Businesses of all kinds can benefit from trying something new. Food service is way more than providing customers with adequate food for their dining experience – it can, and should, be fun and creative for you!

If you’ve been in the catering, restaurant, or food service business for a while, you might think you’ve run out of new and quirky ideas. Your customers love your food and appreciate your stellar customer service, but you are left wondering: how can I make my meals better than ever? 

We'll take a look at precisely what you could be missing from your events, from something as simple as new products to make eating your food a bit easier to decorations that give your food that “wow” factor. Finding the best add-ons to complement your service will land you in the (metaphorical) food hall of fame.

Where are the Placemats?

When planning catered events, your mind might not jump to placemats as a game-changer. However, simple add-ons like this could perfectly complement your already exemplary performance as a caterer.

Placemats are way more versatile than we give them credit, not just for keeping the mess to a minimum. You can customize your placemats for different catering events to put a special touch on the celebration. Are you catering for a wedding? Consider custom placemats with the names of the newlyweds, a picture of them, or something they cherish.

Are you catering for a child’s birthday party? Consider placemats with their favorite animal or a fun drawing guaranteed to put a smile on their face. You can customize even simple catered events where you want your add-ons to stay a bit more neutral with complementary colors and designs to match the rest of the space.

Get Creative With Your Coffee Sleeves

Besides the obvious practical benefit of using coffee sleeves to keep your hands safe from the pain of grabbing a burning-hot cup (we’ve all been there), coffee sleeves are another piece that you can customize for your guests.

Imagine a plain old coffee sleeve–considerate, but it doesn’t stand out too much. Now, think of everything you can do with that sleeve. Who’s to say that you can’t customize your coffee sleeves?

Perhaps your guests are looking for a bit of personalization to make their event one for the books. Or perhaps you're hoping to show off your service’s logo so people know where to turn for their next fantastic catering event. Coffee sleeves can make your catered event unique and fun while letting your guests know they have a special place in your heart.

Beverage Plugs to Keep Your Coffee Warm

You can’t have your cup of coffee without a beverage plug to keep it warm. You’ve probably seen these plugs before–those small, green plastic sticks that your local coffee shop puts in the lid of your paper cup, and those are the beverage plugs we’re talking about today.

Though it might not seem like a huge deal, no one wants to be sipping on lukewarm coffee at an event - or worse yet, no one wants to spill their drink accidently on themselves for real faux pas!

This little addition can make a massive difference for your guests. Whether you go with a more generic beverage plug or invest in some fun ones with smiley faces and coffee cups, your attendees will be thankful to have a way to keep their beverages safe, warm and toasty.

Make it a Party With Party Picks

You want to make your event a night (or a day, or afternoon) to remember. Why not add some party picks to make it a real party? Party picks are perfect for catered events where your clientele are primarily adults enjoying some fancy mixed drinks with their meals.

Party picks are a nice touch to add class to your event and make it seem upscale–even if it is just a small wooden stick. The real reason party picks are so special is your ability to give customers custom, fun party picks that go way beyond a cocktail skewer.

Fun and colorful party picks are the perfect choice to add extra festivity to your event. And if you’re catering for an alcohol-free event, no worries–your guests can use party picks for your appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, and anything else you might be considering.

Save Some for the Kids

Not all events will be adult-only dining experiences. You’re likely familiar with serving families who bring their young children to an event with them. While children at your event bring a fun, lighthearted atmosphere, they can also bring on new worries.

The biggest worry you have when you cater to children is what you can offer them to keep the children happy and excited while their parents are talking with their adult friends.

Investing in products geared for kids is key here. For example, crayons are a great place to start if you’re trying to give kids a fun, unforgettable experience. Individually packed crayons for each kid attending your event will undoubtedly have many children entertained for part of the night. Even better, you can pair the crayons with paper placemats exclusively for the kids to draw on and express their whole artistic spirit.

Beyond crayons, you can also consider fun bibs for children, especially those notoriously messy eaters. Their parents will be beyond thankful if you give them an easy out for going home and scrubbing stain after stain out of their kid’s clothes. You can even find bibs for your events with fun, silly designs guaranteed to make a child laugh and smile.

Next, you can consider some kid-friendly cups for your young guests. Kid's cups are way more fun than a single bendy straw (though we won’t deny that these are always the best). What about cups with different animals and colors? Or fun phrases that are sure to make kids happy?

You can even find some fun, kid-themed picks for all of the kids attending your event, jealously watching their parents twirl a cocktail pick in their fancy drink. Whatever you provide for your adult guests, you should provide for your younger guests.

It's the Little Things

Leave your customers with a fantastic first impression by paying attention to detail, and keeping everyone entertained while they dine!