4 Top Tips for Choosing Event Catering

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4 top tips for choosing catering bundaberg4 Top Tips for Choosing Catering

Planning an event can be hard work.  Catering your event can be a daunting task! If you are in Bundaberg or Maryborough we want to make life a little easier.  We’ve compiled a list of some important considerations when choosing your menu.  Here are 4 Top Tips for Choosing Catering:

1. How would you describe your guests?

think about who you have invited… what do they like? how old are they? what is the purpose of your function? if the majority of your guest list is made up of health-conscious, dairy free, vegans we wouldn’t suggest hot finger food platters (although perfect for an after work get together).  Our Pesto Pumpkin Salad Boxes on the other hand, would be a sure winner.  Likewise, if your event is about networking then choose smaller food items that are easier to hold and digest mid-conversation.

Fortunately, we’ve be doing this for over 10 years, so our food is designed for all types of functions, guests and food size requirements!  To see our entire menu, visit https://orders.alowishus.com.au/menu

2. What time of day is the function?

Are you starting early with a breakfast or perhaps a pre-dinner drink? This may be obvious but no one really wants to have a brekkie yoghurt with a G&T! Once you determine your time of day it is very easy to narrow down your food decisions.

3. How many guests and how long are they staying?

If you are going for an all dayer, it’s important to remember you will need more food over the time.   If you’re only doing a pre-dinner drink function you will not be needing such large amounts of food.  You can see the number of pieces and recommended guest numbers on our website.  4 Top Tips for Choosing Catering

4. What is your space?

Where will your function be held? What facilities and equipment do you have? What are you prepared to do pre and post the function?

When ordering with Alowishus all your food will arrive beautifully boxed so all you need to do is open the lid.  

We hope you found these 4 Top Tips for Choosing Catering helpful.

Order Catering online – Click Here

Handy tips – How To Make the Most of the Alowishus App

 

We’ve Been Working Hard to Make Things Better for You

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While these past few months sure have been crazy times, it’s also been a chance to get better and create some new ways to make dining at Alowishus easier for our awesome customers.

Some of those you’ve already seen….

No doubt the biggest change you would have noticed is the all-new Alowishus Out Front making it easier to collect your take-away coffee and food orders and, much easier to social-distance than in the arcade. In fact, if you order using the Alowishus app, you don’t need to come down the arcade at all.

Also, have you tried the new option to order from your table when dining in?

It’s really easy…

  • Find a vacant table
  • Open the app on your phone and click ‘How are you ordering today?’
  • Choose ‘Order at Table’ and enter your table number (which is on a token attached to the table)
  • Follow the instructions to add items to your cart and pay
  • Sit back and relax while we prepare your order and bring it to you

Speaking of preparing your order, you might have noticed that at certain times of day it can get a little busy at Alowishus.

One of the things we pride ourselves on is giving you fresh tasty food…fast! So, we can’t leave you waiting around for too long now can we?

That’s why we are working on a major overhaul of our kitchen to make it waaay more efficient. If you’ve been in, you might have even noticed some work going on.

But it’s not just about making more room and moving things around. We have been looking very carefully at where the bottlenecks are in the preparation process as well as revising our staffing levels so we can be even better.

It’s all about making your Alowishus experience even better whether you are looking for a coffee, a quick bite to eat on the run, or you are catching up with friends for lunch.

Come check out what’s new at the always improving, Alowishus Delicious.

Did you know – Alowishus Nights Are Back!

Handy tips – How To Make the Most of the Alowishus App

WATCH – Have you seen Alo Out Front?

WHY – HOW – WHAT – Community & Alowishus

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At Alowishus our goal is to help the local community thrive, by encouraging business, community spirit, family connections and individual achievements.

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10 Ideas To Show Your Employees Appreciation For Hard Work and Dedication

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Your employees love to hear and know that the hard work they put forth is being appreciated by the boss. These folks help keep your business thriving and growing. If you’re having a hard time expressing your thanks and gratitude, then you’re in luck. There are 10 ideas you can use to prove to your employees that you appreciate everything they do for your company.

1. Spring-Theme Breaks

One of the surefire ways to show your employees the appreciation they deserve is to provide them coffee, tea and Spring-themed flavored pastries during their break time. Consider decorating their coffee break room with decorations that represents the spring season – fresh spring flowers, tablecloths, etc. If you’re the boss, consider giving a speech to keep the employees inspired.

