When you gather around with your friends and family for either lunch or maybe even brunch, you may have noticed that some of your friends avoid certain types of food or ingredients.
Most of the time, common dietary restrictions turn out to be nuts or dairy products. The same goes out for any guest at corporate events.
Corporate events are a great way to bring together company management, clients, and employees, whether through conferences and seminars or team-building exercises. These events tend to go on the entire day and one important aspect of it is breakfast catering.
With catering, comes many responsibilities. Food intolerances, allergies, and special diets are more common than ever, and failing to account for dietary requirements when preparing the catering menu can come off as inconsiderate towards the attendees’ food choices. You would want your company to seem inclusive of everyone’s preferences so an all-rounded catering menu is what you should aim for.
It’s essential that the guest feels their demands are not only accommodated but also handled with the same attention to detail as their fellow guests, regardless of whether they are avoiding particular foods or methods of preparation for cultural, religious, medical, or personal reasons.
In this blog post, we will look into how you can try to accommodate the dietary needs of all guests at corporate breakfast catering events.
Notify the catering service in advance of any dietary needs
When sending out invitations for your event, it’s better to have an option where the guest can RSVP if they have any dietary restrictions or food allergies. Food allergies in particular can be life-threatening so it’s crucial to take them into account. This will not only give you the time to start working ahead on the menu in collaboration with the catering company to come up with alternative options which are allergy-friendly.
Communicate your requirements to your catering service
When hosting a corporate breakfast catering event, it’s always best to hire a catering service to carry out the more difficult portion of the event—the preparation of meals. They have the proper knowledge and expertise about what they serve and other safe alternatives that can be used. They will know which options would best suit any vegetarian or vegan attendees as well. They can even help out with customizing the spread to accommodate everyone’s dietary needs.
Serve a wide range of options
Offering a wide range of options is always a good idea. An array of dishes will not only provide more options for your guests to choose from but also accommodate different dietary needs. For example, people with lactose intolerance can always opt for almond milk for their morning coffee. In addition, for those with a gluten allergy, you can offer gluten-free baked goods such as breakfast muffins or even offer plant-based options such as tofu scramble.
Ensure dishes are labeled properly
You may have seen this at most buffets—it’s extremely crucial to label the food you serve to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. Failing to label the food can lead to accidental consumption, which may lead to health issues among guests. It’s even better if you could go the extra mile for your corporate breakfast catering event and add notes next to dishes that contain nuts, dairy, or gluten. Your hired catering company should be able to help you with this.
Offer build-your-own and customizable options
Offering customizable options allows the guests to make their own choices regarding the food—it’s a great way to accommodate specific dietary needs. For example, a great dietary-friendly option for corporate breakfast catering would be hosting a build-your-own oatmeal bar with a variety of side toppings such as fresh fruit and seeds, allowing guests to create a breakfast that fits their dietary preferences and needs.
Corporate breakfast catering events require careful planning and communication
You can make sure that everyone can enjoy a delicious breakfast that satisfies their dietary needs and preferences by asking about their dietary restrictions in advance, speaking with the catering company, providing a variety of options, labeling food clearly, and offering build-your-own and customizable options. Hire a catering company to ease the process of putting together the breakfast catering menu for your event.