Understanding the process of event catering Brisbane will enable you to stay within your event budget. Event catering ranges from delivery to full service catering. Caterers and their staff are part of the food service and hospitality industry.

When most people refer to a “caterer”, they are referring to an event caterer who prepares the food with their own chefs, then serves food with waiting staff. The service can be to dining tables, set up as a self serve buffet table, or served to standing guests as they mingle. The food may be prepared on site being made completely at the event, or the caterer may choose to bring prepared food and put the finishing touches on once it arrives.

The event caterer wait staff members are not responsible for preparing the food but often help set up the dining area. This service is typically provided at banquets, conventions, weddings and corporate boardroom events. Any event where all who attend are provided with food and beverages is often called a ‘catered event’.

Many events require working with an entire theme or color scheme guided by the client’s event. A catering company is expected to know how to prepare food, make it attractive, and serve appropriately according to the event. With the correct atmosphere, professional event caterers with experience can make an event special and memorable.

Beautifully prepared food alone can appeal to the senses of taste, smell, sight, and perhaps even touch.

Catering is often sold on a per person basis, meaning that there is a flat price for each additional person. Food volumes and quantities will depend upon the client’s desire to provide to their guests at their event. For example, finger food as light refreshment with drinks or a buffet menu for a more substantial meal. A comprehensive, formal full service catering proposal is likely to include hire equipment, food and beverage packages, wait staff and chefs. Each of these factors affects the catering price.

Catering clients may have specific dietary or religious needs to consider. These may include halal, kosher, vegetarian, vegan and food allergy requests. Increasingly, clients are interested in food sustainability and food safety. Finger Food service can be passed around by wait staff or on tables for guests to self serve. Most caterers agree that three or four passed items are appropriate for the one hour period prior to a meal.

Hire equipment may include tables, chairs, tabletop (china, flatware, glassware, linens, chargers), bar glassware, serving equipment, condiments etc. It should be clear whether table and chair setup and pack up is included in the hire costs. Most rental companies do not automatically include setup and pack up in the rental charges.

Catering staff requirements varies from caterer to caterer, but generally speaking, an event will have an Event Manager leading kitchen and service staff including chefs, waiters and bartenders. The labor on a plated dinner is generally much higher than the labor on a buffet, because a plated dinner involves double the china, and usually a minimum of three served courses, plus served coffee. Simply put, there’s a lot more to do. To do it properly requires roughly 10 to 50% more staff. On a large event, this can be substantial. A legitimate caterer will have a business license and a health permit both showing the address of the place from which they do business.

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Suggested practice for HR personnel

Muslims now form one of the largest religious groups in the UK. At a time when great misunderstandings and stereotypes circulate the media and society regarding the religion, it is crucial for an effort to be made at all levels to go beyond archetypal images and to begin to understand Islam and Muslims.

With a population of approximately 1.5 million Muslims and growing, UK based companies are employing more and more young Muslim men and women. With this increase comes a greater need for HR practitioners to be aware of the respective cultural sensitivities.

As with individuals from any background, if they do not feel comfortable and understood in their office or company, it is likely that they will eventually seek employment elsewhere. In order to maximise retention of young Muslims, it is ever more important therefore, that their sensitivities are kept in mind.

The following information contains basic tips and guidelines for HR staff and others to bear in mind. Please note that these are very generic guidelines. Muslims differ from generation to generation, culture to culture, some are more devout than others and interpretations and practices of the faith are numerous. It may also be the case that the individual is Muslim by name only and chooses not to practice their religion.

Prayer

A Muslim, both male and female, is expected to pray five times a day. This prayer involves facing Makkah (in Saudi Arabia), usually on a prayer mat or clean surface and reciting prayers which follow a procedure of bowing and prostrating. This typically takes between 5 – 15 minutes depending on the individual. Prayer times are calculated according to the movement of the sun and take place at dawn, midday, late afternoon, dusk and at night.

For Muslims in your company it is a good idea to allocate a neutral space for them to use for their prayers. This can be a dedicated prayer room or simply access to a seldom used office or medical room. Such a space will make your Muslim staff feel at comfort knowing they have somewhere private and clean to say their prayers.

