Offering corporate catering: how to get started

For catering companies, it can be challenging to find regular customers. Consumers only have a sporadic need for catering, for example, for weddings, communion parties and birthday parties. This means businesses lose time and money attracting new customers. The solution? Attract another target group: companies. Because, unlike consumers, companies do have a regular need for catering. For example, customer meetings, company lunches or just to celebrate their employees.  

Why is it smart to offer corporate catering as well?  

Corporate catering gives you the ideal way to generate more turnover. Companies are regularly looking for caterers they can rely on and partner with. A weekly lunch for their staff, monthly customer meetings, quarterly meetings with shareholders, events and many other important meetings where snacks, lunch and even dinner are essential. In short: regular customers and more assignments. That's the aim of corporate catering! In addition, these meetings are often attended by other company leaders, making them the ideal opportunity to expand your customer base with no extra effort. Therefore, make sure you have business cards or even leaflets to hand out.   

Different target groups for corporate catering

When you offer corporate catering, you are dealing with several new target groups. Companies come in different forms and sizes and have different needs. You have start-ups that hold marketing events, small companies that have a weekly lunch or even picnics in nice weather, and large multinationals that regularly hold team building events. It is therefore important to be flexible in your approach.  

You should also take into account that there will be guests that have different dietary needs and preferences, and even allergies. So you need an expansive range. To achieve the necessary variety, partner up with a reliable supplier like La Lorraine Bakery Group. Our range of breads, savoury snacks, sweet snacks, patisserie and viennoiserie is available for different diets: gluten-free, lactose-free, high-fibre, vegetarian and vegan.  

Tip: label your dishes to indicate allergens and diets — avoid misunderstandings and allow customers to enjoy your food worry-free. 

How to create a corporate catering menu that everyone will enjoy

The most important question to ask yourself is how much time there is to eat. This will determine what dishes you can offer. Will participants be eating during the meeting? Provide some quick snacks that guests can eat at room temperature. Catering a company lunch but low on time? Prepare some cold dishes that can be eaten quickly. For example, Italian breads, salads and sweet treats like muffins and waffles.  

For events, it's important that you offer finger food that can be eaten standing up. This can include mini pizzas and mini patisserie as a dessert. Is your customer inviting shareholders or new potential customers? Then pull out all the stops, and offer unique mini snacks and luxury Italian snacks. 

Inspiration for corporate catering

Want to provide a few formulas but lacking in inspiration? The chefs at La Lorraine Bakery Group are here to help:  

  • Healthy company lunch

    • Quinoa salad with grilled vegetables: a nutritious and colourful salad with gluten-free quinoa as the base, complemented with grilled vegetables, such as bell pepper, courgette and carrot. Add feta and goat's cheese for extra flavour and protein. Note: this will mean your salad is vegetarian but not vegan. 

    • Wrap with grilled chicken and avocado: a light and filling wrap containing grilled chicken, avocado, mixed lettuce, tomato and yoghurt sauce. This dish offers a good balance of protein, healthy fats and fibre. 

    • Vegetable soup with lentils: a hearty and healthy soup based on lentils with vegetables such as carrot, tomato and spinach. Perfect for a warm, Mediterranean lunch option. Garnish with fresh herbs for an extra refreshing touch. 

  • Italian dinner (because Italian concepts always go down a treat)

    • Lasagne à la bolognese: a classic Italian lasagne with layers of rich bolognese sauce, creamy béchamel sauce, and melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese. 

    • Risotto al Funghi: a creamy risotto with a rich mushroom flavour. Perfect as a main or side dish. 

    • Bruschetta al Pomodoro: crispy pieces of bread topped with fresh tomato and basil, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

  • Dessert buffet

    • Mini tiramisu cups: individual portions of the classic Italian tiramisu.  

    • Apple crumble cheese cake: soft cream cheese cake with pieces of apple on a crumble base with caramel and cinnamon, finished with a cane sugar crumble.  

    • Chocolate mousse: creamy, airy and made with real Belgian chocolate.


Products to expand your corporate catering offering

LLBG: your reliable partner for organising corporate catering

Are you looking for a reliable partner to help you offer corporate catering? La Lorraine Bakery Group has more than 80 years of experience in the milling and bakery sector. We'd love to share our knowledge and expertise with you. So plan a meeting with one of our representatives.

La Loraine Group
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