Catering for a corporate party: what's different from a private event?
For a corporate party you're not negotiating with the guests themselves, but usually with an HR or office manager working to a fixed budget per head. The numbers work differently too: where almost everyone shows up at a private party, a chunk of RSVPs at a corporate one simply don't turn up, and that costs you money if you don't plan for it. This article covers how to handle no-shows, how to translate a fixed budget per guest into a quote, and which agreements you need that don't come up at a private party.
Why a corporate party needs a different approach
At a wedding or birthday, you speak to the people who'll actually be at the party. At a corporate party, you speak to an HR or office manager organising it on behalf of a hundred colleagues, with a budget that's often already fixed before you even draft the quote. On top of that, the party is almost always built around a programme: speeches, an awards presentation, a talk. That programme dictates when you serve, not the other way round.
No-shows: don't plan around the RSVP list
At a corporate party, a bigger chunk of people cancel or simply don't turn up than at a private one: diaries clash, people are ill, or a deadline keeps someone at their desk. Plan around 85 to 90 per cent of the RSVP list rather than the full number, unless the company gives you a firm guarantee on numbers.
Be more conservative with purchases you can't undo, like meat and fish, and more generous with anything that keeps or is dry. That way you're not the one throwing away what you bought for a company that never updated its own guest list.
Turning a fixed budget per head into a quote
Where a couple asks "what will this cost", a company usually hands you a figure per head, say £40 including drinks, and you need to fit within it. Break that budget down in your quote into food, drinks, staff and equipment, with your margin as a separate line, rather than working out a price that overshoots the budget and then having to cut things afterwards.
If you work with corporate clients often, put together two or three packages that fit commonly requested budgets. That lets the client choose without you reworking the whole calculation for every enquiry.
Agreements that don't come up at a private party
A company usually wants the invoice made out to the organisation, often with a PO number or cost centre for their own bookkeeping. Ask for this at the intake, not when you send the invoice. Also agree who's responsible for alcohol policy: companies increasingly want a contractual understanding of how you handle guests who've had too much. And because companies adjust guest numbers last-minute more often than private clients do, agree a clear deadline after which changes are no longer free.
Want to stop working these agreements out from scratch every time? Try Catermonkey for free and set up your corporate quote template with these elements once.
Frequently asked questions
How many no-shows should you plan for at a corporate party?
Plan around 85 to 90 per cent of the RSVP list, unless the company gives you a firm guarantee on numbers.
How do you handle a fixed budget per head from a company?
Break the budget down into food, drinks, staff and equipment, with your margin as a separate line. If you do this often, put together standard packages that fit commonly requested budgets.
What needs to be on the invoice for a corporate party?
The organisation's name, and often a PO number or cost centre. Ask for this at the intake, not when you send the invoice.
Who's liable for alcohol at a corporate party?
Agree this contractually with the client in advance. More and more companies want this spelled out explicitly.
Until when can a company still change the guest count?
Agree a firm deadline after which changes are no longer free. Companies adjust numbers last-minute more often than private clients do.
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