Corporate meal options are vast and varied. From company cafeterias and their menus to catering for corporate breakfast and dinner events (see: types of catering events), there is a lot to learn. Read on to learn all about corporate meal options and how you can work as a food and hospitality professional in the corporate world.
Company Cafeteria Guide: What Is a Corporate Cafeteria?
A company cafeteria can encompass everything from coffee shops throughout the building to dining halls and pop-up restaurants. From an employee perspective, you might be wondering how that works and what you can expect. We’ll walk you through the ins and outs of it. If you’re looking to run a company cafeteria or you’re a business wanting a cafeteria this is the place for you.
Corporate Cafeteria POS System
A corporate cafeteria POS system can operate in a few different ways. One option is to have POS systems for each individual food stall and coffee shop. Each POS system is a place for employees to pay directly for that brand’s goods with a customer facing POS system.
There are a number of different restaurant POS systems that can work for a corporate cafeteria POS system. To bring your POS system together with ordering and inventory, check out BinWise and BlueCart.
BinWise Pro, paired with the BinScan mobile app, can help you manage your inventory, and it integrates with 50+ POS systems. The same can be said for BlueCart, which eases your order management system processes.
Corporate Cafeteria
Typically, a corporate cafeteria requires work badges or identification, as a corporate cafeteria serves multiple companies within one building. There are exceptions to this rule like Facebook or Microsoft, which have their own work properties with no other businesses.
A corporate cafeteria gives employees the space to step away from work and have a coffee, lunch, and some headspace without leaving the office. For businesses, this can increase productivity and give employees an additional reason to be committed to their work.
Best Corporate Cafeterias
There are a number of businesses to look towards for corporate cafeteria inspiration. The following four best corporate cafeterias showcase the range of possibilities in corporate cafeterias. From tech companies to animation studios, a corporate cafeteria can be designed to fit with any business.
4. Pixar In California
3. Apple In California
2. Google In New York
1. DreamWorks Animation In California
Corporate Cafeterias: Calling All Corporations!
Corporate cafeterias have been around for decades. With businesses that focus on their employees and overall balance at the workplace, these communal hospitality industry-related businesses are stepping into the limelight. A corporate cafeteria management plan is the next step in food service, and with the information from this section you’re ready to start.
"Key Takeaway: A company cafeteria can encompass everything from coffee shops throughout the building to dining halls and pop-up restaurants."
Corporate Cafeteria Menu Ideas: 13 Tips for Cafeteria Menus
Corporate cafeteria menu ideas are something you, as a business owner or company cafeteria manager, should consider as you open a corporate cafeteria. Refreshing your menu designs and offerings along the way will also help you keep up operational efficiency.
From examining menu types to your coffee distribution supplier, a corporate cafeteria menu has lots of room for continual improvement. The following 13 corporate cafeteria menu ideas will get you started. With these ideas, you can iterate further to find what works for your corporate cafeteria plan.
13. Satisfy Sweet Tooths: offer sweets and baked goods for anyone in need of comfort food.
12. Set Up Snack Stations: sometimes a full or a 5-course meal isn't the right choice, snacking stations will fill those moderate cravings.
11. Enhance Comfort Food: enhanced comfort food can be anything, but we recommend soups, stews, and bread-based meals.
10. Build-Your-Own Options: this can be anything from sandwiches to pizzas.
9. Invest In Authenticity: there's nothing better than authentic Mexican food or (insert favorite authentic food).
8. Wrap It Up: wraps are a quick and easy lunch for office workers.
7. Breakfast Options: you should have breakfast around in the early morning, and end it around 11am.
6. Be Mindful of Seating Spaces: have a few spots where people can gather, and invest in some solo seating places for quiet lunches too!
5. Rotate the Menu: keep your menu fresh with new items every month or so.
4. Salad Bar: for anyone who wants something healthy and fresh, keep your salad bar well stocked!
3. Don’t Skimp On Caffeine: coffee, coffee, and more coffee will keep your employees happy.
2. Freshen Up: don't let food go to waste, but keep your stock rotating and don't hold onto muffins for more than a few days.
