If you want to expand sales for your Italian restaurant, offering catering services can be a great way to do just that. Coming up with the right options for customers can be essential to your success. Here are a few options to consider as you plan out your new catering service menu.
1. Family-Style Service
Offering family-style catering options let you remain true to your Italian restaurant's theme while also providing customers with a lower-cost option for their parties. With family-style catering, there's less work for servers to do, which means you can use fewer servers to staff these events. You'll need only to have them bring out the large platters at the beginning of the meal and bus tables afterward. Family-style also allows guests to enjoy seconds of favorite dishes, which is not an option with plated meals.
2. DIY Pasta Bars
Play on your Italian menu options by offering the option of a DIY pasta bar. For this catering menu selection, have customers choose from a list of pasta types and sauces. Each pasta and sauce can be put out on a buffet so guests can mix and match to create the perfect meal. Some options to consider might include traditional spaghetti noodles, marinara sauce, ravioli, and creamy Alfredo. Have menu cards printed with pairing suggestions, and offer the option of adding meats and cheeses to this buffet for further meal customization.
3. Traditional Buffet
For guests who prefer some Italian foods and a few American favorites, you can create a traditional buffet menu. Classic favorites, such as fried chicken or macaroni and cheese, can represent tasty comfort foods, while osso buco, sausage, and peppers, or Italian wedding soup add delicious authentic recipes to the event. Allow customers to choose a number of main courses and coordinating sides, so guests have plenty of dining choices.
4. Italian Dessert Table
You won't want to forget the dessert when creating a catering menu. Choose classic recipes, such as cannoli, tiramisu, pannacotta and struffoli for the table, and be sure to add a few options that all guests will recognize. Cupcakes, cookies, and brownies make great kid-friendly dessert options. Of course, you'll want to offer refreshing gelato as well.
Look at your current sales to see which menu options are your most popular, and work them into these catering ideas to entice current customers to use your catering services. With a wide selection to choose from and several setup options, customers can select the perfect combination of foods and serving styles to meet their party needs.
For more information, contact your local Italian catering service today.
Share13 March 2018
Welcome to my website. My name is Joanne Taylor. My family and I love eating out at restaurants, but with there being five of us, it can get expensive. In order to be able to continue to indulge in the luxury of eating at restaurants, my husband and I have come up with ways to order and save money. We always thought that ordering kids meals for young children was the cheapest way to go. But we found in many cases, it’s less expensive to order one regular meal and let our two youngest children split it. We make use of coupons whenever possible, restaurant daily specials, early bird specials, and other money savers. I’m going to share some of the ways we’ve been creative in the hope that you will find some useful tips.
