A lot has changed in the event industry because of COVID. Now, hybrid events are on the rise and many venues are giving virtual tours instead of in-person ones. There are a few trends that have a place in the industry going forward, single-serve food being one of the major ones.
Single-serve food is exactly what it sounds like—food that is packaged for one individual person. This may be an entire meal in a box, or it could be a variety of snacks in cups. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what food you’re serving. The goal is to remove the risk of guests touching each other’s food and keeps everything more sanitary.
But, as with any safety precaution, there are ways to do it right and ways to do it less safely. In this post, we’re going to address some of the do’s and dont’s of single-serve food, so your guests and your team can remain as safe as possible.
Do serve food in containers
For single-serve food to be the safest, it should be served in individual containers. This could be parfait cups with fruit and yogurt, or veggie cups with dip on the bottom. But it could also mean sandwiches and chips in to-go containers. The main goal is to make sure that guests can grab their own food without touching anyone else’s.
Don’t let guests crowd the food tables
If you serve your food in containers, but let guests crowd around the table to grab them. While you may be keeping the food safe, you won’t be keeping your guests safe because they’ll be in close quarters when they pick out their food. Instead of letting everyone rush to the food table, dismiss each table one by one. This makes for an easier, more relaxed experience and avoids over-crowding.
Do provide single-serve drinks
Yes, single-serve food is important. But don’t forget the drinks! Your guests will get thirsty, so you should hand out drinks, too. Thankfully, you don’t need to divide juice and water into cups ahead of time. Instead, you can simply offer bottled juices, water, and soda. You can serve them with the food or have them out at a beverage station.
Don’t forget napkins or utensils
For an event with table seating, you can set each place with napkins and utensils. But for a more casual, choose-your-own-seating event, pack the appropriate materials along with the food. That way, guests have what they need along with their meal.
Of course, guests may need extra napkins or drop their fork, so you should provide those, too. But, as you’ve probably guessed by now, you can pre-package them like everything else!
Do serve guests while seated
If there isn’t room for food and drink tables, or if you’re concerned about crowding, you can simply serve the guests while they’re seated. This is an easy way to keep the guests safe from crowding, and you can make sure everyone gets their snacks or meal. If you decide to do this, you should take your guests’ orders before serving them. You can collect their meal preferences with their RSVPs or go around and ask each table before the meal.
Don’t make it complicated
Yes, single-serve food will keep your guests safe. But it’s also a lot of extra work for you to package all the food. And if you’re not the one packing the food, it can cost extra for the caterer to serve individual snacks and meals.
So when you’re planning your menu, keep it simple. Don’t pick food that needs to stay super warm—or super cold. And don’t try any new or complicated recipes. There are plenty of easy, delicious recipes to choose from! You don’t need to give you and your team more work than necessary.
Conclusion
Providing single-serve food and drink at your next event is a great way to keep everyone safe—the guests and the hosts alike. It reduces the risk of guests touching each other’s food and spreading germs. Plus, it can even help reduce food waste because hosts tend to over-estimate how much guests will eat at a buffet. Just be sure to consider utensils, napkins, and other meal-time needs so your guests are still comfortable.
Share a single-serve food recipe with us below!
