Ever had one of those sales meetings where your audience just isn’t engaged? They’re yawning often, glancing at their watch every few minutes, and staring into space. Then before you even get a chance to pitch, you’ve already lost most of them.
But it’s easier to get their attention than you might think. The best way to make sure this doesn’t happen again? Serving food that demands their attention.
With the right catering for sales meetings, you can make a great first impression through food, keep your prospects happy, and make the impactful pitch that closes the deal.
In this post, we explore how to strategically approach your office meeting catering and discuss why food is a key differentiator when it comes to the daily experience for everyone in the workplace.
A well-fed audience is a happy audience. And that’s exactly why you want to have catered meals for sales meetings. Here’s a quick look at some of the ways free food will improve the sales meeting experience and ultimately, the meeting’s outcome.
According to Tork's Take Back the Lunch Break survey, 91% of employees say that taking a break helps them maintain mental focus. Another 88% say they feel refreshed and reenergized after stepping away. This speaks volumes about the impact that food has on people's energy and ability to focus.
A satisfying spread could give attendees the energy they need to stay alert throughout the meeting. So they’re paying attention to your pitch instead of zoning out.
There’s something about sharing a meal together that keeps the conversation flowing naturally. People are friendlier and more open, which helps them connect with others.
Office meeting catering could help you break the ice and connect with attendees over a shared meal, be it clients or colleagues. When this happens, the result is conversations that are constructive and collaborative rather than forced.
Free food shows attendees that you value their time and experience. This reflects positively on who you are as a partner, a vendor, and an employer. When done correctly, catered meals at your sales meeting can instantly make a great impression on your audience.
There are a lot of moving parts involved with planning catering for your sales meetings and beyond.
Let’s look at some of the main factors to consider:
Outside of pitching to a client, there’s plenty of other meetings that food would make an impact at. Are you: brainstorming strategy with your team? Reviewing the quarter’s performance with stakeholders? The location, duration, tone, and audience will vary across different meeting types and the food you serve should align accordingly.
Planning catering for sales meetings is as much about when to serve food as it is about what to serve. You may have some of the best sales meeting food ideas, but you also need to time it just right so you’re not serving meals too late or too early.
Think about the timing and duration of your meeting. If it’s scheduled in the morning, when people are likely to arrive hungry, a satisfying breakfast could help you start the day strong. Similarly, full-day sessions will require a substantial meal around lunchtime, in addition to coffee and snack breaks in between.
You’ll need to time your deliveries accordingly, typically around 15 minutes before you want to serve the food. So you’ll have enough time to set things up or handle last-minute glitches without the risk of hot food getting cold or vice versa.
When you’re planning in advance, you don’t want to risk running out of food and leaving some of your attendees hungry. It’s frustrating for everyone, and it doesn’t help your reputation. At the same time, you don’t want to end up with food waste by ordering too much.
Make sure to get an estimated headcount before ordering meals for your office meeting. Ask your contact directly for an approximate number of attendees. You can even use virtual scheduling tools to let attendees RSVP to your meeting invite and get a more accurate headcount.
Factors like the timing and type of meeting will influence the type of food you want to serve. Based on this, you’ll then need to consider what catering style works best for your meeting:
Whether you need delivered box lunches for a client meeting or traditional drop catering for a QBR, Fooda’s Corporate Event Catering solutions let you find the perfect style that works for you.
One thing to remember when planning what to order for a sales meeting is that people will have different dietary restrictions. Some may need gluten-free options, while others might have a shellfish allergy. Meanwhile, you’ll also have attendees who only eat vegan or vegetarian dishes.
You need to plan the menu to accommodate these diverse dietary needs. This isn’t just about ordering a bunch of different options, but also about preventing cross-contact so you don’t put people’s safety at risk. Here’s what you can do:
Planning the perfect menu involves knowing what foods to avoid. While certain items may work well for casual sessions with internal teams, they might be too distracting or inconvenient for important client meetings.
You should typically avoid foods that are:
If you’re still wondering what to order for a sales meeting, you might need more specific ideas for inspiration. Let’s share some of the best sales meeting food ideas that work for different meetings throughout the day.
Mornings are when people often rush to work. Some of them might even skip breakfast and only have enough time to grab a cup of coffee on the way. They may be hungry and low on energy, which means your audience is distracted. You want to energize them with light and familiar breakfast options that keep their minds fresh and alert.
Lunch is where a lot of offices get things wrong.
With this being a time when people are most likely to be hungry, you want to serve meals that are filling and satisfying. But to many, satisfying means heavy, which leads to afternoon slumps.
Additionally, lunch also becomes a distraction when it’s treated as the main event. So instead of having productive discussions, people are spending most of the time waiting in line and choosing what to eat.
The key is to strike the perfect balance between satisfying and convenient. Consider options that will keep the meeting moving without leaving attendees hungry.
Afternoons are when the energy slump usually hits. Back-to-back meetings and all-day sessions will often have attendees bored and tired around this time. Offering quick pick-me-ups is a great way to shift their attention back to the meeting and energize them for the rest of the meeting.
At the same time, you should skip the sugar-rich snacks like cookies and pastries unless you’re prepared for the sugar crash just a few minutes later. Instead, offer a selection of light and healthy snacks for a quick energy boost.
Dinner meetings are less common, typically involving celebrations and high-profile client accounts. So you need an impressive selection of meals that match the occasion.
Think of upscale options like salmon and steak (with vegan and vegetarian alternatives, of course). Or celebratory family-style buffets that encourage people to interact in a more casual setting, which could ultimately boost collaboration.
Explore Fooda’s expansive catering menu for more sales meeting food ideas.
Fooda lets you choose the perfect catering solution that works for your sales meeting. From individual boxed lunches to high-end white glove office lunch catering, you can find a style that works for every meeting with us - no matter when or where.
You get to choose from a large network of top-rated local restaurants serving diverse cuisines, so there’s something to suit every team’s palate. And with a catering concierge managing everything from ordering and scheduling to tracking and payment, you get to focus on your meeting and make sure your pitch goes smoothly.
Ready to order catering for your next sales meeting? Get in touch with Fooda or start designing your customized food program today.
