How to order food for office meetings

As a PA, your reputation is on the line every time you organise a meeting. From C-suite roundtables to weekly status calls, execution must be flawless. Tick one hassle off the list and order catering online with OfficeServe, a catering platform for breakfast meetings, working lunch and afternoon tea.

Here’s the situation: you have a 40-person headcount – four Halal, nine veg and three gluten free. Sound familiar? Here are three tips for arranging food for your next office meeting – whether it be for eight or 80.

1. Please every palate

Dietary preferences aren’t always just preferences, they’re personal, medical and religious practices to be respected. Keep a file of how your office eats. Introduce a simple food questionnaire to keep track of employees and regular guests. Beyond dietary needs, your team desires variety too. Meat-eaters will enjoy roasted Mediterranean veggies and homemade hummus just as much as the vegetarians – so try something new, and gather feedback.

2. Click, click, food

80 per cent of your job revolves around the computer. Calendar management, conference calls, business travel – it’s all digital. Ordering food for your office should be moved into the digital realm too. Browse menus online, place your order in a few clicks and food will be delivered exactly when and where you want it. And when you order with OfficeServe, you’re providing fresh, locally prepared food in 100 per cent recyclable packaging, so you can feel good about it too.

3. Ditch the card, get an invoice

Keeping track of office expenses can be a pain. Go with a caterer who offers corporate accounts with direct invoice billing. Treat the food bill just like all other invoices – no need to add extra personal admin work.

Get your £25 John Lewis voucher

PA Life readers get a personal £25 John Lewis voucher when they place their first order. Want to have your next meeting catered by OfficeServe? Place your first order by the end of March 2018 and you’ll receive a personal £25 John Lewis voucher to spend as your heart desires! Visit officeserve.com/PALife to find out how.