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We’re approaching the end of the year, and workplace holiday parties are in full swing. These parties show your employees that you appreciate them—a little extra time to socialize, eat, and drink is a festive perk that helps wrap up the year.
But unless you’re planning on cooking for everyone, you’ll need some holiday catering. A catered meal, festive drinks, and seasonal desserts will send everyone home with a smile on their face.
Here are eight ideas for holiday catering, no matter who you’re feeding or how extravagant your party:
There may be no more classic festive meal than the Thanksgiving turkey dinner. If you’re catering for your employees around Thanksgiving, you can treat them to the comfort of a traditional Thanksgiving meal (and if turkey dinners are popular for Christmas in your area, they’ll work well later in the year, too).
Restaurants will bring you all the turkey, cranberries, stuffing and mashed potatoes you want. You can even top it off with pumpkin pie. And, of course, they have regional favorites like green bean casserole, corn cake, and sweet potato pie.
You may want to save this idea for holiday parties that aren’t in the middle of the workday, though. It’s notoriously difficult to get anything done after a big Thanksgiving dinner!
Want to do something a little less involved than a traditional holiday dinner? Try festive finger foods! Cheese balls and crackers, latkes, fondue, cranberry-and-brie pastries, and just about anything in the shape of Christmas wreaths are fun ways to provide food for a cocktail party or a bigger meal.
But don’t stop there! Your favorite local restaurants have their own holiday finger foods that your employees will love. Check out restaurant catering menus near you to see what’s available.
Cookies are a classic holiday staple. From gingerbread men to iced sugar cookies to Russian tea cakes and beyond, people really love sweet holiday treats.
If you don’t want to bring in a huge meal that takes a lot of time and puts everyone to sleep, catering a variety of Christmas cookies is a fun option. And they’re even better when combined with the next option!
The holiday season is a great time for warming drinks. Apple cider, eggnog, and hot chocolate provide non-alcoholic options, while mulled wine, brandy, buttered rum, and wassail have a bit of bite.
A cocktail party is a holiday catering idea that any company can handle. It’s easy for people to move around and talk to each other, try new drinks, and eat appetizers, cookies, or other desserts.
When it starts getting cold, it’s nice to give your employees something to warm them up. A soup buffet offers a variety of hearty, warming soups that comfort and satisfy. From tomato bisque to clam chowder, you can get just about anything around the holidays.
Pairing those soups with salads or sandwiches rounds out the meal and completes the holiday catering party. If tomato soup will feature in your buffet, be sure to include grilled cheese sandwiches!
Of all the foods associated with Christmas, meatballs might be the most puzzling. We eat them all year with our spaghetti and marinara sauce . . . but when you put them on a plate with a cranberry sauce, they instantly become a Christmas staple.
Chefs and restaurants have put their own spin on Christmas meatballs. There’s cranberry sauce, but you can also have sweet-and-sour meatballs, go for a barbecue style, make them out of turkey and stuffing, or give them a bit of a kick with spices.
Most big holiday meals are centered around turkey or ham—but if you have a lot of vegetarians or vegans in your office, you don’t have to leave them out! You can even plan an entire vegetarian holiday dinner for your holiday catering.
Winter salads combine fresh, seasonal vegetables with dressings that highlight winter flavors. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberries always go over well. Glazed brussels sprouts and roasted cauliflower add some heft to the meal. Risotto is a classic winter warmer. You just have to think outside the box—and work with a local caterer to find what will work best for your event.
It wouldn’t be a holiday meal without pies. Whether you go for classics like pumpkin and apple or switch things up with peppermint and chocolate, your employees will love the delicious way to celebrate the holidays.
Bakeries provide some of the best pie selections; find a local bakery with fun options and bring in some pies for your employees! Many restaurants also offer pies as a dessert or even a catering style, so check your local menus to find options.
No matter what kind of catering you’re looking for around the holidays, you can find it from a local caterer. Whether you want a turkey dinner for fifty or cookies and cocktails for five, you can find a local restaurant that will happily oblige. There are holiday catering options for everyone.
And, of course, if you don’t want to manage your own corporate holiday catering, get in touch! We’d be happy to take care of it for you.
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