2. Gift Baskets

Another wonderful way to show your appreciation to employees is to give them a gift basket. Gift baskets can be more than just school soaps and lotions as well as a mixture of fruit. Today, gift baskets can include bakery items, vouchers, etc. Consider giving gift baskets that represent the employee. If a person is about fruit, don’t give them a basket of bakery goods. Gift baskets can show your employees you care about who they are.

3. Cocktail/Dinner Party

Honor your employees with an appreciation party or dinner to show them how much you value their service within the company. Consider hosting a cocktail party, with amazing decorations, an array of delicious foods and more. A speech and toast will need to be done to go along with the night of good food and dancing. You want to be sure they understand you really do appreciate their hard work and dedication.

4. Charity Donations

If your employees are the generous types, a way to show your appreciation is to donate money to their favorite charities – either each individual employee’s favorite charity or what the group loves altogether. You could also have them choose their favorite charity and donate in your staff’s name. Be sure you let your employees know about the donation, and inform them it was made because they worked so hard.

5. Picnic/BBQ Party

When showing your appreciation to your employees, why not show it with your employees, spouses and kids with a picnic/BBQ party? Before it gets too cold, have the outdoor celebration with lots of good, inflatables, games and tents. The idea is to show your employees that you care about them and their family.

6. Give Them Some Needed Time Off (A Holiday, So To Speak)

If you can do this without much damage to your business, consider rewarding the staff with a day off or something similar. A minute break from the daily chaos they have to endure is a wonderful way in which to show your employees that you care and appreciate their work for your business.

If you’re unable to close the office for an entire day, allow some staff take off a whole or half-day or the remaining staff a half or whole day. Believe it or not, your staff would love to have a day off from work (with pay is even better).

7. Gift Cards

It may seem like a simple idea (and it is), a gift card can show your employees that you care for them. Give them a gift card to their favorite restaurant, retail store, gas station, etc.

8. Cocktail Hour

If your employees like getting together after work, show your appreciation of their hard work by offering finger foods and cocktails. The department heads should write out speeches, letting their employees know how thankful they are for the help they’ve provided to the job. The main boss needs to thank all persons in the company – supervisors and regular employees.

9. Monetary Bonuses

There’s nothing better you can do than give your employees a monetary bonus for everything they’ve done. This kind of gift enables them to spend the money on things they want or need. With a monetary bonus, your employees will know you’re happy with them and the work they’ve done. This is the kind of gift that shows your gratefulness and appreciation.

10. Appreciation From Supervisors and Bosses

Have your supervisors and bosses in the company to write out their words of appreciation, ensuring that certain examples are cited and that each department or individuals gets praise. Bring together the information into some type of greeting card, poster, mini booklet or whatever so your employees will have a copy. This is something your employees can keep for all time.

11 Eye-Opening Questions To Ask Caterers To Find “The One” For Your Next Event

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When you’re about to hold an event, you want to ensure everything goes off without a hitch so that everybody gets a positive experience out of it. One of the things you may need to plan is the food. Are you going to bring in the snacks/meal yourself or will you have a caterer do this for you?

If you’ve opted to go the caterer route, it’s important you know who you’re dealing with. This means asking questions of a prospective caterer. Their answers will determine whether or not they’re the company you should do business with each time you have a meeting, party, conference or other event to carry out.

Here are 11 Questions You Should Be Asking Potential Caterers

1. Are You Able To Provide An Array Of Menu Choices For People That Have Dietary Restrictions?

This is regarded as one of the most important questions you can ask caterers, as the needs to meet dietary restrictions increases on a daily basis. Caterers need to serve people who are dairy free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc.

 

2. Are You Able To Provide Themed Menus?

While most corporate events don’t need specialty menus, a themed menu is like rewarding your team or giving them energy after they’ve been in a conference all day. For instance, you can consider a Make-Your-Own Tacos bar or Greek Feast.

 

3. May I Contact Your Present Clients or Read Testimonials?

Caterers want to build up their clientele and often ask for testimonials about their services from their current clients. When they’re looking for new clients, they’ll happily share this information with them. Keep in mind that happy and even disgruntled clients will leave online reviews. Check for reviews through Google, Yelp, and even the company’s own website. Ask the caterer for references to help make your decision.

 

4. Do You Provide The Equipment and Staff or Do I Need To?

Most days you’ll be hosting the event at your location or a venue that’s already got a plethora of chairs, tables and other equipment. However, there may be instances where you need a unique set up or extra equipment to ensure a successful event. During these times, your caterer should assist you with it, dealing with the various rental vendors themselves so you don’t need to.

