Phone: 416 913 2288
E-mail: At some events, it’s going to be easier and more cost-efficient to set up a self-serve food station than to hire a full service caterer. Many of the companies that are catering Toronto offer better rates for this kind of event catering because it costs less in terms of man-hours since not as many staff members are required. In what follows, we’re going to list out five simple ideas that can be used in a self-serve environment without using a traditional buffet that includes several different types of food.
Salad Bars
Some of the most common meals used with a self-serve station are salads. What’s great about letting people prepare their own salads is that you can satisfy each individual’s personal wants and needs for a salad without having a long list of custom orders to fill. When Toronto catering companies let the guests make their own salads, you’ll have fewer mistakes being made in terms of orders being made incorrectly, and your service will go much quicker as well. You can also offer creative meat items for a salad to keep the catering from being dull like strips of bacon, strips of venison or chunks of steak.
Chicken Wings
At events that lean towards being informal, chicken wings are a nice way to keep things friendly and fun. Most people love chicken wings, though some people will prefer to eat them with their fingers instead of with eating utensils. Make sure that you offer at least two or three varieties of wings since some people prefer hot wings and other people prefer barbeque wings. Most Toronto caterers will be able to whip up some pretty good wings, but it can’t hurt to ask for a tasting before you decide on which company you’ll go with.
Nachos
An atypical self-serve item that isn’t seen very much is a nacho station. This is a more creative idea that is best for informal events, but it could be used at semi-formal events as well. If you ask your Toronto catering company to do something creative with the nachos theme, then you’ll get a long list of ideas to pick and choose from. In general, you’re going to want to offer a couple of different types of high-quality chips and a lot of different toppings to choose from. The most popular toppings for nachos are cheese, seasoned beef, peppers and sauce.
Sub Sandwiches
If you need to offer a self-serve food station at a formal event, one excellent option is a table that allows people to create their own sub sandwich. Ask companies who are catering Toronto what they can offer for this type of service before you commit because a sub sandwich station isn’t a particularly common request. Offer up two or three different types of bread, a selection of meats, a selection of cheese and a wide range of vegetables and condiments. This is an easy way to give everyone what they want without spending a whole lot of money. You could even offer salad bowls for people who would prefer to avoid the bread for dietary reasons.
Baked Potato Bars
Along with a salad bar, one of the best self-serve stations for a side item is a baked potato bar. This will usually be appropriate at any type of event, and it can be the complete catering service by itself, or it can be a single station in a multi-station service. The most important thing with a baked potato bar is that the potatoes are cooked correctly. Under-cooked or burnt potatoes will ruin your entire service, so make sure that you go with Toronto caterers who have a good reputation.
Archive for the ‘Party Ideas’ Category
Five Simple Self-Serve Catering Ideas
Sunday, March 25th, 2012Five Fun Themes for Event Catering
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012Planning an event is difficult if you don’t have a general idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. Your job can be made much easier if you decide on a theme for your event since every single decision will be made in the context of the theme that you’re trying to put together. A single thematic idea can be the north star that guides all of your efforts, but the theme doesn’t have to be boring. We’ve got five awesome themes that you can bring up with your Toronto caterers and use to create an awesome menu and an interesting event.
Cruise Ship Theme
A cool theme to use if you plan on serving fish and seafood is based around a cruise ship. The decorations and color schemes for this kind of theme are easy to come up with and inexpensive to put into action. Almost every Toronto catering company will be able to come up with a menu that fits the cruise ship theme, so you should have no shortage of menu ideas when it comes time to plan. This theme works best with informal or semi-formal events that aren’t expected to be strict and super serious.
Wild Safari Theme
Another fun theme to try is a wild safari or jungle theme. The companies that are catering Toronto often want a chance to use atypical ingredients to put together meals, and an event planned around this theme can give them an opportunity to do just that. Serving venison and other less-common meats is a good way to get started, and green vegetables help to balance out the meal. Events with a wild safari theme should use a moderate amount of decoration for informal affairs and a small amount of subtle decoration when the event is formal.
