Tasty Catering Ideas in Anaheim
From corporate parties to private celebrations, catering is an essential part of many get-togethers. Food is a great way to start a conversation, warm up to socialization, and keep your guests active at your event. Even though some events do not always have it, food is a highly effective way to leave a lasting impact on guests at your event.
But with so many different food options to choose from and people to please, finding the right dishes for an event can be tough. When planning a catering order, you will probably find yourself asking this question: “What will my guests eat?”
To inspire your ideas, here are six of our favorite and most popular catering dishes!
1. Street Tacos
A classic catering entree, tacos are a wonderful dish to be included in any event.
Easy to eat and customize, the finger-food can be enjoyed by large and small audiences. Popular taco fillings include beef, pork, chicken, and fish, but can also appeal to vegetarians with soy alternatives. It is often served in self-serve, buffet-style catered events. Event attendees have the option to personalize their tacos to their desired meal preferences with little, to no hassle.
Overall, it is the versatility and customizability of tacos that makes this dish a great catering option for different types of audience groups.
For more information on Taco caterers, be sure to check out some of our recommended caterers:
2. Wraps
Wraps can be served in bite-sized or large portions, making them great as small snacks or as entres. Bring this healthy option to catering buffets because it can be easily customized to fit your audience. In addition, they are popular to serve in boxed lunches for business meetings and events alongside salads, cookies, or chips.
Served with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and choice of meat, wraps are light and refreshing. They can easily be made for vegetarians as well, simply by preparing the entree without meat.
Wraps are a popular option for conferences especially. They are served most commonly during lunch and as small appetizers. Their convenience allows your event attendees to quickly grab a bite and get networking!
3. Salad
Salad is a safe choice for many events because of its simplicity. You can easily appeal to vegetarians and other guests with dietary restrictions if toppings (including but not limited to: cheese, sauces, and croutons) are left aside.
It serves as a wonderful complement to pasta, sandwiches, and meat entrees as well. In business luncheons and conferences, it often serves as a side with pre-boxed lunches.
On top of this, salad at conferences and weddings are often served as a cold dish. This means your guests are free to interact and socialize at their event and grab salad when they need a break.
Popular salad dishes include at events include greek salad, chicken caesar salad, pasta salad, Mediterranean bean salad, garden salad, and yes, even fruit salad! With salad, there are unlimited customization options.
4. Chicken
When served at a catered buffet, grilled chicken is a healthy choice for guests who enjoy eating meat. Chicken is popularly served at business conferences and meetings alongside rice and salad to make for a healthy lunch. At weddings, it is an affordable and simple option for catering meat as an entree.
There are many different grilled chicken dishes to be served in your next catered event. From Thai Chicken Satay to Chicken Kebabs, flavors from all around the world make grilled chicken a dish that can appeal to guests of all different backgrounds.
For recommendations, check out menus from some of our recommended caterers: White House Catering, Melrose Catering, and Jason’s Catered Events.
5. Sandwiches
Much like wraps, sandwiches are a favorite of business and social events because of their versatility in buffets and boxed lunches. Sandwiches are easy-to-eat and a familiar meal for many people.
Whether packed in boxes or served in buffet style, cold-served sandwiches keep their freshness throughout long events. This means less worry about wasting food and unhappy guests. Your guests can enjoy good conversation and return to a satisfying sandwich when they need a meal.
6. Steak Fajitas
Steak is a great way to appeal to larger events if you plan on bringing in food. As another option for meat lovers, steak fajitas are a great meat entree. Serve this alongside guacamole, salsa, and rice or tortillas. When cooked with bell peppers, onions, and other vegetables, it adds color and variety to any dining set-up.
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to steak. Dietary restrictions for vegetarians and religious purposes limit the number of consumers of steak. Additionally, steak entrees can often be more expensive than other meat entres, such as chicken. Furthermore, it must be kept warm to maintain freshness.
However, we still recommend steak meals, specifically steak fajitas, because beef is still an entree that many people are able to enjoy. It also shows high expense on the part of the host. To leave a lasting impact on your guests, we recommend serving them with this unforgettable dish.
The Run-Down
No matter the event, all event hosts strive to create the perfect time for their guests. But running an event is challenging. Everything from planning and set-up, to the live event, takes a lot of hard work and thinking.
Bringing in food to your event is a great way to help bring guests together, ease conversations, help guests recharge their batteries. Additionally, catering is an easy way to make your guests happy, because who doesn’t like free (or complimentary) food! Finding the right catering and foods for your event is one of the easiest ways to impress your guests and create a successful event.
For recommendations on different caterers, be sure to check out all of our past and present catering services. They will help you find the perfect dishes for you at your desired price range.
Success lies in the details, so be sure not to overlook the small things. We hope that our catering classics helped you decide on what you can bring to your next event! For more inspiration on event planning, be sure to check out our other useful blogs and follow us on social media!
