Whoever orders the office lunch has a small but surprisingly complicated job. Get it right and everybody eats. Get it wrong and someone spends the afternoon explaining why there are fourteen ham sandwiches and nothing they can have.
A little planning solves a lot of this. If you're arranging office catering in Newcastle, start with the people and the meeting before choosing the food.
Give the caterer a useful brief
Six details make the conversation much easier:
- How many people are eating. Use confirmed numbers where possible, and say when the final headcount will be ready.
- When the food needs to be ready to serve. Allow time for reception, lifts, unpacking and setting out.
- How people will eat. A seated lunch and a roomful of people balancing plates need different things.
- Dietary requirements and allergies. Collect these early and ask the caterer to confirm what they can safely provide.
- The full budget. Establish whether the quote includes VAT, delivery, drinks and any extras.
- The handover details. Give a clear address, a named contact and any access instructions.
None of this is glamorous. It is considerably more useful than discovering the delivery driver is outside the wrong entrance while the managing director searches for a fork.
Make lunch easy to enjoy
Think about variety across the whole order. People with dietary requirements should have something they can look forward to, with clear information about which food is for them. Confirm how the caterer will identify those portions.
Choose quantities and a format that suit the occasion. A quick sandwich between sessions is a different brief from a team lunch where people have time to sit and talk.
Fork provides catering from our café at One Trinity Gardens for businesses in Newcastle city centre and around the Quayside. The catering page has current packages, order deadlines and collection arrangements. Delivery is available subject to confirmation.
Send the date, headcount and requirements when you enquire. It gives us something useful to work with, and gives you a better chance of enjoying your own lunch as well.