Mini falafels, tahini hummus, diced cucumber-tomato-Kalamata olive salata, drizzle of chimichurri, and a sprinkle of crumbled feta.
Surf and Turf Burrito
Ginger soy braised beef, grilled shrimp, veggie fried rice, mandarin oranges, ginger pickles, sliced avocado, and sriracha aioli all wrapped up in a grilled flour tortilla
Now That’s Italian!
Garlic herb grilled chicken breast, paper-thin pepperoni, melting provolone, sweet and hot peppers, sautéed onions, and our “heavy on the garlic” roasted garlic aioli on a nice brioche bun
Catering Setup: How to Get it Right for Your Next Event
Learn to perfect how your catering is setup to ensure your next corporate event is a true success.
When you’re planning a corporate event that involves food, menu selection is just one part of the process—you must also choose the catering setup. The right service style, room layout, and logistical plan can ensure the event goes off without a hitch. Learn what you need to keep in mind below.
Determine event basics
Before you plan catering, make sure you understand the basics of the event. Determine information including:
Allow ample space between tables for people to walk and pull out their chairs.
Leave floor space around serving stations for queues and passing traffic.
Place trash cans or dish tubs at various points throughout the room.
Create a clear exit path to doors.
Plan an open area near doors to accommodate crowds.
Take these factors into consideration as you choose a catering setup. If you only have an hour for dinner, for example, you probably don’t want to plan a sit-down meal with formal service.
Choose a service style
Determine how you’re going to serve food at your event. Common options include:
Plated service. While guests are seated at tables, servers bring individually plated meals to each person and collect dishes after each course.
Buffet platter service. Guests walk along a long table and serve the food on platters to themselves; depending on the menu, they may eat sitting at tables or standing up. You can also use a cafeteria-style setup, where servers dish out food to guests from the other side of the line.
Serving Stations. This catering setup uses multiple buffet- or cafeteria-style serving stations, each with a different type of food. One could have a carving station, while another might feature salads or desserts.
Cocktail service. Servers pass out appetizers, small plates, or other finger foods. Guests typically roam freely around the room or gather at tall cocktail tables with or without stools.
Boxed meal service. Guests choose their meal options in advance and the caterer or restaurant packages them individually and delivers them at the scheduled time.
In some cases, the event space will dictate your options. A small room can’t always accommodate serving stations, which means you might need to go with plated or individually boxed meals.
Design serving stations
If you’re using a buffet or serving stations, you’ll need to decide how each one will work. Well-designed stations ensure your guests can get food quickly and move effortlessly.
Ask yourself a few key questions:
Will you have servers or use a self-service model?
Do you need hot dishes or cold plates?
How many staff members do you need to replenish food items?
What serving utensils and spoon rests do you need for each dish?
Do you need space for condiments?
Should guests walk on both sides of the buffet line?
Will you need electricity for any of the stations?
Lay out the space
With the service style and serving stations in mind, create a layout for the event space. Draw a floor plan to scale on graph paper, and create a map using the actual measurements for tables, chairs, serving stations, and trash cans. Depending on the event, you might also need room for a dance floor or stage.
As you create a layout, keep these tips in mind:
Allow ample space between tables for people to walk and pull out their chairs.
Leave floor space around serving stations for queues and passing traffic.
Place trash cans or dish tubs at various points throughout the room.
Create a clear exit path to doors.
Plan an open area near doors to accommodate crowds.
Plan for setup and tear-down
Whether you’re using a buffet or boxed-meal catering, there’s always a certain amount of setup and cleanup involved. Caterers and rental companies may handle some or all of the process, but you’ll likely need to set up and tear down tables and chairs, deal with trash disposal, and clean the space.
Before the event, determine who’s responsible for each task. Then, estimate the amount of time you’ll need and build it into the schedule for the day. If you’re renting the space, you may need to add buffer times before and after the meal itself.
Want to keep your catering setup as simple and straightforward as possible? Work with Little Pub corporate accounts to manage the ordering process.
The Ultimate Guide to Ordering Lunch for Large Groups
Ordering for a large group can be stressful. Here is what you need to know to get it right and ensure everyone in your office is happy.
Ordering lunch for large groups can be a complicated process, but the effort can have a big payoff. A thoughtfully planned workplace lunch increases employee satisfaction, encourages social bonding, and provides the fuel workers need to perform at high levels. By using the right corporate ordering platform, you can set up a meal that satisfies attendees and drives productivity.
Determine your budget
Budget influences the planning process more than any other factor—it dictates everything from the menu to the restaurant selection. If you’re working with a tight budget, for example, you may need to consider ordering affordable lunch items such as tacos or rice bowls.
Costs can add up quickly when you’re feeding a big group, so as you calculate the budget, consider factors such as:
Catering vs. individual meals
Delivery and service charges
Purpose and goal of the event
Assess attendee plans
Before you order lunch for a large group, think about what your attendees will be doing the rest of the day. If they’re eating before a presentation, it might be best to avoid heavy foods—anything with a high fat and carb content can make guests feel sluggish and tired. Is there a meeting scheduled with an important client after lunch? Menu items that are neat and easy to eat help reduce the risk of spills, splashes, and stains.
Consider the practicalities of the meal
Group lunches can come with a surprising logistical burden. Buffets are an efficient way to serve a large group, but they require plenty of space and a crew to handle setup and cleanup. You’ll also need a plan for leftovers. Will the extra food fit in the break room refrigerator? What containers do you need to store it?
