Columbus, Ohio is known for its status as a state capital, its passionate sports fans, and being home to The Ohio State University. One lesser known highlight, however, is the city’s food scene. Columbus hosts a number of thriving cultural communities, and each offers new, innovative takes on culinary classics.
The city’s corporate landscape is exceedingly competitive, with companies all vying for the same top talent. One way for companies to stand out amongst the crowd is by leveraging the thriving local restaurant scene. By leveling up your corporate catering game, you can attract and keep the best talent Columbus has to offer, even when new opportunities come around.
While food programs are a great retention tool, organizing corporate event catering in Columbus can quickly become a complex, time-consuming endeavor. To ensure your event runs smoothly, you need to pick the right format and tailor the menu to your employees’ unique tastes. There are a lot of decisions to make, so we’ve assembled a quick guide to help you get started without weighing down your administrative team with logistical headaches.
When organizing corporate catering, it’s important to expand your menu offerings beyond the standard options. Columbus has a thriving local restaurant scene, and employees are unlikely to be impressed with generic food choices. By partnering with new local restaurants each time you need catering, you can keep employees engaged in your events and leave them looking forward to the next one. Narrowing down your choices can be overwhelming, so we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best catering options in Columbus. They’re all part of Fooda’s local restaurant network, making it easy to get them into your office for your next event.
If you’re looking for a more unique catering option, Fusian offers sushi platters, poke and rice bowls, salads, and sides. They have a huge selection of toppings, allowing you to build custom orders that match your employees’ tastes and dietary needs. For a more hands-on experience, they also offer live rolling demonstrations.
Binge serves modern twists on traditional Indian halal cuisine. From smash burgers topped with Indian seasonings and savory shawarma rolls to kebabs, rice bowls, and loaded fries, their menu offers a great selection of unique, adventurous meal options. The spot is family-owned, making it a delicious, truly local spot.
This American-Mexican fusion spot was founded on a love of bold flavors. They offer everything from walking tacos to sides to extra large crunches. With vegetarian, vegan, and build-your own options, Crunchwerks makes it easy to appeal to large groups.
Redtyes offers a unique take on soul food with an entirely pork-free menu. They have a full menu, consisting of chicken, turkey, beef, and fish dishes, along with a stellar collection of classic soul sides. If you’re looking to bring Southern culture to the midwest, Redtyes is a solid choice.
With a wide variety of both classic and creative flavors, Buckeye Donuts is the perfect dessert spot for any office looking to sweeten an event. As their name implies, they’re deeply rooted in the Columbus community. Their buckeye donut is especially popular, featuring a thick chocolate glaze with peanut butter in the middle.
Every city is unique, and Columbus is no exception. While the city comes with plenty of perks that make living there worthwhile, it also hosts some obstacles that can make organizing corporate catering more difficult. Here’s a list of three things to keep in mind, and how to address each challenge.
Columbus is a major Midwestern corporate hub, hosting multiple Fortune 1000 companies across multiple industries, including insurance, energy, healthcare, banking, and retail.
Columbus is also emerging as a major player in terms of corporate growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the city sits at a 3.2% unemployment rate compared to the national average of 4.1%. Columbus also ranks 4th in the nation for job growth, substantially outranking the rest of the Midwest.
This thriving market means that potential employees have plenty of opportunities to choose from, and smaller companies often struggle to compete with major corporations. In addition, the city is home to The Ohio State University, the largest university in the Midwest. This introduces a lot of new graduates into the market, and OSU’s top-tier programs create a diverse pool of applicants with a lot of potential.
When it comes to attracting new talent, every detail matters, and seemingly small changes can make a big difference. By improving the daily workplace experience, you can show potential candidates that you care about your employees’ wellbeing, not just their productivity. One of the easiest and most immediately visible ways to do this is by offering food in the workplace.
Catering corporate events, such as meetings and celebrations, can brighten employees’ days and show ongoing appreciation. This approach can also help you keep your current employees happy, which will increase your retention metrics, even if new opportunities come along.
Columbus is home to a surprisingly rich collection of cultures. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15% of the city’s population consists of immigrants, and they’ve introduced new flavors and culinary traditions that have created a diverse, dynamic food scene.
On the West Side, you can find a wide selection of Mexican, Central American, and South American cuisines. As the name suggests, Italian Village holds a variety of Italian spots, each with their own dishes and backstories. In the University District, there are plenty of East and South Asian options, with the neighborhood’s density making it one of the most prominent cultural hubs in the city. Scattered throughout, you can also find Mediterranean, North African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern offerings.