If staff are required to be committed to a desk space at certain times it may be a good idea to agree on allocated times in which they can read their prayers. This may involve the use of break times.

Friday Prayers

Most Muslim men attend the mosque on Friday afternoons for obligatory congregational prayers. Let your staff know you understand their requirements and agree on an extended lunch break and/or allocate their Friday lunch breaks to convenient times. Most mosques conduct prayers at 1.30 p.m. so try to aim for an hour between 1 – 2p.m.

Fasting

Fasting takes places during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan does not correspond neatly to any Gregorian months due to its method of calculation. It changes from year to year by about ten days. The more devout Muslims may also fast on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year.

Fasting involves abstinence from food, drink, chewing and smoking from dawn till dusk. At dusk, Muslims traditionally break their fast with dates and water before proceeding to eat a meal.

In the workplace it is best to be aware of staff who are fasting as this avoids potential offence if the staff member declines an invite to lunch or to some other function involving food.

Dress

Most Muslim men will be wearing a shirt and tie like their colleagues and very few would challenge a dress code. This is simply because dress is not an area where strict guidelines exist in Islam.

One area Muslim men may clash with company policy is in their wearing of beards. If you have strict guidelines regarding facial hair or follow certain health and hygiene procedures, then it is wise to ensure that potential male Muslim employees are made aware of these procedures. You should also be willing to either compromise on religious grounds or ensure that beard covers are made available.

Muslim women are required to cover their hair (hijab) and to dress modestly. Many do neither but it is best to be aware of the needs of those who do. If your company has a uniform or a certain dress code be sure it permits the wearing of hijabs. Many companies have now taken the step to provide hijabs which match the company uniform.

Holidays

Generally Muslims in the UK take holidays as and when they need to. There are however a few dates of significance that should be noted.

Eid al-Fitr – this holiday celebrates the end of the month of Ramadan and fasting. It is traditionally a time when extended families congregate and presents given to children.

Although this holiday extends over a three day period, many Muslims typically take a single day holiday.

Eid al-Adha – celebrates the end of the Hajj (pilgrimage) and commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son. In Muslim countries sheep, goats and camels and usually sacrificed and the meat distributed the family, neighbourhood and the poor. In the UK such meat is ordered through a butcher due to our laws.

As with Eid al-Fitr, Muslims typically take a single day holiday during this period.

Socialising

One of the major discomforts for Muslims in the British workplace may involve the socialising culture of the office. Typical business culture involves after work socializing in pubs or restaurants. As Muslims do not drink any alcohol and places such as pubs, bars and discos are not considered suitable venues for relaxation, then Muslim staff may politely decline such offers.

This should not be interpreted as bad manners of unfriendliness, but rather a difference in cultures that should be respected. When planning team building trips or exercises or team outings always bear in mind a Muslim member of staff may feel uncomfortable if the venue is a pub, bar or even a restaurant serving alcohol. It is always best to check with that staff member first.

Try to think of alternative venues where all staff will be comfortable.

Food

There are certain restrictions as to what a Muslim can/can’t eat.

Meat must always be halal. Such meat has been slaughtered according to Islamic practice. If halal meat cannot be sourced then Muslims are allowed to eat Kosher meat too. Pork is not eaten at all by Muslims.

Always check ingredients of foods you plan to share out or use in staff lunches. Foods not suitable for vegetarians may contain non-halal meat or meat derivatives (e.g. gelatine) and cannot be eaten. Similarly, foods with alcohol content should also be avoided.

An easy way to overcome any catering difficulties is to provide a vegetarian option.

Touch/Personal Space

There is an opinion among some Muslims that touching between men and women should be avoided. Although not common in the UK, as compared with the Gulf, you may occasionally come across Muslim men and women who do not like to shake hands with members of the opposite sex. If you are unsure then it is advisable to wait and see if they extend their hands first.

Muslim men and women may also find close personal contact between sexes very uncomfortable. Unless you know otherwise be sure to leave a good deal of personal space.

As mentioned in the introduction, these are broad guidelines only and the degree of support from a business / HR perspective will be entirely dependant on the individual involved. Care should be taken therefore not to assume the needs of a member of staff, but to simply be aware of possible issues and resulting interventions if these become necessary.

