“Food costs can average out at about a sixth of the budget – behind content one of the most significant parts of the total event spend,” said Jane Baker, associate account director at event organisers George P Johnson.
“However food is often presented as a necessary part of the event itinerary, something we need to do and have to budget for without really exploring what it can bring to an event,” Baker told attendees at the Hotel Catering round table, held last week at the Royal Garden Hotel in London.
Linking a menu to the event
According to Steve Munkley, executive chef at the Royal garden and vice president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the menu served at banqueting or conference events needs to be an integral part of the event itself.
“Food should be used strategically as part of the total event organisation, it isn’t just about giving people something to eat,” he said.
“By serving standing up and not sitting down, food can facilitate networking; it can underline a brand statement through its creativity; it can show responsibility through its sourcing; businesses can choose a healthier menu, a more exciting menu, or food from around the world to say something about the organisation presenting it.”
“Once you start looking at food as more than a necessity but a tool, you’re making better use of your budget, and actually looking at ways to show creativity and quality. Food can be content too.”
Service
In the same way that the food needs to match the style of each event, so must the service, advised Baker.
“For us, we want to create brand ambassadors; we want them to be knowledgeable, to understand the agenda of the night and be able to ask questions on it. We want them to be an extension of the organising team,” she said.
Chefs should also be thinking about the service staff when creating an event’s menu, added Munkley.
“Elegant and intricate serving suggestions can look great but if they are served in a standing room of 300, it can lose its impact or even worse, end in unsightly crashes and dropping of food. It’s up to the banqueting staff to advise clients and organisers on the right menu and the right serving suggestions.”
Special diets and demands
Chefs also need to keep in mind that today’s delegates are more discerning and more demanding than ever before. They know what they want and what they expect, and will not forgive or forget a menu that doesn’t meet their expectations.
At the same time, chefs must increasingly cater for a wide range of special dietary needs, which now go beyond just vegetarian. For example, delegates expect special lactose-free, gluten-free or wheat-free to be a part of the offering.
“We are dealing with a more discerning delegate, one that has no qualms about changing their mind on the night and still expecting the kitchen to produce. We need to accept this and deliver,” said Munkley.
At the Royal Garden, banqueting makes up around 50 per cent of all food sales, Munkley told BigHospitality, which highlights the importance of getting the offering right.