1. Offer Unexpected Options: this could be anything from a themed dish to a specialty coffee.
Corporate Cafeteria Menus: What’s for Lunch?
Planning corporate cafeteria menu ideas gives you the advantage of being prepared for employee needs within your corporate cafeteria. If you’re the business owner, you can plan for your employees and what you know they’ll look for. If you’re a corporate cafeteria manager, your plan will likely be more general.
Corporate Dinner: 3 Creative Dinner Ideas for Private Events
A corporate dinner is a professional occasion hosted within the hospitality industry. While professional events imply formality, corporate dinners can still be creative and enjoyable. The best corporate dinners combine a company topic and conversation with a delicious dinner and time for socializing.
The company dinner meaning encompasses any and all reasons a company organizes a semi-formal dinner party to gather employees. There are three main reasons to host a dinner:
- To gather the company for a speech or presentation on a business- or industry-related topic.
- To come together after a seminar or major meeting to discuss and download the information.
- To celebrate an accomplishment or major milestone for the company.
Sometimes a business will host a celebration for one of these reasons; other times it’s for numerous purposes. For example, an employee’s accomplishment could be celebrated with others’ speeches about the work that went into the accomplishment.
Corporate Dinner Events
Even though corporate dinners are a professional environment, there is still room for creativity and fun. There’s a balance to strike between light and fun while avoiding anything inappropriate for the setting. Avoiding anything personal or potentially uncomfortable–like forced icebreakers, or any topic not normally discussed at work–will help you walk that line.
3. Build In Social Time
2. Choose a Theme
1. Embrace Menu Creativity
Corporate Dinners: Put Your Corporate Party Hat On
Corporate dinners are a professional environment, but that doesn’t take away from the possibility of a delightful evening. The ideas in this section can spruce up the evening and turn any corporate dinner into a night to remember.
"Key Takeaway: The best corporate dinners combine a company topic and conversation with a delicious dinner and time for socializing."
Corporate Event Hosting: 9 Facets of Corporate Hosting
Corporate event hosting is an opportunity to host a party and corporate gathering all in one. A corporate dinner is a mix between a formal work event and an evening of conversation and delicious food–from entrée food to decadent dessert options. A corporate dinner event is a step up from any company cafeteria–although corporate cafeteria menu ideas might make an appearance.
We’ll walk you through the finer points of corporate event ideas for hosting. If you’re a company leader looking to host, these tips and tricks will come in handy. The following facets of corporate hosting help catering business executives, hotel food and beverage directors, and banquet managers. They will give you an idea of what you’ll be working with when you partner with hosts.
Corporate Dinner Invitation
A corporate dinner invitation can come in the form of a work email or a formal, printed invitation. No matter what you choose, there are three key factors that go into a sleek, company-minded invitation. These three factors will guide you no matter what the event is celebrating:
3. Precise Information
2. Clean Fonts
1. Strategize Scheduling
Corporate Dinner Party Ideas
A corporate dinner party is first and foremost a corporate event, but that doesn’t mean you can’t lean into corporate dinner party ideas. Depending on the type of event you’re hosting a dinner party for, the following three options will work with your corporate plans:
3. Classic Catering
2. Holiday Decor
1. Event-Specific Themes
Corporate Dinner Dress Code
A corporate dinner dress code is important to plan for. It brings the theme of the event together and it’s helpful for the guests. It’s an optional item to include on the dinner invitation.
The upcoming three options are common corporate dinner dress codes you can use. For guests, these are all options you should be prepared for:
3. Office-Wear
2. Formal
1. Business Casual
Corporate Dinner Events: Ring the Dinner Bell
Corporate dinner events are a hosting opportunity to create an event that is both productive for the company and fun for guests. The key to a successful corporate event hosting plan is to find a balance between creativity and corporate goals. When you strike that balance, you’ll host an event to remember.
Corporate Event Ideas: 4 Corporate Event Foods and Drinks
Planning corporate event ideas takes coordination from the company hosting the event and the venue staff to the management team for the event. A corporate event could involve banquet servers and the banquet manager of a hotel staff team if the event is held at a hotel. It could bring a restaurant manager and servers into play if the event is at a restaurant.