Columbus’ rich culinary history has created a population with a taste for quality and variety. By swapping standard sandwich-platter catering with more diverse, personalized options, you can create memorable experiences that will leave employees looking forward to any corporate event. When you give employees access to the food they enjoy in their personal lives at work, you can increase the level of engagement and participation at your events, creating a ripple effect. Employees are more inclined to meaningfully contribute, allowing them to build connections and better understand the company’s mission. This in turn increases their productivity levels and encourages them to do their best work.
Columbus is by far the largest city in Ohio, spanning over 200 square miles. The greater metropolitan area is even larger, sprawling out over 3,000 square miles. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and it can complicate corporate catering logistics.
When selecting a restaurant, you have to make sure they’re within a reasonable distance. You also have to vet each restaurant you work with to ensure that they follow food safety protocols and are able to keep their food at a stable temperature during travel.
You also need to ensure the provider you choose is able to deliver on-time. If the food arrives too early, it will be cold by the time your employees go to eat it. If it’s late, everyone will be left waiting, causing frustration and disrupting your timeline.
Ultimately, accurate timing can make or break your event, so it’s important to get it right, but the burden of ensuring everything flows smoothly shouldn’t fall on your team alone. Your catering provider should be able to handle delivery and setup logistics independently.
To take pressure off your admin team while ensuring that your catering elevates your event rather than bringing it down, work with a caterer with plenty of experience and a proven track record. Working with a third party provider can help facilitate delivery logistics and handle day-of operations for you, so you can serve memorable meals without the stress.
When planning a corporate event in Columbus, there are a lot of different formats to choose from. The right solution depends on a number of factors, including who’s attending, how many people you’re feeding, the level of formality, and the event’s goal.
Addressing the challenges teams face when organizing corporate catering in Columbus doesn’t have to be difficult. With Fooda’s unique, fully-managed catering model, you can consistently source great catering for any event, from laid-back brainstorming sessions to formal company-wide galas.
Fooda has spent years building relationships with local Columbus restaurants. They’ve all been vetted for quality, reliability, and food safety, meaning you can always count on great food and a streamlined experience. You also get easy access to plenty of variety without having to independently coordinate with each new restaurant you try.
Fooda works with clients to find the best fit for their team, then coordinates with vendors to organize the rest. We handle everything from menu offerings to delivery timing, and setup all the way through clean-up. This allows your administrative team to focus on other aspects of the event rather than worrying about the food.
For corporate catering, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Every event is different, especially in Columbus’ diverse job market. Fooda has catering options for any type of event, and we approach each project with experience, expertise, and creativity. You always have one point of contact, making it easy to hand over the reins without being left completely in the dark.
Consistent, high-quality event catering shows that your company is invested in providing a stellar employee experience. This can be a huge differentiator for job seekers, and feeling appreciated and cared for can make current employees more inclined to stay in the long run.
If you’re ready to simplify corporate catering, contact a Fooda representative to get started.
What food is Columbus known for?
Columbus is known for its culinary diversity, with heavy presences of North African, Asian, and Latin American cuisines. It’s also home to a few staple foods, including Columbus-style pizza, cream puffs, fried bologna sandwiches, and, of course, buckeye candies.
How much does corporate catering cost in Columbus?
Costs vary based on format, headcount, and restaurant selection. Per-person pricing for corporate catering in Columbus typically ranges, from low-cost casual boxed lunches to more expensive higher-end plated or white-glove service for formal events. Working with a network provider like Fooda lets you compare local restaurant options at different price points without contacting each vendor separately.
What's the best catering option for a small office team in Columbus?
Boxed meals or a small grazing table work well for smaller teams because they minimize waste and keep setup simple. They also make it easy to accommodate individual dietary preferences without a full buffet spread.
Can Fooda accommodate dietary restrictions like halal, vegan, or gluten-free?
Yes. Fooda's Columbus restaurant network includes options like Binge Halal Foods and Crunchwerks, which offer halal, vegetarian, and vegan choices, making it easier to accommodate mixed dietary needs within one order.
Does Fooda handle setup and cleanup for corporate events?
Yes. Fooda coordinates with vendors to organize delivery timing, on-site setup, and cleanup with its restaurant partners, so your team can focus on the event instead of catering logistics.
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