Everyone loves a good meal, and food has become an important part of the event experience. With a range of different appetizer, meal, and beverage menu options, the sky is the limit when it comes to event catering.

If you want to make a lasting impression on your guests and clients, there are a number of unique menu and serving options that allow you to set your event apart from the rest. These catering trends provide a variety of unique ways to offer delicious food options at your next event.

Grazing Stations

Not every event requires a three-course meal. Even if you plan on serving a full meal, many guests appreciate lighter options when it comes to appetizers. Grazing stations are filled with a variety of lighter foods such as cheese, fruit, breads, dips, and deli meats. These are easy to prepare and can be served on a table for guests to serve themselves. This trend also makes it easy to accommodate vegetarian and vegan guests.

Gourmet Street Food

People are drawn to street foods like tacos, sliders, and kebabs because they have a lot of flavor, and can be quite satisfying. Serving gourmet street food is a way to offer these fun options while still providing a quality meal. Whether you serve these dishes on a dressed place or set up food trucks at your event, these menu items are sure to be a hit at your next event.

Locally-Sourced Menu Options

Lately there has been an increased emphasis on supporting the local economy by shopping local. This trend has also found its way into the catering industry as more and more events feature foods sourced from local farms and markets. This catering trend can be difficult as events are typically planned well in advance and local meat, fish, and produce supplies can fluctuate. However, if you remain flexible with your menu options and work with what is in abundance in your area, you can successfully make a menu that features some local favorites.

Making Food an Experience

Go beyond just feeding your guests by making the food part of the event experience. There are many ways that you can go about this. You may set up a station that allows the guests to see the chef prepare their meals. You can also have the chef make each meal to order, allowing guests to pick their own topics and flavors, which works well for pasta or stir fry bars and even omelet stations. You could even set up a station where a service attendant shucks oysters as guests order them.