In this section, we’ll walk you through ideas for the food and beverage needs of a corporate event. The following four ideas are a way to make the event a success. They're also pillars that give the planners of the event useful concepts to build on.
4. Dessert Towers
3. Company-Specific Cocktails
2. Inventive Sliders
1. Creative Garnishes
Corporate Food and Drink Ideas: Snacks and Slacks
These corporate event ideas for food and drink services can take any corporate event from good to great. They can work for any type of corporate event with tweaks to the main theme. They can even be used for general parties and less formal functions.
"Key Takeaway: Corporate event ideas for foods and beverages are in the unique position to be professional and suited for a formal meal, yet still delicious."
Corporate Social Event Ideas: 8 Corporate Social Plans
Corporate social event ideas are a unique form of corporate bonding. Sure, you’ve got corporate dinner events, standard corporate event ideas, and company cafeteria social time–with great corporate cafeteria menu ideas. Corporate social events can pull from each of those corporate event categories. They’re unique in the emphasis on social activities over corporate activities.
How to Plan a Corporate Event
Planning corporate social event ideas is different from corporate event hosting for a dinner. These social events are typically geared towards fun more than a corporate goal. Of course, you should still put time and effort into making sure you have backup plans in case something goes wrong.
These eight corporate social event ideas have a fair amount of variety among them. Some will work best for smaller businesses. Some might be limited by where your company is located. As a business owner or manager, when you’re choosing the right ideas for your company, keep those factors in mind. You can even search your local area for an applicable event.
8. Habitat for Humanity
7. Classic Happy Hour
6. Scavenger Hunt
5. Escape Room
4. Murder Mystery Event
3. Bingo
2. Pickleball
1. Axe Throwing
Corporate Socials: How About a Corporate Ice Cream Social?
All these corporate social event ideas are ways to bring your team closer together. They should be focused on fun, team-bonding activities. Of course, that doesn’t mean work won’t be involved. Plan your events with care, and once the social time comes around you’ll be ready to join in the fun.
Corporate Breakfast: 5 Best Corporate Breakfast Ideas
A corporate breakfast event is a chance to utilize corporate event ideas and some corporate event hosting skills. It’s different from a corporate dinner in terms of the food served. However, it's similar in terms of the overall structure and goal: to have a corporate event with some delicious food.
These five ideas work for any company. If you’re a restaurant or catering business that offers corporate breakfast menus these ideas will help you come up with corporate breakfast plans. These five corporate breakfast ideas are sure to be a hit for any morning occasion.
5. Heat up the menu with comfort food
4. Shop seasonally and locally
3. Make it brunch
2. Take the team out to eat
1. WFH breakfast options
Corporate Morning Meals: Coffee and Corporate Meetings
Whether you’re a company hosting a breakfast or a restaurant or catering business providing your services, there’s a lot to plan for breakfast meals. One thing to cross off your list is your inventory program for breakfast items.
"Key Takeaway: Corporate breakfast is an opportunity for companies to make morning meetings and early spreadsheet work more enjoyable for employees."
Inventory Management Plan: 5 Cafeteria Inventory Ideas
In this section we’ll cover crucial aspects of an inventory management plan for a corporate cafeteria. If you’re managing a corporate cafeteria, these are factors you need to keep in mind. These five factors might not show up in everyday inventory work, but they are important for the success and long-term profitability of your cafeteria.
5. Order Management
4. Menu Planning
3. POS Integration
2. Count Schedules
1. Food Station Coordination
Corporate Cafeteria Inventory Management: Your Corp. Management Plan
Corporate cafeteria inventory management brings together all the moving and edible parts of a corporate cafeteria. From an order management system to stock coffee to beverage inventory software for company happy hour, inventory management will keep you in corporate shape.
Corporate Meal Options: Cater to Your Corporate Needs
Corporate dinners, breakfasts, and everything in between are the ideal occasion for stretching your menu and meal plan skills. There is wiggle room for new dishes, coffee experiments, and classic meals. Whatever your corporate meal plans are, refer to this article whenever you need a hand.