When working in the hospitality industry, delivering high-quality service and maintaining professional etiquette is essential. But for certain occasions, events or clients, you should go the extra mile to ensure that your catering leaves an even longer-lasting, positive impression.
Here, we explore three key ways to make an impact when catering for corporate clients.
Tailor your approach
Each corporate event has its own rhythm and feel. Board meetings may require a reserved, professional tone, while team-building events could benefit from a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere. To complement your client’s experience, it’s important that all members of your team are able to adjust their approach to align with the client’s energy. Knowing when to be more or less chatty, crack a joke, or offer to help, ensures you enhance rather than disrupt the ambience of the event.
People tend to react more positively when you pay attention to them as individuals, rather than as another task on your list. If your team can adapt their vibe, and create a personal connection with your client and the other attendees, they’re sure to remember their experience more fondly.
Personalise the experience
There are multiple ways to make your clients feel special and take this one step further. Aside from offering high-quality, delicious meals, you could also provide theme-appropriate cocktails, complementary drinks or complementing wine for each table.
Speaking with your client before the event to discover their likes and dislikes makes a big difference to the atmosphere of the day, as you can better prepare your team beforehand. Do they like their courses served close together, or do they prefer a slower meal? Knowing personal preferences like these makes a lasting impression that will have your clients boasting about your service for months to come.
You could also consider offering personalised menus, perhaps with the company’s branding, or custom name tags for dishes. For example, if you know ‘Mrs Walters’ is vegan, why not label her dish with her name rather than just ‘vegan’? This shows deliberate attention to detail that will make the whole event more memorable for attendees.
Go above and beyond
To provide exceptional service, your team should be able to make your clients feel that nothing is too much trouble. A good way to concrete this idea is to provide them with a dedicated point of contact, to handle any last-minute requests or changes. This proactive approach can help alleviate client stress and ensure they know who to turn to if they have any questions or concerns.
Handling complaints gracefully and being able to problem-solve with a positive attitude is a key skill all customer service professionals should possess. If issues arise, address them calmly and swiftly with a can-do attitude, offering immediate solutions and always following up to ensure satisfaction. This demonstrates a high level of professionalism and shows you’re committed to going above and beyond for your client.
Keep these tips in mind
Whether they are planning to dance the night away with a live band, enjoy a quiet lunch in the board room, or relax with a round of golf before a three course dinner; keeping these top tips in mind the next time you are catering for corporate clients will help you make a lasting, positive impact.