Corporate catering can easily constrict the budget for your event if you are not careful. In addition, failing to plan your budget well can also be disastrous, especially when the food you budget for is not enough. But this doesn't mean that you need to spend a lot of money for corporate catering. Here are a few ways in which you can minimize your corporate catering budget.

Make the Event Self-Serve

Self-serve buffets can assist you in doing away with the expenses of hiring staff to serve food. When talking to your caterer, enquire whether they can provide food that can be divided into portions. In addition, ask your caterer to ensure that the food is plated or laid-out and ready for self-serve.

Don't include "messy" items like spaghetti, because most people might skip serving them. This shows the importance of asking how you can keep the menu appealing and fresh. If the buffet is unstaffed, it means more work to your caterer, but it can help in reducing your budget because hiring staff costs caterers a significant amount of money.

Limit the Appetizer Choices

Caterers tend to recommend several choices for the appetizers. However, you can save your catering costs by limiting these choices to a maximum of three. If you want the guests to have something to bite before the main course, then you shouldn't spend a lot of money on appetizers. Too many appetizers can cause your guests to get filled up before even trying the main meal. If you want to limit the appetizers, try choosing the popular ones.

Minimize Your Budget on Tableware

When choosing your caterer or venue, ensure that they provide glasses, table linens, and crockery without adding extra cost. If you want to hire your own tableware, try to keep things simple in order to minimize your budget.

For instance, you can decide to use an all-purpose glass to serve water, wine and soft drinks. Also, you can ask your caterer to serve finger food that doesn't require cutlery. If you have countryside wooden tables, do not use table lines, but put a table runner at the center and allow its natural beauty to dominate.

Choose Simple Dishes

Simple dishes can make your guests satisfied without requiring you to spend a lot of money. Braised meats, stews, curries, rice, and pasta dishes can offer a good taste that many people love. You can talk to your caterer to help you choose a menu theme, like "All-American Dinner" or "A Taste of Thai" for your event.

If possible, swap the expensive meat cuts with cheaper ones. Also, sticking to the ingredients that are already in season can assist you to lower your budget. 

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