Summer Cookout Theme
Just because you’re having an event indoors doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the food and atmosphere of a summer cookout. Toronto caterers will be able to provide excellent burgers, hot dogs, fries and other summer treats no matter what time of year your event will be held, so you shouldn’t be shy about the season. In fact, holding this type of event during the winter months can be a great escape for your guests. While it may seem obvious, this type of theme is best for informal events because of the association with a cookout, which is typically an informal event itself.
Farm Theme
One of the most flexible themes available is a farm-based meal that includes a variety of vegetables, chicken, pork chops and other foods. The farm theme is great because there is a lot that your Toronto catering company can do with it, and it doesn’t require a lot of decoration. You can also use a farm theme for semi-formal or formal events as long as you present it in an appropriate light. This is also one of the event themes that is the most friendly to vegetarians, and that can play into your decision on a theme depending on your audience.
Mexican Theme
If you want to spice things up in a formal or informal setting, then a theme that uses Mexican food is a great way to do just that. Quesadillas, tacos, chips and salsa are all great food items that people from all backgrounds can enjoy, and your Toronto caterers will love working with the theme. You can use this kind of theme for the food no matter whether your event is informal or formal, but your decorations will differ based on the context of your event. As always, use common sense to decide what is a good idea and what is not when it comes to pleasing your guests.
Four Tips for Catering and Winter Events
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011Every event has a specific tone and feeling, and when you’re planning events that will be held during the winter months, the feel of your event has to be appropriate. Winter events are mostly about comfortable settings and quality social time with friends and loved ones. The food you serve should reflect the associations that people have with holiday meals and winter months, and your seating arrangement should allow for free-flowing social interaction without barriers. While your Toronto caterers can assist you with some aspects of the event, making everything perfect can be easier said that done. In what follows, we’re going to give you four important tips for dealing with the challenges of hosting a winter event.
Tip #1: Be sure to provide adequate heating arrangements.
This might seem like it’s so obvious that no one could possibly forget it. However, people lock their keys in their cars every single day, so you should be sure to take care of the obvious right away. Many locations for hosting events will handle the heating arrangements, but some will not. It’s your job as the event planner to make sure that your guests’ teeth will not be chattering while they try to eat. The Toronto catering company you hire will not appreciate it if they feel like they are working in an igloo, so if the location you’re using will not be taking care of the heat, then you should consider renting heating equipment or changing locations. A warm atmosphere allows people to be comfortable and enjoy their food, so don’t disappoint them.
Tip #2: Consider serving a selection of warm drinks.
Events for all seasons generally supply coffee, so you’re going to want to stand out by doing more than the bare minimum. Ask companies that are catering Toronto if they have options to serve hot chocolate or specialty coffees after the meals. Hot chocolate is an excellent choice at informal occasions. For more formal events, you will want to look at different types of coffee. Remember that even though you’ll be gearing these drinks towards adults, it’s inevitable that you’ll have to deal with children who want to drink them as well. A great way to handle this is to look for catering companies that can supply safe containers for children to use to drink the hot beverages you choose to serve.
Tip #3: Stick with traditional holiday main courses.
Avoid the temptation to go with Toronto catering companies that have a reputation for serving atypical main courses. This will seem pretentious to many of your guests. Instead, go with traditional holiday meals like ham and turkey. It’s important for medium and large events that you go with Toronto caterers that offer at least two choices for main courses so that you’re sure everyone gets something that they’ll enjoy. This might seem like a minor detail, but you don’t want someone to feel left out because they are hungry while they watch people around them eating a great meal.
Tip #4: Organize a coat check station.
People at your event will likely be dressed for cold weather. You will want to make it as easy as possible for them to enjoy your event, so make sure to set up a station for a coat check. Some Toronto caterers will offer this service as a part of their event catering package, so take advantage of it if you can. If you can’t find a full service caterer that will provide a coat check service, then you can easily set up your own if you can find someone trustworthy to handle the coats and purses.