Easy Steps to Prep for Holiday Event Season
/Once November hits, it seems like our calendars fill up with holiday events left and right. Everybody wants their company celebration or their family reunion catered and it’s up to us to serve each and every one of them with the same level of high quality care.
It’s arguably a more challenging time for caterers as the planning window is shorter — we don’t get a year to test out the perfect menu for hundreds. In most cases, it’s mere weeks or even days. The typical client isn’t really thinking about Christmas when it’s 90 degrees in September, so it isn’t until around Thanksgiving that we really start to see the events come in.
It can easily become overwhelming for a catering staff if they aren’t prepared, so it can help to start looking ahead even before the bookings flow in. Let’s explore a few ways you can easily prep for holiday events and effectively navigate the demands of the hectic season.
Get an early start
Early is always best, so it could be worth pre-planning and making certain foods ahead of time, even if it’s months before the holiday season. Freezer-friendly dishes are an excellent way to make use of downtime earlier in the year to save yourself some time is the middle of the rush.
“We do a lot of planning in advance,” shares Anthony Labatos of Footers Catering. “Batch preparation for many of our hors d’oeuvres that can be frozen starts happening now. We also try to streamline our offerings for December so that it makes production easier on our kitchen.”
Opt for a simple menu
Since you have a shorter window for planning menus, sourcing ingredients, and preparing the food, now isn’t the best time to get experimental and offer every client a completely unique selection. If you have the capabilities to do so, by all means. However, most catering companies operate on limited manpower and resources, so complex menus across the board will add unnecessary stress and stretch your team too thin.
Save the customized menus for your longer projects, like weddings and galas, and take the streamlined route with familiar recipes and meals that can be made in large batches and shared with love.
Take care of your team
When you’re in the throes of spring wedding season, life is busy but you typically reserve your weekends for onsite event days. During the holiday season, however, you can easily book holiday parties on a daily basis which keeps your team on their feet for the whole week.
“Keeping your staff engaged and positive is key to getting through the holiday season,” says Adam Gooch of Common Plea Catering. “Little things like doughnut days, gourmet coffees, and even cases of Red Bull can improve the overall performance of the team to meet your deadlines. Setting up a small coffee station in the kitchen costs next to nothing, since you likely have things laying around for this — but it makes the impression that it makes for your staff to know you’re doing something nice for them.”
The holidays are a time for celebration, which might seem hard when you can barely find time to rest between the demands of clients. By planning ahead and being smart with your resources, you can make the process much easier on yourself and your team — and you can rest easy knowing January is just around the corner.
