How Your Venue Can Hold Contactless Events by Offering Catering
The Delta variant of COVID-19 this summer has impacted consumers’ dining habits across the country, causing some to stop or reduce their frequency of going to restaurants, venues, or events in person. Instead, they’re relying on takeout, delivery, or only sitting in venues’ outdoor spaces rather than indoors.
Your venue can overcome this trend and generate revenue by adding or expanding one particular hospitality service: catering.
Catering is the perfect way to allow your customers to dine or hold events, enjoying the cuisine they love from your venue in whatever space they feel most comfortable. Here are three ways your restaurant can upgrade its catering program to appeal to today’s consumers:
1. Target social events
A few years ago, most people would balk at having a wedding, a big celebration, or a cocktail party in their homes or backyards, but COVID has changed that mindset. People are still having these events at home or at outdoor areas like parks or beaches, but they still want the professional touch that comes with a chef or catering staff preparing the menu. Your restaurant needs to be at the top of their list when deciding on where to order the food for their special occasions.
Create catering packages that allow flexibility for food and cocktail choices and guest count for events like:
- Weddings
- Engagement parties
- Bridal showers
- Bachelorette parties
- Bachelor parties
- Anniversary parties
- Baby showers
- Cocktail parties
- Family reunions
- Birthday parties
- High school or college graduations
- Holiday parties
2. Appeal to corporate clients
The corporate world is still adjusting to this new normal, but managers and employees are desperate for celebrations or a special touch to their workday after spending more than a year working remotely. Catering to an office, meeting space, or workers’ homes can help facilitate social interaction without sacrificing safety. Make sure that your catering packages can scale up for larger guest counts and think of individual meals so employees can grab and go.
Corporate planners are looking for catering packages that work for the following events:
- Corporate events or celebrations
- Meetings
- Conferences
- Hybrid events
- Networking parties
- Office lunches
- Breakfast meetings
- Happy hours
- Snack breaks
3. Don’t forget everyday occasions
Knowing that your favorite restaurant has a special menu for everyday occasions in life just makes those occasions more special. Think about what your customers celebrate or gather for on nights or the weekends with family or friends. These smaller celebrations are well-suited for a smaller catering order, takeout, or meal kits for customers on the go or those who want to spend the evening at home without doing any cooking or cleanup.
The list for these everyday occasions is endless, but here are a few ideas:
- Picnics
- Girls’ night or guys’ night in
- Theme parties like luaus, beach parties, Mardi Gras, casino nights, holidays, or seasons
- Wine or beer tastings
- Backyard party or glamping
- Brunch
- Date night
Manage it all with TripleseatDirect
TripleseatDirect enables restaurants and hotels to offer on-premise and off-premise events and catering to be booked by their clients, directly from their website, social media platforms, or EventUp. TripleseatDirect provides your customers with a simple online booking solution where they can book, plan, and pay for in-house private events, off-site catering, pickup, and delivery with zero friction.
If your venue isn’t using TripleseatDirect feature yet, head on over to our TripleseatDirect page for more information or to book a demo.