As you’re planning a large group lunch, consider factors including:
Required utensils, serving tools, plates, and napkins
Beverage service and supplies
Easily accessible trash bins
Time requirements for meal service
Given the effort involved, many offices opt for individually packaged meals. Because utensils and drinks are included, you don’t need to worry about complicated setup, service, or cleanup.
Account for dietary preferences
When you’re ordering lunch for large groups, it’s safe to assume that at least a few people will have a dietary restriction. After all, 6.2% of American adults have a food allergy, and 25% avoid eating gluten. These limitations present a challenge for event planners and need to be accounted for.
There are several ways to accommodate guests:
Send out a survey regarding dietary restrictions
Include several vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free items
Whether you want to cater lunch for your large group or opt for individual meals, Little Pub Corporate Accounts can help you manage the process and minimize administrative labor. To find out more, send us an email
Warm spinach and veggie dip served with toasty grilled flatbreads and crispy white corn tortilla chips
Jambalaya Burrito
Creole-style andouille sausage, grilled shrimp, and blackened chicken all wrapped up in a grilled flour tortilla with red beans and rice, roasted corn, and cheddarjack cheese
PepperJacky StackBurger
Fresh ground Angus beef patty topped with melting pepperjack, chopped smoked bacon, beer-battered onion rings, and a fire roasted jalapeño onion garlic aioli
These days it seems all everyone writes about is wings, football, and the dangers of AI. But back in the frozen tundra days of Vince Lombardi, AI didn’t exist, wings were for soup, and chili carried the day when writing ing about football food.
Lombardi was an excellent football coach, but it’s unclear if he was much of a writer. Luckily, Hemingway and Lombardi were peers, so we asked ChatGPT to give us 30 words on chili in the style of Hemingway. It gave us this:
“In the dim-lit kitchen, the robust aroma of simmering beef chili enveloped the room. Each spoonful, a symphony of flavors – hearty, bold, and unapologetically satisfying. A culinary masterpiece.” by CHAT GPT
Not one to be outdone by AI robots, here’s our 30-word version:
” Marta’s eyes danced as she passed the steaming clay crock. Itwas the good beef chili. Strong as the ruddy calves of an Andalusian shepherd carrying a cask of Amontillado“. by Little Pub
Feel free to send us your version of Hemingway on Chili in 30 words (No more, no less). We’ll post the best ones (and of course, the worst ones).
Crispy creole beer battered artichoke hearts served with a creamy horseradish dipping sauce
ChickyPickler Quesdadilla
Chopped sriracha-dill glazed fried chicken, sliced pickles, bacon bits, tater tots, and shredded cheddar jack all grilled between two flour tortillas and served with a dill pickle buttermilk ranch
Turkey Florentine Bowl
Fresh ground turkey and spinach burger topped with melted Swiss, doused in a French onion gravy, and served over a pile of roasted garlic orzo and veggies
Mini falafels, lemon-garlic whipped feta, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and a roasted pepper-dill vinaigrette
PepperJack Chicken Eggrolls
Crunchy eggrolls loaded with blackened chicken, pepperjack, onions, and sliced jalapeños. Served with a side of that little pub honey mustard 14
Monterey Salmon Tacos
Blackened salmon, guacamole, romaine, olives, pico, and a drizzle of Caesar dressing on charred flour tortillas.
Siracusa Sandwich
Oven-roasted, fork-shredded pork topped with crispy fried eggplant, melting provolone, fire-roasted peppers, sautéed onions, and some nice basil pesto aioli on a soft grinder roll
So the NFL sent us a letter saying we couldn’t use their names or likenesses to promote Little Pub’s football party platters. Apologies all around and we shan’t do that again.
But that got us thinking about a report we saw on how much actual football action you see during a typical broadcast. The numbers vary, but it’s generally between 15 and 20 minutes of live action, with 18 viewed as the average. So, it turns out you’re just watching commercials for two and a half hours while waiting to see 44 seconds of Taylor Swift celebrating touchdowns in a luxury box.
So, forget the football part. We don’t want to get sued and we’ve moved on. But we haven’t moved far, and whether you’re looking forward to spying on Taylor Swift, wondering if you should be offended during the halftime show, or just watching a bunch of commercials broadcast on CBS on Sunday, February 11th at 6:30 PM EST, one thing is for sure: you will need snacks for your Swift Spying/Halftime Show/TV Commercial watching party.
Check out the TV Party* options on our the Little Pub Party Platters ordering site and get snacks for whatever you watch that day. And remember, Little Pub party platters work great for Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar parties too.*
*Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar are employees of Little Pub. Any inference to awards shows is merely coincidental and not expressly implied.
Join us Monday, January 1 at 3 PM (high tide) in Stratford for the 4th annual Little Pub Polar Plunge for Make-A-Wish CT. We’ll have all sorts of fun stuff there, representatives from Make-A-Wish CT, and you’ll be able to knock off those “try new things/healthy habits” resolutions because it turns out polar plunging is good for you.
Beyond being a popular health trend among athletes and celebrities, cold plunging enthusiasts claim the practice has numerous benefits for your body and mind. From boosting mood to enhancing immune function, this age-old practice is re-emerging as a modern wellness ritual.
Cold plunging involves immersing your body in water temperatures of 59 degrees or below, triggering a cascade of physiological responses. Here are some key benefits backed by science:
Boosts Mood & Resilience: Many enthusiasts report heightened mood and increased resilience.
Enhances Post-Workout Recovery: May reduce muscle soreness, particularly after intense physical activities.
Promotes Brown Fat Activity: Unlike white fat, brown adipose tissue (BAT) burns calories and may protect your heart.
Supports Immune Function: Cold exposure could lead to fewer sick days, as seen in some studies.
