How to Feed a Company Retreat
How do you plan meals for a company retreat?
- Secure the number of people going
- Look into the amenities of the location
- Assign the cooking or hire the catering
- Understand the retreat schedule
- Add variety to the meals
Overview
- Noting the number of people coming is the first step in planning how to feed a company.
- Amenities can influence the dining experience of your employees and staff.
- Personally preparing your food or hiring a catering company is an important detail to plan for company retreats.
- Retreat schedules are necessary to know when planning mealtimes.
- Adding different dishes to the menu is key to ensuring the satisfaction of your team.
As one of the important corporate events, retreats are often planned by the company to enhance collaboration in a team. Aside from planning activities that can bring teams together, an important aspect of it is the food and services they provide to guarantee the guests’ good time.
In this article, we look at how to feed a company retreat successfully, seeing to it that each employee and staff is catered for. Read on to learn five factors to consider when planning a meal for this type of event.
Secure the Number of People Going
When planning any event, it is important to get an idea of the size of the party. Retreats can range from company-wide gatherings to smaller team outings with fewer than ten members. Understanding the guest count is essential for establishing a suitable budget to cover each attendee’s needs. This information guides the budget planning process for food, whether it’s prepared in-house or by professional caterers.
Aside from the headcount, it is often useful to already ask the guests for their dietary restrictions like peanut allergies or religious lifestyles. This not only helps in personally preparing the food or finding caterers but also shows employees and staff that they are taken care of and accommodated.
Look into the Amenities of the Location
Retreat planners normally tend to go for locations that will accommodate various activities. For retreats with sports as a general activity, a place like Aquamarine Recreational Centre in Batangas City is the best option. Apart from basing it on the activities, it is also essential to consider the venue’s amenities to guarantee a seamless dining experience.
A few venue amenities to consider ensuring a comfortable mealtime:
- Availability of simple cutlery such as plates, cups, utensils, and the like.
- Accessible kitchen with drinking water and basic kitchen equipment like pots, pans, stove, and fridge.
- Outdoor or indoor dining spaces and if they have enough tables and seats for the party.
- Whether or not the garbage management is the guests’ or the venue’s responsibility.
These amenities are especially important to look for so that caterers can plan accordingly. Whether it is space for buffet-style dinners or setting interactive food stations, this information can help caterers make sure that you maximize your company retreat experience.
Assign the Cooking or Hire the Catering
Since company retreats fall on the medium to large size, figuring out the cooking set-up is key to a successful event. While there are a few offices that would rather cook for themselves, this responsibility can be heavy because of the amount of logistics that should be planned out. This option means that retreat planners consider the ingredients and kitchen tools that they need to purchase or transport.
That’s why hiring a catering company is usually ideal to ensure that each employee and staff have fun. This decision often lightens the weight of responsibilities during the event. It is also the best option to ensure that everyone enjoys delicious meals cooked and prepared by professionals.
If your company is looking to hire a catering company, consider Juan Carlo for the job. We are more than just our catering services, we also commit to an international culinary experience that you and your guests can enjoy through our catering packages. Here are the available catering packages you can opt for the company retreat:
- Asian plated menu
- French plated menu
- American plated menu
- Mediterranean plated menu
- Arabic plated menu
- Spanish plated menu
- Filipino fusion plated menu
- Customized plated menu
- Carving stations
- Sushi and sashimi bar stations
- Dessert stations
These packages can be flexible to accommodate any company retreat size, and if you want to add more confidence to your meal choices, you can book a tasting experience with us today.
Understand the Retreat Schedule
Understanding the retreat schedule is key to ensuring everyone can enjoy their time in the outing. When retreat planners know the progression of the event, they can plan meal or snack times accordingly. This is to guarantee that the team’s energy will remain intact throughout the various activities.
For retreat activities that are longer like a scavenger hunt, planners can squeeze in a simple snack time in the middle of it. For heavy action activities such as sports and team building, prior meal times can be a fulfilling but light menu that can ensure energy without being too tired.
Add Variety to the Meals
The most important factor in how to successfully feed a company retreat is the menu. After considering the dietary restrictions or lifestyles of your employees, including varieties on the menu can add a pleasant surprise. Whether you want a family or buffet-style, dishes from foreign recipes or popular local dishes from your venue’s location add cultural inclusivity to your event.
Adding variety to your meals can also influence the taste preferences of your team. When companies provide diverse meals to the menu, they create avenues for team members to enhance or widen their food palette, molding a memorable taste experience in the retreat.
Key Takeaway
Food is essential in many events like a company retreat. Companies must make thoughtful decisions to accommodate their employees and staff, guaranteeing an overall successful retreat.
At Juan Carlo, we ensure that clients and their guests receive dishes that will add to the quality of any event. Our many years in the business are a testament to our dedication to our culinary craft. If you’re planning to add our award-winning dishes to your company retreat, contact us today to learn more.
