5 Ways to Plan Business Conference Lunch Menus
Meetings over lunch tend to be more productive and effective, but planning a menu that caters to everyone is a challenge. Between dietary needs and lifestyle choices such as veganism, ordering lunch to please a crowd seems impossible.
But it doesn’t have to be!
The key is “make-your-own” or buffet style where all options are laid out and employees can choose what they’d like. Here are five menus that are customizable, healthy, and delicious.
Sandwich & salad bar
The most popular lunch food, there are seemingly infinite sandwich options making this a great dish for customization. Offer a few different bread options (be sure to include gluten free!) along with a variety of deli meats and cheeses. Lay out vegetable options too, which can be assembled into a salad instead of a sandwich.
Make your own bowls
Bowls are gaining in popularity due to their deliciousness and health benefits. Provide a few different grain bases along with protein options (including a vegan/vegetarian option), and toppings such as raw and roasted vegetables, avocado, cheese, and different sauce options.
Taste of Tuscany
Italian food can be a Celiac or vegan’s worst nightmare, but with the option to customize, everyone will be happy.
Include a few types of pasta including white, wheat, gluten free, and gnocchi (potato-based pasta), along with a marinara sauce, alfredo sauce, and pesto with meatballs on the side. You’ll accommodate gluten free, dairy free, and plant-based eaters this way.
Asian experience
If you have the option to use hot plates, create an assembly line where employees can choose ingredients for a stir fry, such as different vegetable and meat options. End with a wok where they can fry up their picks in a sauce of their choice for a warm lunch that’s satisfying and healthy.
If you don’t have access to a heat source or are serving office lunch to a large crew of employees, find a corporate lunch caterer who offers a buffet-style of pre-cooked fillings.
Buffet
For days when you want to make a grand gesture, offer a buffet from a corporate lunch caterer featuring meat and vegetarian mains along with vegetable and pasta sides.
Whether lunch meetings are an employee benefit or part of your company culture, customization is the key to success.
Meet Rootasters:
Meg is a dreamer, entrepreneur, and homesteader based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. She loves her cats, feasting, and road trips in her green VW Bug.