3 Ways to Ensure Vegetarian Options from Your Caterer

By Catering Staff | July 30, 2016

Hosting an event that you know will be attended by vegetarians and vegans can be tricky, especially if you know that you also have carnivore guests. Creating a good balance between these polarizing diets is a challenge, but you have to make sure to remember that your veggie-eating loved ones need to be properly fed as well.

But how can you make a perfectly balanced menu to make everyone happy? Here are three ways that you can try.

1. Note that you’ll need a good deal of vegetarian options for your event. Communication is key for a vendor-client relationship to work flawlessly, so make sure to tell your caterer that you need vegetarian options while working on your event’s menu. Ask them if they can tweak their recipes and opt for vegetarian friendly ingredients for most vegetable dishes, including dairy free dressings for salads, vegetable oil for sauteed veggies, and other possible substitutions that will make your menu edible for vegetarian guests.
2. If you’re going to be catered by a fast food chain or restaurant that is not known for having vegetarian friendly dishes, consider getting a few items from a vegetarian joint separately. Don’t settle for what would pass as a vegetarian dish for your party. There are several sources for good vegetarian dishes that you can turn to. Not all of them may provide catering services, but you can always order in bulk from them or arrange something similar.

For example, you’re getting a few meat platters from Arby’s as light chow for your party. You can also get a bowl of salad. Pair it with a party tray from a local vegetarian restaurant or some vegetarian pizza from the California Pizza Kitchen and you’re good to go.

3. If you’re having a free tasting with your caterer, ask if to have the vegetarian/vegan options included in the menu. If you’re getting catered by a fast food or restaurant, sample their vegetarian/vegan friendly dishes before placing your order. This way, you can be sure that  your vegetarian friends will get food as good as what your carnivore friends are going to enjoy.

When looking for a good caterer for your event, having to consider various dietary preferences is a task you have to take note of, especially if you know that a number of vegetarian or vegan guests will be dining with you. Keep in mind that to have a successful event, you at least have to make everyone well fed if you can’t make them all happy, so menu variety is something you should work hard for.