 

5. When Will Your Employees Arrive At My Location? Will I Need To Be There When They First Arrive?

One of the biggest things you’re going to be worried about is when the caterer’s delivery folks will arrive to your location. A caterer should allow for plenty of time to set things up to ensure everything is the way it should be. The person who delivers your ordered items needs to ask like the company’s brand ambassador – they’ll come into the office quietly and discreetly, setting things up in a professional way without disturbing anyone.

 

6. Do You Have Prior Experience With My Kind Of Events?

It’s important to look closely at your prospective caterer’s track record. Do they have prior experience in catering your type of event? Ask for references to see how the third party felt about the service they were given? Was the experience a positive or negative one? You want a caterer who will represent the hard work and dedication you put into your job.

 

7. Have You Ever Catered For My Office Building Or Preferred Venue?

Caterers who have never worked at a venue may find the logistics a bit of challenge. They may have to walk stairs because there’s no offered elevator. Some days doors are locked and needs a pass to enter. If a caterer has previously worked with the venue or within your company, they may able to better maneuver the location with little effort.

 

8. Can You Deal With Any Last-Minute Requests?

No matter how prepared you are, things do come up. And, this means your caterer should be able to handle these last-minute needs generic for premarin. A caterer who can do this will reduce your stress levels and help to establish a great working relationship between the two of you.

 

9. What Kind Of Prices Can I Expect To Pay For Menu Items?

Many times, a caterer will throw in hidden fees – condiments, sides, napkins, plates, and more – and you won’t see it until you’ve gotten the proposed menu. Ask them right at the beginning to find out what’s in their prices. How much do they charge for delivery? Is there a cost for set-up? If you require staff to be present at your event, ask for their hourly rate per staff member.

 

10. What’s The Dress Policy For Your Delivery/Serving Staff?

How the delivery staff looks when they enter a location says a lot about the caterer – from end to tow. You want the caterer to have professional-looking staff to walk into your building and set up the venue.

 

11. Are There Any Specials You Provide?

Ask the prospective caterer about the menu changes. Do they provide specials on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis? If you cater on a regular basis, you probably want to offer your attendees new items every so often to mix things up.

Must-Know Tips To Make Your All-Day Meeting Super Productive

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Bundaberg yoga and wellness coach Carmen Lee-Schneider spoke with Alowishus Catering, giving insight on how to boost productivity and keep energy levels high at meetings, workshops, trainings and other events.

4 Types Of Foods You Should Avoid Bringing To Meetings

Carmen said certain foods should be steered clear of in order to boost work productivity, and these foods include:

• Gluten – Pastas and breads have a plethora of gluten in them, and even though you get full faster, it doesn’t make employees feel like working. After all, while the body is processing these foods, it makes them feel sluggish and out of energy.

• Donuts, Pastries, Muffins, etc premarin price. – If you’re going to have an all-day meeting, these foods are loaded with sugar and can lead to a sugar crash later.

• Sugar, Lots of Sugar – While you’ll get a great energy rush when you first eat foods with sugar, they eventually cause a crash making you feel exhausted. Artificial sweeteners aren’t any better.

• Processed/Unpronounceable Foods – If you can’t pronounce a food, it’s probably processed and should be avoided.

4 Kinds Of Foods To Have At Meetings

According to Carmen, there are several primary foods that should be incorporated into any event planning in order for a successful day. Such foods include:

• Fresh Vegetables

• Fresh Fruit – Go organic to ensure fruits haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Choose fruits that don’t have a peel or skin.

• Proteins – Go with organic or grass-fed meats as well as cage-free eggs.

• Healthy Fats – Walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, olive oil, almond oil etc.

What Breakfast Foods Should Be Offered At Your Next Meeting

When it comes to breakfast foods, there is one key food to offer your employees – eggs. Why is that? Eggs are ideal for boosting your employees’ brain power. All kinds of foods can be included in your eggs to give them more flavor and taste including but not limited to: avocado, asparagus, olive oil, salsa and spinach.

You can also include certain grains to ensure long-lasting energy bursts, which is where oatmeal comes in handy.

What Lunch Foods Should Be Offered At A Corporate Meeting

There are all kinds of healthy proteins you can serve during lunch, although chicken is regarded as the most popular. If there are vegetarians in your office, an alternative to meat protein are beans.

Along with the meat, have vegetables and salad on hand along with healthy fats such as any kind of nut, avocado, etc.

