Functions: The Food Factor
Published on 17 April 2024
Cheat Sheet to Menu Selection!
When planning an event, it's essential to recognise that different occasions call for different catering formats.
'Nothing brings people together like good food'
Establishing the purpose of your event helps define the most suitable dining method. So, ask yourself a few key questions about what you hope to achieve at your event to reach the ideal service solution.
Would you like guests to network and forge new connections? In such cases, a buffet-style or cocktail style setup might be ideal, allowing for mingling and interaction.
What is the focus? Do you want teams/regions/families/students together? If the event calls for guests to be located within specific groups a seated dinner with assigned tables may be the best way forward.
Do guests need to be seated? Consider any lengthy speeches or formalities that may require guests to be seated for ease of viewing or comfort.
What styles can your venue accommodate? Perhaps you have your heart set on a venue but the maximum capacity for a banquet style layout does not fit your guest numbers? Don't let that stop you, think outside the square. Consider conducting your formalities in a theatre style set up and use alternative space for roving canapes and substantial bowl food as a great alternative which requires far less space.
What time is your event taking place? Determine whether the catering is in place of a meal or in addition to it, for example is it over dinner or an accompaniment/light refreshments for post-conference drinks. What may your attendee expectation be? Will they arrive having already eaten? It will be hard to concentrate with a rumbling tummy, and a hungry guest will remember your event for the wrong reasons!
By carefully considering these factors, you can tailor the dining experience to suit the specific needs and objectives of your event, ensuring a memorable and enjoyable occasion for all attendees.
Let's Explore 4 Function Favourites:
The Banquet Menu:
Formal dining at it's finest! Elegant sit-down affairs add a touch of sophistication.
A carefully curated Banquet Menu is perfect for formal sit-down affairs. Offering a choice of two or three courses designed and prepared with an emphasis on flavour, colour, texture and nutritional balance, conveniently served discretely to guest tables. Suitable for awards ceremonies, conference dinners, key note speakers, dinner dances, fundraising galas and celebratory dinners.
The Cocktail Menu:
Perfect for stand-up events, casual or a bit fancy!
Let guests mingle freely as they indulge in a selection of delectable savoury and sweet bites.
Our team serves a selection of hot and cold canapés, with optional substantial bowl dishes or street food additions. Perfect for parties, networking events, post-event debriefings, award presentations and conferences.
When served in place of an entree, roving canapes provide additional time for browsing silent auction tables, viewing the centre's art galleries or simply enjoying conversation with other guests.
Service duration is customisable to fit your schedule.
The Buffet Menu:
A dining experience for all tastes: create your perfect plate.
Experience the joy of choice with our Buffet Menu, where guests can select and serve their favourite dishes or sample something new.
Buffets double as a decorative feature for your event, with a visual display of culinary delights, offering a blend of fragrances, flavours, colour and texture to delight all the senses. Another ideal option for sit down affairs, suiting either allocated or free seating options.
Grazing Stations:
Socialise and share! Plentiful stations of gourmet delights for an interactive dining experience.
Discover the art of socialising and sharing with our delicious Grazing Stations, where guests can graze on savoury and sweet delights throughout the event. Perfect for those seeking to indulge in a flavourful array of treats, our stations offer a delightful alternative to traditional meals, encouraging guests to mingle and enjoy the festivities.
Grazing stations create a base for activity and interaction, traditional antipasto style, deluxe dessert and cheese bars or themed stations to add an extra layer and talking point.