Planning the perfect brunch for your next corporate get-together.
It’s not breakfast, it’s not lunch – it’s brunch! A great way to serve large groups of people, brunch is a perfect way to cater for a day time corporate event.
Here are our top tips for making your brunch menu the success it should be:
1. Know your guests
While it can be fun to surprise people with food, for a corporate gathering it is probably best to know what will go down well with your guests so as not to disappoint. Make sure you know if any of your guests have special dietary requirements e.g. are they vegetarian, restricted by religious rules, or sensitive to any foods? Then make sure you avoid these or provide alternatives such as veggies and bacon alternatives.
2. Set the style and everything else will follow
Ask yourself what style of menu will suit your brunch. For a corporate event, would a plated sit-down meal work better than catering platters and food stations? Decide what would work best for your event and design your menu around that so that it flows seamlessly.
3. Think variety
A brunch doesn’t have to be just eggs or traditional breakfast fare. As it’s a ‘middle of the day’ meal, you can go big on variety, from eggs (done in different styles) to quiches, from meat-based to vegetarian.
4 Use fresh, seasonal ingredients and get the most out of them
Fresh, locally sourced ingredients are best as they give you the best chance of delivering delicious food, plus this supports local industries. Create variations of the same dish, combinations of flavours, or organise your dishes around a theme. This will help you to maximise on the ingredients, save on budget, and offer a menu that works well, from fruit platters to tartlets.
5. Think drinks
Depending on the event, you might (or might not) want to serve alcohol alongside standard brunch beverages like teas, coffees, and juices. Cocktails or mocktails make great brunch options. And don’t forget to get a professional barman and/or waitrons to make sure your guests are never empty-handed.
6. Keep things clean
Food poisoning is no laughing matter. Ensure that all the food you will be serving is fresh and properly prepared. Sushi, for example, makes a great brunch option but it needs to be prepared by an experienced sushi chef. When it comes to suppliers, ensure they follow rigorous health and hygiene procedures. You want your event to be memorable for all the right reasons, not because your guests were ill.
7. Add personal touches to your menu
Whether it’s an ingredient that’s a team favourite or a nod to the history of the organisation you’re catering for, personal touches add that something extra to a menu. And they make for great talking points too!
8. Book a caterer
Delivering the perfect menu as part of a big corporate event can be a stressful undertaking. Why not hire the experts to help? A professional caterer will be able to handle the large volumes of food and high pressure of the dining room that are associated with corporate catering. And, don’t forget to book them far in advance to ensure you secure the booking and have enough time to plan, discuss, and revert on the menu.
Food will fuel your event (literally and figuratively!) so it’s worth spending time on the menu and making sure it’s tops, especially if it’s a brunch that the only meal of the day.