All about Corporate Catering
1. Number of Guests
How many guests are you catering for? Try to get a good idea (as accurate as possible) of how many attendees are expected. Always overestimate your head count to allow for last minute RSVPs.
2. Male/Female Ratio
Consider the expected male/female ratio and remember that men tend to eat more than women!
3. Budget
If you have a budget, let us know so that we can make the most appropriate suggestions to suit. We can create catering menus to suit anywhere between $10 and $100 per head, so please give us a rough indication so we can make the ordering process as smooth as possible.
4. Special Diets
Be aware of any special dietary requirements and let us know! You can use our easy-to-navigate Special Dietary pages including, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, FODMAP friendly, Low Fructose & Keto friendly… or feel free to give us a call! We love chatting to our customers and can discuss which products we think will best suit your guests.
5. Time of Day
Consider the time of day you will be holding your event. As a general rule (according to our own extensive experience), people tend to eat more at Morning Tea and Lunch, and less at Afternoon Tea. You may choose to order accordingly, or simply go ahead and hold an epicurean feast no matter the time of day (we heartily congratulate you)!
6. Quantity
Not quite sure how much food to order? Are ‘rounds’ and ‘serves’ confusing you? We get it. Let our friendly catering consultants put an end to your headache by giving you the answers you’re looking for. Call us on 03 9320 5000, chat to us on Live Chat, or select the ‘Recommended amount’ checkbox on your online order to allow us to do the math for you!
7. Is it Enough?
No-one wants to be known as the host who ran out of food. Keep your guests happy by rounding your food quantities up, not down. Trust us when we say: it’s always better to have a little left over than to leave your guests hungry (and running across the street for some greasy junk food).
8. Variety
If variety is what you’re looking for, we can help you order a wide range of delicious foods and determine which items are more likely to fly from the table, so you can order higher quantities of our most popular dishes.
9. Type of Meeting
Consider the type of meeting you are catering for. Are the attendees in separate rooms? Or are you working through lunch and need a no-fuss, easily devoured option? For these scenarios we recommend individually-served items, such as our esteemed breakfast boxes and lunch boxes. For stand-up cocktail-style events, we suggest smaller, bite-sized items, such as our range of heavenly cold finger foods and hot finger foods. If you’re catering for a large group, or hoping for a more formal setting, you might consider adding wait staff or bar staff, and looking at our buffet-style, sit-down lunch and dinner selections.
10. For the Sweet Tooth
Don’t forget that a food event without dessert is like eating bread without butter – pretty dry and far less exciting. If you know what’s good for you (and your guests), always cater for the sweet tooths in the room. We have a large range of handcrafted sweets and cakes to choose from, and if you’re looking for a healthier option, we recommend our exquisite fruit and cheese platters.
11. Quench that Thirst
When presenting your guests with an ‘impressive’ sumptuous spread, don’t forget to have drinks ready to go! This is important for a myriad of reasons, including the need to quench thrist, cleanse the pallet, and enjoy the heavenly range of alcoholic bubbling beverages we have on offer.
12. Coffee and Tea Please
To avoid disappointed and bleary-eyed guests, make sure you have enough coffee and tea available at each event. For all-day functions, consider setting up a permanent coffee and tea station for the day, and if you have a large number of guests you may need two or three! We also have Nespresso machines for hire, so you can surprise your guests with something a little fancier.
13. Equipment
Making sure you have the appropriate equipment and tableware for a catered corporate event is almost as important as the food itself. Does your office have sufficient platters, plates, cups or glasses, and silverware? (No-one wants to eat soup from a napkin). If not, we are happy to take care of this for you. You may also require a warmer or buffet chafing dish if your event exceeds two hours. If it is a stand-up cocktail event, serving trays for both food and beverages also come in handy. You may also like to consider high-bar tables or sit-down dinner tables for a more intimate affair. We also have a range of special presentation stylish platters and baskets for those wishing to give their event some extra pizzazz!
14. Delivery Time
Allow time for unforeseen circumstances. We do our absolute best to deliver our delicious goods to your door right on time. However, we advise you to set your delivery time for at least 15 minutes prior to your event if you are ordering hot food or 30 minutes prior to your event if you are ordering cold food. This allows for any circumstantial problems that may arise, such as unpredictable traffic and road construction.
15. Order in Advance
Give yourself plenty of time before your event to place your order! With more time, we can work with you to ensure we get your order exactly right and make it the very best it can be. Of course, for those unexpected short-notice requests and last-minute events, we have an ‘impressive’ Express Menu to make the impossible possible!
16. Favourite Orders
If you’ve ordered with us before and want to replicate your last ‘impressive’ experience, simply log in to your online account, view your Order History and your Favourite Orders, and select a previous/favourite order with a simple click of your mouse.
17. Order Confirmations
After placing your order, always check your email for a confirmation of your order. Please note that when you order online you will receive an initial automatic responder email – this is not a confirmation of your order. A confirmation of order will be an email which is sent directly from one of our customer service consultants to your inbox. If you don’t receive both your automatic responder and confirmation from one of our consultants by 5pm, please contact us immediately.
18. How to place an order
There are many ways to place an order at Impressive. Click here to view them all!
