Looking for corporate catering ideas, catering ideas for large groups, lunch catering ideas, or fun corporate catering ideas in San Francisco? Look no further! In this guide we have corporate event catering ideas for every kind of group you can imagine.
Since 2011, we’ve helped organizers create 5-star dining experiences that connect people better. From team building offsites and corporate events to milestone celebrations, we specialize in elevated experiences that go beyond the traditional dinner. Because connection doesn’t happen over boring meals.
If your event needs a straightforward caterer, these companies reliably knock it out of the park!
We are not a catering company, but we DO design all-inclusive dining experiences for groups! An Avital Interactive Meal is your food and activity all-in-one— because traditional dinners are boring! At an Interactive Meal, you get to enjoy a 4-course meal with 3 beverage pairings (alcoholic or N/A) and 3 fun foodie activities interspersed throughout the meal. It’s an alternative to traditional catering where we will take care of setting the menu and attending to dietary restrictions.
Above & Beyond Catering has built its excellent reputation by serving locally sourced Bay Area ingredients on its corporate catering menu since 2005. They offer full-service catering at your event or drop-off services, and their fresh, seasonal menu always receives rave reviews.
Taste Catering is a woman-owned catering company that creates custom menus for corporate events and is known for its beautiful presentation and execution. They’re a great company to go with if you’re also in need of a venue because they have relationships with high-profile venues like wine country estates, art galleries, landmark SF buildings, and more.
PINX Catering is a boutique catering company that has been in the business of creating memorable corporate event catering experiences for 14+ years. They cater executive lunches, corporate galas, conferences, and company parties with their signature fresh, locally-sourced menus.
Betty Zlatchin Catering is a preferred caterer at some of SF’s top venues— like the Exploratorium, City Hall, and the Conservatory of Flowers. They’re a great pick for high-end galas because their presentation is excellent and their high-quality food tastes as incredible as it looks.
Not every caterer can deliver the quantity of food that is necessary for a large event. These are caterers that have the resources and staff to execute seamlessly for big groups.
Fraiche Catering is an award-winning event planning and gourmet catering company that is more than capable of handling a large corporate event. They are constantly pushing themselves to keep up with industry trends and deliver unique food presentations and impressive menus to even the largest groups.
Anaviv Catering & Events focuses on curating creative farm-to-table menus for corporate events. They specialize in small-bite global street food stations, which are great for big events, so guests can try the best of everything while they mix and mingle.
On the Vine Catering is the best large group caterer for the East Bay and South Bay. They’ve been in the corporate catering business for 30 years and can scale their operations from 20-20,000+ guests!
If you’re looking for corporate catering menu ideas that go beyond the basics, these are the caterers who can deliver unique corporate catering menu ideas.
Cater2uSFis popular with Silicon Valley tech companies because they understand tech company culture and the diversity of dietary preferences and restrictions. Their creative twist is that their custom menus are created with all farm-to-table produce, so you’re eating the best of everything.
Gumbo Social serves an authentic soul food menu at corporate events in the Bay Area. Dig into gumbo, soul food, and street food-inspired dishes that will warm you and your team up from the inside out.
Harborview Restaurant & Bar can cater a menu worthy of a Cantonese banquet at your next event! You can elect to have them drop off authentic Cantonese dim sum at your door, or they can bring a multi-course banquet and full-service staff to your next event.
If your team is getting tired of pizza, these caterers are sure to elevate your office lunch game.
La Mediterranee has awesome Mezza platters for corporate lunch catering, full of delicious Mediterranean food intended for sharing. Your coworkers will be enjoying food like lamb lule, hummus, babaganoush, rice pilaf, and more.
La Palma SF is a popular choice because their generous Pachanga Tray or their Taco Bar Package for 25 people is only $350. You can feast on Tamales, enchiladas, rice, beans, and all the fixings, or build your own tacos from trays of delicious meats, veggies, and salsas.
Proposition Chicken is a highly rated Chicken restaurant with multiple locations in the Bay Area, made popular by the amount of versatility with which you can order your bird. You can order family-style platters of fried, flipped, and fake chicken, chicken sandwich platters for 10, and you can add on as many of their delicious sides as you want.
Traditional caterers serve a purpose at traditional corporate events, but if you’re looking for something “off-menu,” these ideas might be just what you’re looking for.
At this Hands-on Cocktail Bar, you’ll learn to channel your inner mixologist as you craft a signature, pre-selected cocktail with the guidance of your Expert Bartender. Follow along as you mix, shake, and garnish a perfectly balanced drink, mastering professional techniques along the way. Non-alcoholic substitutions are available, allowing everyone to enjoy the same expertly designed cocktail or mocktail.
The Cocktail Rim Spice Blending Bar lets guests unleash their creativity by blending their own custom mix of salt, spices, and zests for the perfect cocktail rim. This interactive station is a quick, engaging, and memorable way for guests to customize their drinks while taking home a branded jar of their unique blend. Whether they enjoy a cocktail or a mocktail, their personalized spice mix adds an extra touch of flavor to their home bar.
