With social distancing being such a vital part of stopping the spread of Covid, most people did not celebrate the 2020 holiday season the way they would have traditionally. This year, there is more freedom to safely see family again as more people are vaccinated or returning back to work. That means that 2021 will be the return of holiday parties (hopefully).
This year's holiday parties will be a great way to show appreciation towards employees after the crazy year behind us. It is also a great mental break to socialize with colleagues outside of the hectic work environment. Giving employees the opportunity to unwind will help build stronger connections and boost morale going into the New Year. Holiday parties should be stress-free and fun for everyone, but we all know how overwhelming the planning that goes into the perfect party could be. Milk Street Cafe is here to take care of the party planning for you so you don't have to sweat the details. Follow the steps below to throw a memorable Holiday Party this season.
Finalize Your Guest List
First thing's first, who is invited? How many people will be there? Are you allowing plus-ones? Is it a family party where children can come? Is the size of the guest list within your event budget? These are all things to consider before moving forward with picking a date or a venue. Keep in mind that the larger the guest list, the bigger the price tag and the more difficult it will be to nail down a date that accommodates everyones schedules.
Pick a Date
The next thing on the agenda is to pick a date. You may need to do some investigative work to plan a time that works best. Take a poll in your office and see when the majority of people would like to get together. Working around tons of other holiday parties and family schedules can be tough. Start reaching out now to get the most accurate read of how many people can attend depending on the time. If you choose a time on the weekend or after work hours, you risk the possibility of having less attendance, however, an evening time allows for more freedom if you choose to include alcohol. If an evening event is what you want, tell your colleagues as soon as possible so everyone can plan ahead.
Pick a Venue
Next step is to pick out a venue. When deciding on a date, you need to keep your budget and your attendance in mind. Make sure to look at venues that can accommodate for the number of people you plan on having attend and the style you want it to be. Most venues will tell you right up front how many people it can host for sit down dinners, cocktail hours, and other event styles that you may be interested in. When it comes to picking a venue, prices shoot up during the holiday season. If you decided on an evening or weekend event, venue prices are sure to be more expensive as they are more popular. However, choosing to hold your holiday party in the afternoon or early evening, could be a much more budget-friendly option, as venues are typically slower around those times anyway. Choosing an afternoon time also has its own benefits, such as more attendance from employees, and the added bonus of giving your employees the afternoon off to relax.
Choose a Menu
Next comes the fun part— the food! Before you do anything, you'll need to finalize your head count and ask about any special dietary restrictions. Once you've narrowed that down, head to our site! Milk Street Cafe has a variety of menus to cater to any occasion or diet this holiday season. Check out some of them below:
Before you place your order, you'll also need to decide on if the food will be served buffet-style. Or, if you're being more cautious with covid, we can serve individually wrapped food at your party instead.
Our website has also made it easier than ever to place your catering orders online. Head to any of these pages to lead you straight to our ordering platform:
Pro tip: Keep an eye on our emails and social media platforms to stay up-to-date on any special promotions or holiday ordering deadlines.
Don't Sweat the Details
Were you cornered into planning this year's office holiday party and have no idea where to begin? The last thing you need is to be running around on the day of the event when you've realized you're missing things like linens, silverware, flowers, or alcohol. Milk Street Cafe can coordinate the details beyond the food such as rentals, florals, and staffing. We offer complimentary setup for all catered events so there is one less thing for you to worry about on the day of the event. For anything beyond this scope, we partner with Pine & Zest Events, an expert event team that can bring your holiday party dreams to life.
We're Here to Help
Milk Street Cafe makes the holiday party planning stress-free. Use our team of professional caterers and event planners will take care of all the details so you can focus on having fun and enjoying the holidays with friends, family, and colleagues. Give us a call at 617-542-3663 to get in touch with our expert team and start planning the perfect party today.