I planned our company’s fall party last year. Got volunteered for it, really, someone asked if anyone wanted to organize it and I made eye contact at the wrong moment. Suddenly, I’m responsible for feeding 85 people, finding a venue, and making sure nobody gets too drunk at an open bar.
The catering was the part that stressed me out most. Our budget was $3,500, which sounds like a lot until you start getting quotes and realize it’s not. We’re in northern NJ, close enough to NYC that half our staff lives in the city. Everyone has opinions about food. Someone’s gluten-free. Someone else is vegan. Three people have severe nut allergies. And the sales team wants steak.
I learned a lot. Made some mistakes. Figured out what actually matters when you’re planning corporate catering for a fall event. If you’re the poor soul who got stuck organizing your company party this year, here’s what I wish someone had told me.
Corporate Catering Event For Your Best Employees
Start Earlier Than You Think You Need To
I started planning in late September for an early November event. Thought six weeks was plenty of time. It wasn’t. Every decent corporate catering company I called in NJ was already booking into December. The good venues had maybe one or two dates available in November, and they weren’t dates that worked for us.
Fall is packed with corporate events. Everyone wants to do their holiday party before the actual holidays, when people travel. October through early December is slammed. If you’re reading this in September and thinking about a November party, you’re already behind. October party? You should’ve started in August.
The caterers with availability on short notice were available for a reason. I looked at one place that had wide-open availability. Went to taste their food. It was cafeteria-quality at premium prices. Hard pass.
We ended up booking a caterer who had one cancellation for the date we needed. Got lucky. Don’t count on getting lucky.
Budget Reality Check
Corporate catering costs more than you expect. My initial budget was $30 per person. I quickly learned that gets you basically nothing in this area.
For decent food with service in NJ or NYC, you’re looking at $50 to $75 per person minimum. That’s for heavy appetizers or a buffet. Plated dinners start around $75 and go up fast. Open bar adds another $25 to $40 per person. Suddenly, my $3,500 budget was maybe enough for 45 people, not 85.
I went back to my boss and explained the math. He found more budget. If he hadn’t, we would’ve done an afternoon event with appetizers and a limited bar instead of a full dinner. That’s significantly cheaper, maybe $35 to $45 per person.
Figure out your real budget first. Don’t waste time looking at caterers you can’t afford. It’s depressing and doesn’t help.
Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
Service charges and taxes add 25-30% to your quote. Every single time. The quote says $4,000? You’re paying $5,200. Plan for this.
Some venues charge you to use their space even if you’re bringing in outside catering. Others require you to use their in-house catering, which might be more expensive. Delivery fees if you’re having food brought to an office. Rentals for tables, chairs, and linens if the venue doesn’t provide them.
We had to rent coat racks because the venue didn’t have enough for 85 people. $150 for coat racks. I didn’t even know that was a thing to budget for.
Dietary Restrictions Are Non-Negotiable
I sent out a survey asking about food restrictions. Got back 12 responses out of 85 people. Figured most people eat everything, moved forward planning a menu.
The day of the event, I found out seven people were vegetarian, three were vegan, someone kept kosher, and two people had shellfish allergies I didn’t know about. The caterer had prepared for the restrictions I’d told them about, basically none, and we scrambled to figure out what people could actually eat.
One of the vegans ended up eating salad and bread. I still feel bad about that.
Now I know: plan like at least 20% of your group has dietary restrictions, even if they don’t tell you. Build that into your menu from the start. Most company party catering companies can handle this if you tell them upfront. They can’t handle it if you surprise them day of.
Have clear vegetarian and vegan options that aren’t just “the meat dish without the meat.” Nobody wants a plate of side vegetables while everyone else eats real food. And label everything clearly so people know what’s safe for them to eat.
Menu Selection Matters More Than Venue
I spent weeks stressing about finding the perfect venue. The catering menu? Picked it in 20 minutes from whatever the caterer suggested.
Wrong priority. People remember if the food was good or bad. They barely remember what the room looked like unless it was really spectacular or really terrible.
We did a buffet with three proteins: chicken, salmon, and short ribs. Sides were roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and salad. Safe choices. Nobody complained, nobody raved. It was fine.
This year I’m doing something more interesting. Passed appetizers during a cocktail hour, then food stations instead of a standard buffet. Taco station, pasta station, carving station with beef. More interactive, more variety, people can eat what they want.
Costs about the same as last year’s buffet but feels more upscale. The event catering company I’m working with this time suggested it; they do a lot of corporate events in NYC and said stations are trending.
Service Style Changes Everything
Plated dinners look fancy but have major downsides. Everyone sits and waits while servers bring food out. Takes forever. You need to collect meal choices ahead of time, which means tracking who ordered what. And if someone shows up who wasn’t expected or didn’t RSVP with a meal choice, the caterer might not have food for them.
Buffets are efficient. Everyone gets food relatively quickly. No need to track meal choices. But they can feel less upscale, and you get long lines if you don’t have enough stations.
Stations are the middle ground. Multiple smaller buffets are set up around the room. Shorter lines, variety, and still relatively quick. Feels more sophisticated than a standard buffet.
We did a buffet last year because it was the cheapest. Doing stations this year, even though it costs slightly more, because the experience is better.
Timing and Flow
Don’t do dinner immediately. Cocktail hour with appetizers first gives people time to arrive, mingle, and have a drink. Then transition to dinner.
We made people sit through 20 minutes of speeches before dinner last year. Huge mistake. Everyone was starving and annoyed. This year, speeches are after dinner when people are fed and happy.
Also, don’t do open bar all night unless you want chaos. We did beer and wine only, plus a signature cocktail. Kept things under control without being cheap.
Work With the Caterer, Not Against Them
My caterer last year suggested several menu changes based on what works well for corporate events. I ignored most of their advice because I thought I knew better. I didn’t.
They suggested individual desserts instead of a dessert bar because it’s cleaner and faster. I insisted on the dessert bar because it seemed more impressive. The dessert bar was a mess. People took too much, got it everywhere, and half of it got wasted.
They suggested coffee service during dessert. I said people could get coffee at the bar. Then everyone wanted coffee and overwhelmed the bartenders, who weren’t prepared for it.
Listen to people who do this professionally. They’ve seen what works and what doesn’t at hundreds of events. You haven’t.
NYC Versus NJ Makes a Difference
We looked at doing our event in Manhattan instead of NJ. The venues were nicer. The catering options were better. The price was 40% higher for everything.
If your company is split between NYC and NJ, pick based on where most people are. Making 60 people travel from Manhattan to New Jersey for a party isn’t great. But paying NYC prices when most of your staff is in NJ doesn’t make sense either.
We’re in NJ with about 40% of staff in the city. We do the party in NJ. The NYC people deal with it. We provide car service for anyone who doesn’t want to drive, which is cheaper than doing the whole event in Manhattan.
This year, I’m considering a venue right by the PATH train in Hoboken. Easy access from the city, NJ prices. Best of both worlds, maybe.
Worth Getting Right
Planning corporate events isn’t my actual job. It’s extra work on top of everything else. But when the party went well last year—despite my mistakes—people talked about it for weeks. It genuinely boosted morale.
This year, I started earlier, got better catering, and listened to the professionals. It’ll either go smoothl,y or I’ll learn new lessons about what not to do. Either way, at least people get fed.