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As a multicultural country, Malaysian are lucky enough to enjoy a huge variety of local foods as well as cross cultural food such as Mamak and Nyonya. A dish with the same names can have different variety. For example, Chinese Rojak and Indian Rojak are very different. But, what are the most famous dishes among the Malaysian?

1 – Nasi Lemak

A popular breakfast made of coconut milk rice served with sambal ikan bilis and slices of hard boil egg and cucumber. Chicken, squid or even beef is added for better satisfaction.

2 – Satay

Marinated meat being barbecued over the charcoal. The peanut sauce is a must as companion. Some would also like to be served with onions, cucumbers and even ketupat, a rice cube wrapped with palm leaves.

3 – Nasi Dagang

Claimed by the people in the East Coast Peninsular Malaysia as the East Coast Nasi Lemak. Nasi dagang is glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk. Normally served with fish curry, hard boiled eggs, shaved fried coconut and vegetable pickles.

4 – Char Kuey Teow

The name of the dish came from the Hokkien which means fried ‘kuey teow’, a type of noodles. Ingredients such as prawns, fishcake slices, cockles, eggs or even Chinese sausage can be found inside. But, the dish is vary from one place to another.

5 – Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice is cooked with chicken stock and topped with steamed chicken! The specialty of the dish is the chicken meat where the smoothness and juiciness remains! Dipping the meat into the chillies or ginger served is even nicer!

6 – Prawn Mee

Prawn Mee or Noodles is served with rich flavored stock made of shrimp. Prawns are must referring to the name of the dish! Also, sliced pork and fishcakes and bean sprout are included. Topping with fried spring onion could enriched the taste better.

7 – Bak Kut Teh

Bah Kut Teh is originated from the Hokkien word which mean herbal soup served with pork. A bowl of white rice is the best companion to it! But, as time goes by, there is also a halal version called ‘Chi Ku Teh’ which replaces the pork with chicken.

8 – Banana Leaf Rice

Banana Leaf Rice is served on banana leaf with dishes like fried fish, fried chicken, vegetables or anything that the consumer likes.

9 – Nasi Kandar

Nasi Kandar is one of the Penang specialty. Rice is being served with a wide variety of food from vegetables to meat to seafood.

10 – Roti Canai

Roti Canai resembles local fried pancake which is made from dough which has wide variety of topping such as eggs, sardines, banana and anything you can named it. Best served with Dhall, curry or even only white sugar.

What is Your Favorite Malaysian Food?

Of course this is only a part of it. There are so many other delicious Malaysian food. Feel free to suggest the local food that you like best.

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One thing that is on your mind while you plan to attend or host an event is food. Food is one of those primary things that add value to the event or party that you attend. No doubt, you can choose to prepare food or cuisine at home. However, it is possible only if it is a small family gathering. If in case you are planning a big function or event with large no. of guests and relatives then you have to take professional help. Particularly, in countries like Australia where the climate and weather is ideal for outdoor parties, the catering service industry has experienced a boom. The finger food caterers is one of the primary examples of this flourishing food industry.

Many people when they imagine about caterers, they presume that there will be a staff waiting at the dining area to serve them with food. They also usually come across catering services, which organizes for a buffet system. The caterers either bring the cooked food and then give finishing touch to it or prepare the food on site at the event. People expect that the companies involved in the catering business should arrange for the food in an attractive manner. Due to this, many catering companies have come forward and turned themselves into the full service agencies. Caterers from finger food are one of those catering service providers who not only take care of food arrangements but also plan the entire event.

In this way, the guests feel attracted and satisfy not only their gastronomy but also their senses with the best atmosphere and settings. The good and delicious food satisfies the taste, smell and sight of the guests and the atmosphere created with decoration helps in turning the complete event memorable. These caterers not only offer their service to the corporate or private events but also cater to the need of travel industry by providing their services to the ships and cruises and airlines. However, in this case, they only offer food. They do not arrange for the staff looking after guests. All they do is simply provide them with food.

Any party is imperfect in the absence of good beverage. These caterers from finger food are outstanding in offering cocktail party catering in Sydney. So, avail the incredible catering services of finger food.

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