Food has always been a huge industry. However, today, its influence stretches far beyond simple fuel and into the realms of health and wellbeing too. It’s something that can feel like a reward or have a practical impact, such as avoiding the empty stomachs that can lead to a lack of concentration. The right catering is an essential part of ensuring that your office meetings are productive and well attended and can also contribute to staff wellbeing too.
Do you have to provide food?
The short answer is: no. However, there are a number of benefits to investing in catering that present a very convincing argument when it comes to providing refreshments for staff. These include:
- It’s basic hospitality. If you sent out an invite to an event or party and then didn’t provide any refreshments that simply wouldn’t make sense. Why not apply the same rule when you’re inviting staff to meetings?
- Food is motivating. Particularly if you’re running breakfast or lunchtime meetings, or expecting staff to attend something outside of regular office hours, food just makes sense.
- Providing refreshments creates opportunities. If you’re struggling to get internal teams to collaborate, or the business feels disjointed and hierarchical, then providing food at meetings can help. How? Well, people tend to be sociable while they’re eating and will often use the opportunity to network and share ideas across team boundaries that may otherwise not be crossed.
- The wellbeing element. You can use catering to expose employees to healthier food choices they can integrate into their own lives. It may also be essential with respect to educating staff about nutrition for wellbeing, such as the importance of eating breakfast to ensure productivity throughout the day.
How do you choose the right catering for office meetings?
There are plenty of options when it comes to providing food for office meetings – some, or all, of the following may work well for your business.
- Interactive catering. For example, food stations are set up where guests can prepare simple dishes to encourage interaction and networking.
- DIY food. This is a great idea if you want to give staff plenty of choice. A salad bar is probably the most traditional example, where staff can create a salad plate to their own taste using the different components that are on offer.
- Sharing platters at sharing tables. Another simple way to get people talking and interacting is ensuring that your meeting catering is provided on big sharing platters and consumed around communal tables.
- Educational food stations. If you’re looking to educate employees then provide different food stations with guidance on nutritional values, plate sizes or vegan options, for example, at each one.
- Retro style. From familiar childhood treats to comfort food, selecting the right options for your catering can help people to feel at home and relax.
Choosing the right catering for your office meetings can enhance the meetings themselves, improve staff engagement and wellbeing and generate greater collaboration within the business.
If you’re looking for a simple solution to your business catering requirements, why not get in touch? With our business catering service, you can enjoy the finest quality, and delicious food beautifully presented for all your needs including working lunches, VIP events, product launches and hospitality events.
Give one of our friendly team a call on 020 8899 1100 to learn more and discuss your requirements.
