You’ve booked the venue, and you’ve started firming up the guest list. Employees are RSVP’ing and putting the date in their work calendars. Now it’s time to turn your attention to one of the most important parts of the holiday party—it’s time to think about the menu.
You want your guests to be impressed with the food, both the taste and the presentation. In fact, you wouldn’t mind if you heard employees talking about it near the water cooler on Monday or for weeks afterwards. Begin your search for the right caterer, and consider some of these fun catering ideas for your work holiday party. They’re guaranteed to be a hit.
1. Bring the World to Your Work Holiday Party
Chances are your workplace has a diverse range of employees, many of whom are going to come to the holiday party. Why not wow everyone with a selected international menu?
You can easily pick festive dishes from around the world, and you can incorporate different traditions and holidays as appropriate. For example, in Japan, it’s traditional to serve cake on Christmas Day. Maybe there’s a great Mexican dish or a selection from the Philippines you can consider.
Just be sure to adjust for the dietary needs of employees who are attending, and you’ll have a truly impressive menu. If you choose to go with an event caterer, they can assist you in preparing an all-inclusive menu.
2. Combine Dinner and the Movies
Many people have favourite holiday films that they crack out of their cases at this time of year. Some of these holiday classics feature classic dishes. Why not take inspiration from some great holiday films and inspire your menu that way?
This can even work well with adding an international flair to the menu. Step away from turkey and try Peking duck, featured in A Christmas Story. Spaghetti is Elf’s favourite dish, although you might want to skip the maple syrup and go more traditionally Italian for your guests.
3. Let Your Guests Sample Food with Miniature Dishes
Still not sure what to serve? A great solution to this issue is to serve some of everything. The best way to do it? Make everything miniature.
By serving miniature dishes, your guests can sample a wide range of different dishes and foods. Best of all, they’ll still have room for the (miniature) desserts you’re serving up later.
4. Impress Guests with Presentation Flair
Part of what makes food taste good is the presentation. If a dish looks delicious, it’s more likely that it will also taste delicious. The presentation can actually impact the flavours your guests experience.
Wow your guests at the work holiday party by setting up different serving stations for various dishes. Some good examples include a carving station for a meat dish or a station where bartenders mix drinks for guests.
This is a great way to mix entertainment in with the food. Not only do guests get to enjoy a fantastic dish afterwards, but they can also be entertained as they watch professional servers plate up the food with flair and expertise.
5. Up the Ante with Wine Pairings
If your work holiday party is alcohol-friendly, you might want to consider taking things upscale by offering wine pairings for different dishes. This can also help you control the amount of alcohol guests ingest at the party, without limiting their fun.
Encourage guests to sample different wines with various dishes. Guest may try two or three pairings per wine. If your party is alcohol-free, you can also think about dessert pairings, or pair meats and cheeses with various breads.
These aren’t the only fun ideas there are for your work holiday party menu, of course. Talk to your caterer and begin crafting a memorable menu everyone’s sure to enjoy.
