Catering For Small Groups

 A common misconception is that hiring a catering service is only for large-scale events with lots of people attending. This is far from the prevailing trend in recent years. Catering companies also serve little social events, with some gatherings with as little as ten people in attendance. Catering service is now scalable, which means reputable companies can serve as a thousand guests to as little as ten attendees with the same level of quality customer service and of course, a delectable catering menu that delights the senses. 

Why choose catering service for small groups?

Consider hiring a corporate catering company if you want to impress investors or set up a brunch with colleagues. You’ll be busy with office work and the only thing that you need to do is set up an appointment with a catering company, so you can enumerate some of the things that you want included on the menu. 

Catering for a small group is ideal, especially if you do not have the time. Most importantly,  if you want to make sure that your guests enjoy a delicious spread during an important office-related function.

Having a catering company serve your office lunch is also cheaper than renting a venue and ordering take out. Plus, the presentation of food by catering companies is more palatable than food that is packaged in plastic containers. If you want to maintain a more formal atmosphere, seeking the services of a catering company is the best way to go. 

Hiring a catering company to serve at your mini corporate event or intimate catering with friends and family eliminates the need for you to grocery shopping. If you have a lot on your plate, shopping for ingredients, preparing food, and cooking will be overwhelming. Hiring a professional catering company will eliminate all the hassles, so that you can take care of other aspects of your event. 

Small-scale catering services allows you to focus on more important things

Instead of wasting your time coming up with a menu, looking for a chef to cook the entrees, and picking up the food, a full-service catering company does all the hard work for you. Simply sit back, relax, or focus on other important matters. Such as making a presentation for your co-workers and guests, or arranging the other important aspects of the gathering. 

There are catering companies that have a list of menus dedicated for small groups. You may also work closely with the caterer and develop a customised menu for your event. However, if you are organizing an event on short notice, you may choose from their existing menus instead. 

Choose a caterer that has experience in serving small groups

If you want to make sure that all your needs are met and that the food will arrive on time, choose a catering company that specialises in serving small groups. These companies already have a system in place which allows them to work with utmost speed and efficiency. Which ensures no delays in the preparation and delivery of food to your office or venue.

Catering for small groups usually is a “self-service” type of buffet. A table will be set up strategically with food delivered to your location. There won’t be any servers to assist guests. This is a cheaper catering service option and is ideal if you are working with a limited budget. 

There are also catering companies that simply drop off the food. You will then be responsible for serving them on dishes and placing them on a serving table or serving them to guests. Either way, make sure to prepare and have enough people to assist you in serving the food during your small event. 

Before setting up an appointment with a catering company, make sure to go over this mini checklist. This checklist will help you decide on how your menu will look.

• Who are your guests?

Analyse your guests’ demographics. Are they open-minded when it comes to food or are they conservative? Are you hosting a casual event or a formal event? Do you know if your guests have dietary restrictions or are suffering from any food allergies? 

These are just some of the examples that you need to ask yourself and ask your guests, too. Knowing your guests’ dietary restrictions is essential. So you can plan ahead and prepare a menu that will be delicious, safe, and satisfying to all of your guests.

• Where are you hosting the event?

It’s important to consider the size of the event space when using a catering service. You need ample space to store and serve the food. It is also important to have a space where you can prepare the food before it is served. There should be some basic kitchen appliances like a refrigerator and microwave oven, so you can keep some food for later and heat dishes before serving them at the buffet.

• How much food should you order?

Regardless of the number of expected guests, you need to make sure that you order a little bit over the usual serving sizes for small caterings. It is more problematic to have too little food than excess food. 

One effective way of staying within your budget is to serve the food in smaller plates. When you have bigger plates, people tend to fill their plates, and most of the time, guests really don’t finish the food on their plates. Another good tip to keep your expenses down is to offer a wider variety of dishes. We typically feel fuller faster when given too many food options.

Make sure to follow the tips we have enumerated above and rest assured your mini catering event will be a guaranteed success. Square Catering specialises in catering services for small corporate functions. If you want to set up an appointment with us, so that we may discuss your event, call our direct line today.