Caterers Just Want to Have Fun

By now everyone has created their business goals list for 2014. Right? If you haven’t it isn’t too late!

This year, more than ever, there just seems to be a common theme in the blog world around having more fun at work. Great point, but how does a catering business do that when there always seems to be a million tasks and priorities to juggle?

We need to find some simple things that can be executed without significant time in planning – or effect on budget. So we thought we would compile a top 10 list of things caterers can do to have more fun at work.

• Close the business for 3 hours on a Tuesday afternoon and take the entire staff to see a movie. Just promise us one thing… you won’t forget the popcorn!
• Celebrate birthdays once a month with a fancy cake. Your staff will appreciate the gesture and give them a chance to interact in a social setting.
• Have a corn-hole tournament. It’s all the rage, it can be played indoors, it’s fun, and everybody can participate. Teams could be BOH vs FOH – or managers vs staff. Want to make it a company write-off? Order a personalized corn-hole board with your company logo.
• Do a simple team building activity at least once a month. Here’s a link to a site that has some fantastic ideas to get started.
• This may sound simple, but when was the last time the staff went out to the local pub for appetizers and beverages? This could also be used as the time to celebrate achievements or birthdays.
• Dedicate part of your Social Media to staff news. For example every Monday morning spotlights a particular staff member with their picture, interests, job role, etc. It can really makes someone feel part of the team.
• Nominate a social committee. This group of people would be responsible for putting together weekly or monthly activities based on the staff feedback. One caution: be sure to set a budget or you may find yourself with an expense report for a 3 day trip to Hawaii for 10 people!
• So many people are playing video games these days. You can buy a wii or xbox for the office. Give your staff the latitude to take a break every now and again to relieve stress. Another gaming idea could be a ping pong table. We used to have one here at Total Party Planner and the developers especially loved it.
• There is a lot of creativity and artistry in catering. Who’s your most creative person on the staff? Have a contest and find out! It could be anything… painting, singing, an instrument, or poetry. You may be surprised at what everybody learns about there co-workers.

And lastly… update the recipes in your catering software program. WHAAAAAAAT?! How is that fun!? OK, admittedly it’s not in the “top” list of items, however, it can be fun if you put some incentives around it. Maybe for every 100 recipes built, or verified, somebody gets to leave a couple hours early on a slow day.

We want to hear from you! What are some of the fun things you do in your office? Share your stories with us!