Ordering in catering for lunch meetings may seem like a simple idea at first glance, but once you’ve taken a good look at the budget considerations, dietary restrictions, health considerations and finally the wide and diverse range of taste preferences you need to satisfy?
The whole thing becomes a tad daunting.
Luckily, there are ways you can go about your catered lunch that reduce the amount of stress involved in what should ideally be a nice treat.
So we’ve decided to help take the stress out of catering and have written you a quick rundown of some of the great catered working lunch ideas so that you can spend your meetings discussing the important things, rather than worrying about the food.
Platters for lunch meetings
Platters are a great option if you’re feeding a large group of people, or maybe just trying to satisfy large appetites as everyone can serve themselves.
There is a slight distinction between the two types of platter – meals that are designed to be served on a platter, and meals that just happen to be served platter style for convenience.
As you can imagine, there’s an absolute immense variety of food that can fit into these categories. Charcuterie boards, cheese trays, meze and antipasto platters featuring olives, feta and crusty bread are great options if you’re looking for something cold, as are salad platters, which can be as diverse or as paired back as you need.
If you’re after a hot meal, rice dishes such as biryanis, and grilled and roasted meats can be easily served up platter-style, and are sure to go down well with the team.
Platters are also great because they reduce packaging, and are way more environmentally conscious than individually servings. They’re also a great way to take differences in appetite into consideration, as everyone can serve themselves. After all, there’s nothing worse than leaving a catered event hungry.
Finger Food for lunch meetings
If you’re looking for something appealing yet deceptively easy, finger foods are the way to go. Finger foods can be easily dressed up or down depending on the formality of the meeting, and can really elevate the mood – perfect if you are trying to impress.
The visual appeal of finger foods is also a great way to cater for a smaller scale meeting or working lunch, as it gives you the aesthetic pleasure of a full spread without needing to over-order and end up left with unnecessary food waste.
Finger foods work because a massive range of food falls under this category, making it easy to fit catering into the budget and make sure that everyone gets something they like. From cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches to an array of unagi and tuna sushi rolls, and everything in between, finger foods are a great solution to the catering conundrum.
Sharing Foods for lunch meetings
If you’re looking for the team to really get comfortable with each other and collaborate, and you don’t mind a messier food option, there’s a lot of benefit to ordering in something for everyone to share.
It’s a great way to bring a more casual vibe to a meeting, especially if you’re all working together on a big project, especially since a less formal environment can bring forward some out of the box ideas.
The ultimate sharing experience is obviously pizza, which is especially great for bringing the team together – everyone likes treats, after all. Pizza is a great option because no matter how you order it – cheesy, meaty, thin or thick crust, served with a fresh and bright tomato and rocket salad or deep fried chicken wings on the side – there’s little chance that people will be left disappointed.
Sweet Treats for lunch meetings
Although we don’t want to overindulge on sugary puddings and treats, we love the freedom to satisfy our sweet tooth in moderation. Keeping sweet treats as something you have in the office occasionally can be a great morale booster, and are perfect if you want to have catering at a meeting that is outside of normal eating times or are celebrating.
Oftentimes simple things can often do the trick, and a fruit salad can be the perfect light accompaniment to your day, but sometimes it’s worth going the extra mile – after all, if you’re only having it occasionally, you might as well enjoy it.
If you want to really make a splash with your desserts, follow the example of one of our clients and order in a tray of mini cakes, personalised with an edible logo decorating each one! A nicely arranged presentation of brownies, blondies, lemon meringue cakes and mini fruit tarts are something that’ll brighten any meeting room, no matter how gloomy. You could also go dessert-inspired for a special morning meeting, serving up scones with cream and jam alongside an array of traditional breakfast pastries like croissants. This may not be the healthiest start to your day, but it’s certainly the happiest!
Individual Boxes for lunch meetings
Serving up individual lunch boxes is a great way to take most of the guesswork out of catering as it allows for everyone’s meal to be modified depending on their individual dietary requirements and palates.
Allowing everyone control over their order is also great because it allows for more experimentation – you might pause over ordering the miso crusted cod for the whole office, but if given the option it could allow someone to discover their new go-to lunch!
You can also get more experimental with different cuisines in one order, from Turkish grill to Hawaiian poke bowls, which is great if you’re looking for an office perk to reignite a sense of excitement about being in the office. With single serving lunch boxes, the sky is really the limit – whether you’re craving hearty salads, a steaming bowl of ramen, or a delectably crunchy fried chicken sandwich, getting an individual lunch means your meal can be truly catered to your desires.
Looking for More?
Of course, another easy way you can reduce your catering stress is by working with a dedicated office delivery platform that gives you access to exciting, artisan food options across multiple cities, and the ability to work with dedicated account managers who work with you to make sure everything runs smoothly. If that sounds good to you, you need to try Feedr!