Carmen’s preferred lunch generally includes a salad with either beef or chicken, almonds or walnuts, olive oil lemon dressing and vegetables. Another one of her recommendations include beef or chicken with sweet potato and vegetables.

What Are The Best Snacks and Foods For That All-Day Corporate Event?

When you’ve got a meeting, workshop or conference going on all-day long, it’s important to provide a healthy meal. The snacks you serve between the mealtimes are going to be important to ensure employees and attendees have a plethora of energy for productiveness. Some brain-boosting powerful snacks to include for the meeting are:

• Almonds
• Fruit trays
• Vegetables with Hummus Dip
• Dark chocolate

More Helpful Tips To Ensure A Productive Meeting

Although the right foods can help with how you feel every day, there are a number of other factors that need to be considered when you plan an all-day conference or meeting.

• Environment – If the conference is being held in a dark room that offers no natural light, people are going to feel lethargic and out of energy. This kind of atmosphere is not conducive for productivity. If you can’t brighten the space up, add in light-colored linens and flowers for a bright touch. You might want to hold the meeting, or part of the meeting outdoors which stimulates creativity and increases energy levels.

• Breaks – A meeting that is going to last all day is going to need breaks incorporated in them. A 10-minute break every 90 to 120 minutes will suffice the group. Make sure to energise the attendees with music – even half a song between sessions will get them to feel productive once more.

9 Important Tips To Help You Carry Out A Successful Meeting/Training

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Corporate meetings and trainings can be particularly stressful; but, imagine if you’re the one planning them, especially if you’ve never done it before. You may feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Stop! The planning of these events doesn’t have to be so intimidating.

With a little help, you can ensure that the corporate meeting/training you’ve put together will go off with little to no hitch – ensuring productivity for everyone involved.

9 Tips To Help You Effectively Plan Your Corporate Meetings/Trainings

When it comes to setting the corporate meeting space up, there are nine things you need to remember in order for the meeting/training to be a positive experience.

1. Arrange The Space

If you’re going to use speakers or projector, you want everybody to be able to hear or see your presentation. If a limited number can see and hear you, then how effective is the meeting going to be? Have someone help you with sound checks in order to ensure the speakers are working, and have them stand at the back of the room to determine if they can see the information on the projector.

2. Learn The Technology You’ll Be Using

If you’re going to use equipment you’ve rarely or never used before, it’s a good idea to give yourself a brief lesson on how they work. When setting up the technology, be sure it’s plugged in, has new batteries, etc.

3. Adjusting The Temperature

Ensure the temperature of the space is adjusted so people feel comfortable and will want to listen. During the cold weather, turn up the heat to a temperature people will feel comfortable with. During hot weather, you want to have fans or the air conditioning unit going so people don’t get too hot. If you feel the space it too cold or hot, your attendees will feel that way too.

4. Lay Out The Seating and Tables

Be sure the space has enough chairs/tables for your attendees find more. You don’t want your guests to have to stand because you didn’t have enough chairs. Be sure there’s space between each person – overcrowding makes things uncomfortable for everybody.

5. Bring In Power Strips For Their Electronics

Be sure you give your attendees wall outlet access or provide them with power strips to plug their devices in – tablets, computers, cell phones, etc. This will help boost the productivity and collaboration of the meeting/training. Do you really want people to have battery problems while you’re mentioning something important?

6. Get Copies Of Meeting Documents

If you’re going to present information to your attendees, consider copying the documents for them to look at for themselves. You can give the information via email so they can look at it on their devices or print and hand it out during the meeting.

7. Offer Pens and Paper For Note Taking

Many people still like the idea of taking notes – and if they’re not a fast typer – they may be a fast writer. Offer your attendees pen and paper to take notes. You want to be sure that everybody is productive.

8. Offer Coffee, Tea and/or Water

In order for attendees to stay productive and awake during the meeting/training, make sure offer beverages such as coffee, tea and/or water so they stay hydrated.

9. Make Time For Meal/Snack Breaks

Your brain is going to need food in order to function properly during a meeting – your attendees are the same way. Therefore, be sure you offer snacks and schedule in breaks/lunchtime so they can stop their growling stomach, maintain high energy levels and keep their brains functioning on full power mode. By doing this, they’re going to feel taken care of and want to be involved with the meeting process. If you are looking for a corporate caterer in Bundaberg we would love to be of help. Have your complimentary catering sample selection delivered to your office. Order your FREE ample pack now.