Discover the art and science of bitters as you craft a custom blend tailored to your taste at this Bitters Blending Bar. Guided by your Expert Host or Mixologist, you’ll explore a variety of bitters and then create a one-of-a-kind bitters blend. Bottle your unique creation to elevate future cocktails with a personal touch.
At this Popcorn Seasoning Bar, you can turn an everyday snack into a gourmet treat by seasoning popcorn with your own custom blend of spices, herbs, and toppings. Choose sweet or savory for this interactive experience that lets guests get creative and walk away with a pouch of personalized, perfectly seasoned popcorn.
Go nuts for flavor at our Spiced Nuts Mixing Bar! Guests will mix and match a variety of nuts, spices, and seasonings to create their perfect custom nut blend. From sweet or smoky to bold or savory, the possibilities are endless—and you’ll take home a branded pouch of your delicious, crunchy creation.
Our Savory S’Mores Bar lets guests put their own creative spin on this viral trend. They’ll choose from a selection of cheeses, cured meats, and delicious preserves or honey, then head to the roasting station to melt their cheese, build their s’more, and indulge. It’s a unique, nostalgic experience, great for all seasons.
Our Tongue Twister Bar is all about flavor, perception, and your senses. Choose two flavor experiments to build your bar; from flavor tripping with miracle berries to playing jelly bean plinko and more. The bar is hosted by your Avital “Flavor-Tender,” and take-home gifts vary by experiment. A fun, unique bar for nearly all dietary restrictions.
You may have done a wine tasting before, but have you ever analyzed the nuances of water? This Water Tasting Bar is a great pick for groups with dietary restrictions or those trying to de-center alcohol during their event. Additionally, offering a water tasting bar can provide valuable insights into your guests’ preferences, helping you enhance future event planning.
Food trucks are a great way to provide your corporate event with a diverse array of grab-and-go food. It’s a fun way to serve your guests and get them interacting at the event.
Roaming Hunger is a popular platform for booking food trucks in SF. Customers appreciate that they hold funds between you and the food truck you book in escrow until after your event so you’re protected if anything goes wrong.
SFFTA (SF Food Truck Association) has orchestrated hundreds of events and offers seamless, end-to-end food truck experiences. They work with popular SF restaurants in order to supply your event with the best food in town.
Sometimes, catering just isn’t in the budget for your event, and doing it yourself is worth the extra effort. Here are some simple DIY catering ideas to feed the masses
Taco Bar: Let your guests assemble their own tacos! The only cooking required is to saute ground beef and add in your prepackaged taco seasoning. Then load up on tortillas, salsas, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, and onion, and you have everything you need!
Grazing Tables: The concept of a grazing table is to create a massive charcuterie board. All you need to do is cover a table in meat, cheeses, crackers, fruits, crudite, mixed nuts, and a few dips. Guests can pick what they like and serve themselves.
Ice Cream Sundae Bar: This throwback DIY bar has your guests create their own ice cream sundaes with all the fixings! Buy a couple of tubs of ice cream, sprinkles, hot fudge, maraschino cherries, and any cookies and candies you think would be fun to add on top.
The cost of corporate catering varies greatly depending on the event’s goals and needs. These are some ranges for typical corporate events that need catering.
Food trucks and drop-off: $20–$40/person
Light lunch or happy hour: $20–$35/person
Buffet-style: $25–$50/person
Plated meals/ formal dinner: $50–$120+/person
These price ranges do not include beverages, desserts, or food and beverage minimums. These factors can add $5-$40 more per person.
Before reaching out to anyone, it’s best to pin down the basics. Confirm your headcount, date, venue, per-person budget, and desired service style (plated, buffet, stations). Next, check that the caterers you’re considering have specific corporate experience (if you pick a company off of this list, we already did that research for you). Then it’s time to reach out to companies that specialize in corporate catering, offer your desired service style, and can accommodate your group size. We’d use these questions to make our ultimate decision on who to choose:
If the answers satisfy you and the menu they present impresses you, you’re all set to book your caterer!
By meal type, per-person, we would suggest:
A good rule of thumb is to order 10% more than you think you’ll need. Worst comes to worst you’ll end up with a moderate amount of leftovers!
Book the Avital Interactive Meal for an all-inclusive fine-dining experience interspersed with three quirky activities. The menu will be perfectly curated to fit your event’s goals and needs, and since we only work with the best private dining rooms in San Francisco, the food is certain to impress your guests.
Our Interactive Bars work best when you bundle them, and there are so many ways to customize your package. Maybe you want to match our Hands on Cocktail Bar with our Bitters Blending Bar and Cocktail Spice Riming Bar, so your guests leave with everything they need to make their own cocktails at home. Or maybe you want to opt out of traditional catering and pair our Popcorn Seasoning Bar, Savory S’mores Bar, and Spiced Nut Mixing Bar so everyone has something to snack on. The options are endless, and our customers love that their guests get to take home a souvenir when you book an interactive Bar with us.
Avital Ungar is dining and restaurant expert and the founder of Avital Experiences. She has spent 15+ years designing dining experiences nationwide and has been featured in The New York Times, Shark Tank, Travel Channel, Bon Appétit, and more. Learn more
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