What are the 5 Types of Event Catering?
Planning an event can be a challenge for a lot of people, and sorting out the food can be one of the biggest tasks. Understanding the different types of catering services available can be a useful part of the planning process and being able to hold a successful event for your guests or provide quality catering to clients or employees. It is important that you take the time to understand what all the available options are when you are planning an event so you can choose the right one. Each catering service will be slightly different from each other in terms of the type of service, pricing, and the number of caterers and catering staff provided.
Before you decide on a particular catering service, you need to ask yourself a few questions. What is my budget? What is the number of guests that I am expecting? What kind of event am I planning? What is the season or the time of year? Taking into account these factors will help you to choose the service that best suits your needs. There are a few main types of catering services that you should know about to make sure you can make the best decisions and book a service that works for you.
Corporate Catering
Corporate catering provides food and drinks to business and corporate functions. These functions could cover a wide range of options, from onsite, small office gatherings like meetings to offsite, upscale dinners and large events. The cost of a corporate catering event will also depend on the size and the formality of the function that you want to host.
It is important to keep in mind that while some corporate functions are professional and elegant, many others have a more relaxed feel. These events can serve as opportunities to bring colleagues together, build relationships, and to network together. This means that it is important to hire a catering company like us that specializes in serving corporate events, and who can create the right atmosphere, depending on what you want. Hiring a caterer that specializes in other functions, such as weddings, may not be the best idea, as it could turn out to be wasteful and not the right fit for your needs.
There are several types of corporate catering, including:
- Breakfast
- Lunches
- Barbecues
- Conventions, trade shows, and conferences
- Board meetings
- Product launches
Buffet Catering
For buffet catering, different kinds of dishes, including hot and cold options, are set out on large tables for guests to choose from. These dishes will usually be laid out in a line, and the guests at your event will come to the buffet line to serve themselves (or be served) from the dish or dishes that they choose. This type of catering service is popular for both corporate and social events, as it allows guests to mingle and chat more easily. For the client, it can also be more affordable and can be served more quickly than a more formal sit-down meal.
Social Event Catering
Social event functions are usually more intimate affairs and need more attention to detail by your caterer. This category covers all kinds of special events, such as birthday parties, retirement celebrations, grand openings, housewarming parties, and bridal and baby showers.
A social event catering package could include appetizers, decor, bartenders, and servers, although there could also be a fuller menu on offer. Due to the smaller nature of these events, catering menus for social events tend to be different from party to party, depending on guest numbers and preferences. To make your event successful, we understand that we need to carefully consider your dietary needs, allergens, preferences, and cultural beliefs.
There are a few different main types of social event catering:
- Stationary platters
- Hors d’oeuvres
- Small plates and stations
- Three-course plated dinners
- Buffet
- Outdoor barbecue
Office Delivery Catering
For delivery catering to your office, the caterer prepares the food somewhere away from the office, packs it up into disposable containers and delivers it to your office for you. The client who orders the food will usually order online, over the phone, or through a mobile app, and pay for the catering once the food has been delivered. Lunches for meetings are one of the most common reasons to use office delivery catering.
Restaurant Catering
With this kind of catering, an event is held at the premises of the caterer. The restaurant will usually be customised and decorated to fit the needs and wants of the guests. An event like this is most suitable for social events, such as birthday parties. Restaurant catering can be more expensive to book, as you will need to pay for enough tables and meals for all your guests. This could be the whole restaurant if your event has a lot of guests.
The list of possible catering services is almost endless. The service you choose for your event will depend on the atmosphere that you want to create, the sort of food you want to serve, and the reasons for throwing an event. You don’t want to hold an event only for your guests to leave feeling disappointed (or hungry!) so think carefully about what kind of event catering would work best for the event you need to arrange. If you aren’t sure what you want or what would work best, call us for a chat and we can offer advice.
Country City Catering is a first-class, versatile event and drop-off catering company based in London. If you need event catering or drop-off catering with a focus on sustainability, we'd like to hear from you so please get in touch. To get in touch, you can fill in our contact form here, call us on 0208 6484 549 or email us at info@countrycitycatering.com. We have a wealth of seasonal, daily changing menus for regular catering contracts. We provide a 'drop off catering' service available either as a buffet or individually packaged or a fully managed in house catering service. Our menus change seasonally and are always on-trend.