Important Things to Remember When Looking For a Corporate Catering Company

#1. Build a relationship with a caterer that provides a variety of items.

It helps to have all your corporate catering deliveries made by one company.  If you want Bar-B-Q food one day and Italian the next, you can call two different restaurants, go pickup the food in disposable to go boxes, or you could call a corporate catering company that provides both Bar-B-Q and Italian cuisine.  It will be delivered to you, so you save time and energy.  With one corporate catering company providing all the service, you only have to coordinate with one company. A great corporate catering company can provide breakfast,snacks, lunch and dinner for multiple days and little hassle.

#2.  Communicate clearly with your caterer.

When you go to order or request a quote from River Plantation Conference Center and Catering (RPCC) it is important to communicate exactly what your needs are.  If your corporate catering guests are eating at 11 Am, you may tell your caterer that you need the food delivered at 11 AM.  When the caterer arrives at 11 Am, the guests are already waiting.  …It is important to distinguish between the eating time and the delivery time.  Give your corporate catering company time to arrive, get to the setup location and setup the corporate buffet.  Depending on the delivery site, it could take up to forty-five minutes to provide the delivery and setup. If your company is on the Fourth floor and the catering company has to check in at a loading dock, go through security, then wait for the commercial elevator, it may take longer.

#3.  All in the Details

In other words, if your corporate catering company isn’t perfect in execution, (maybe they brought long stem green beans with butter and dill instead of long stem green beans with roasted red peppers), call and talk to your contact.  Give the corporate catering company a “heads up” about the detail.  If it happens all the time, then move on.  If only happens once in a year, don’t bail.  It isn’t the perfection that is most important, but how the caterer responds to a problem.  If they jump through hoops to correct any problem, the over all customer service is the most important aspect of your relationship.  Also, not every guests likes every item every time.  If you are serving twenty people, it would be great for all twenty to love every detail, but this is not usually the case.  If you have a complaint, ask a few questions.  If a guest tells you they didn’t like the chicken, ask what they didn’t like.  Many times they will say “I don’t like any chicken” or “I didn’t like the sauce.”  If the chicken is fresh and moist, but they don’t like the sauce, then find out what sauce they like.  Don’t exhaust yourself trying to please everyone all the time.  If your boss is happy, then you be happy.

#4.  Remember who is paying the bill.

In a corporate setting, many times the person who is ordering the food is not the person who is paying the bill.  Find out what your budget is before calling the corporate catering company.  The caterer will ask you what menu you would like, if you want dessert, drinks, china, linen, etc.  Find out what the company budget is before trying to make these decisions.  Know your method of payment.  If paying with a credit card, know the number, expiration date, address of the credit card bill and security code.  Know if you have permission to sign the credit card slip.  Many times, you corporate catering company will require the signature of the person whose name is on the card.  Look at the caterers website and see if you can order online.  Many times, an online form will allow you to answer all the questions in writing.

#5.  Work with friendly people.

Life is too short to work with rude or unfriendly vendors.  If you call a catering company and they don’t have time for you or they are rude or unfriendly, move on.  Great customer service is not a lost art everywhere.  There are still many companies that make you feel great when you work with them!

#6.  Ask your corporate catering company if they have corporate meeting space available for larger Group.

If you need to have a holiday party or private meeting space, your corporate catering company may be able to recommend a venue or provide a venue for your off site need.  River Plantation Conference Center is self owned and operated but can assist in the Catering needs of other venues that are owned and operated separately from River Plantation Conference Center. This catering venue and meeting space is a perfect place to have a corporate event or party.

Building a great and lasting relationship can make a difference in your event planning duties at any company.  It saves you time and money to be able to make one call and secure multiple corporate catering requirements.

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