Restaurant Quality Catering Concord NH - Food Delivery Laconia NH

Never Stress about Guests Catering and Successful Event Tips

Everyone has dietary needs or at least some preferences.

Some of your guests may need you to carefully consider the food you order for your event.

But… Do not stress about these guests!

Maybe it is the need to eat gluten-free.

Perhaps Vegan or Vegetarian.

And a few more. Not to worry.

The best place to start is with your menu selections.

So many of our clients are relieved to see that the menu they selected actually checks all the boxes. Basically… every guest can eat anything on the menu.

If plan “A” doesn’t work out… Plan “B” is…

You can simply order separate meals for these guests. We just pack them up separately and label them. Easy.

The food is going to be the simplest to plan and one of the best parts of your event… that is always our aim.

Grazing Tables and Charcuterie Boards

For the longest time our displayed apps like Artisan Cheese, Antipasto, Veggie Crudité, Mediterranean Trio and Fruit have been put out with the utmost attention to detail to be appealing to the eyes and taste buds.

A couple of years back we introduced our “Grazing Tables” that have a combination of meats, veggies, fruit, the best cheeses, etc. The colors, the contrast and the various elements that go into building them make it so enjoyable. To see the look on the face of the catering client and their guests is always the best part (for us anyway). Grazing Tables are our version of charcuterie boards.

Twelve 31 does not see this as any sort of “fad”. We plan to keep our grazing tables as an option for years to come.

It is fun to match the tables a little to the event when possible too.

Once we were able to hit St. Patrick’s Day and a Baby Shower all within 72 Hours of each other.

Catering Service on Short Notice

We love the opportunity to offer you “Catering Advice” that can also help you on all aspects of event planning.

Let’s talk about “Short Notice.”

Yes… it is possible. And a great example to use is how we are able to help our client, Eversource at the last minute.

Eversource expects a lot of their employees and subcontractors when storms threaten to knock out power. Therefore… They treat them well! They set up meals for them all day for multiple days.

While this is hard work for sure… we are able to pull off feeding a lot of people with catering services on short notice.
Since mother nature does not plan events, this is expected. But you have a little more time (probably).

While we probably can pull something off for you, what are the cons of short notice if you were to “procrastinate?”

Availability. We can not be there for every situation like we are for the power company.

Product Availability. As you get closer to your event if you don’t have the details of which food nailed down, there is a chance it may not be available, thus limiting your options.

Prep. Some selections require much more prep time than others if it is available.

If you have the luxury of time… use it!

The time of year to book catering

Winter is time of year for bookings and reservations for Catering Spring, Summer and Fall 2023 Events.

While we have made many last-minute catering requests work over the years…
resulting in our standing record being 4 Weddings on the Same Day!

The Advice is to book early to not be locked out.

We provide food for the most important events in peoples’ lives.

That’s why we take so much pride in what we do. The Food will be as Memorable as the Occasion.

Pinterest and Instagram Might Steer You Wrong

When it comes to catering for your event, you need to be careful about putting too much faith and trust in Pinterest and Instagram.

These platforms are great for getting ideas.

Some of the images can be very inspiring when it comes to giving you direction for your food display and decor themes.

But there is always a catch! The fact is the people posting these photos are looking for views and shares… that’s their objective! They are not interested in the quality of your food.

You have to find the balance between art and function.

In fact, you can achieve a beautiful food display without compromising the quality of your food.

You need to trust your caterer’s advice!

One thing I will never do is present our food in a way that will sacrifice its quality and taste.

Example… that mini pancakes on a toothpick sitting on a nice platter picture might look really cute, but in practice who wants to eat cold pancakes?

Of course, this is just one example. I come across so many pictures that look great, but make no sense at all.

I have twenty, plus years in this industry. I have worked in some of the best restaurants in Boston and have managed 1000’s of events at hotels like: The Westin Waterfront, The Hyatt and The W. I would never steer you wrong or give you advice that would compromise the quality of my food.

Best,

Melissa

Taco Bar Catering but no Taco Tuesday

For a while now, we’ve been doing Taco Bars.

We have done these in all sorts of budget levels.

But… our Taco Bar catering menu was sort of under wraps because we never published it.

With the New Year comes new fun, right?

So we added a Taco Bar option to our Catering Menu and Wedding Catering Menu.

But it’s not your typical “Taco Tuesday” line up. Here’s a look at what\’s included…

Grilled Chicken
Braised Shredded Pork
Corn Tortillas
Cabbage Cilantro Slaw
Spicy Pico De Gallo
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Fresh Fried Tortilla Chips with House Made Salsa and Guacamole
Grilled Street Corn with Cotija Cheese, Chile Powder and Lime
Rice with Pinto Beans

New Years Eve and New Years Day Catering

Now is the time to get those last minute New Year\’s Eve and New Year\’s day orders finalized.

From Appetizers to our Hot Trays to our Yummy Desserts (like Tiramisu Cups), we\’ve got everything to make your New Years Eve and New Years Day a Hit!

Get with us this week!

Thanksgiving Catering

We had a lot of questions about our Thanksgiving offerings and hours.

While we’re not the place who wants to “cook your turkey and cater your Thanksgiving Dinner” – we do have a bunch of great side dishes for you!

Check out the menu here: Thanksgiving Catering Menu

And of course, anything from our other catering menus can be ordered for your Thanksgiving celebration.

We’ll be open regular hours on Wednesday and then until about 11AM on Thanksgiving Day.

Lobster Rolls for Your Catered Lunch

It could be a business meeting you need catering for.

Maybe it\’s a personal or family event?

Our Lunch Catering options are very popular. From our Deli Platters to Gourmet Sandwiches, to Finger Sandwiches.

We always include homemade chips with all orders!

That\’s why we\’re so happy to add another great lunch option.

Our Lobster Rolls!

You get a quarter pound of our Lobster Salad on a delicious and fresh brioche roll!

Check out our entire \”Deli Catering Menu!\”

Lobster Mac n Cheese Catering

The Lobster is Here!

Finally… perfected (just kidding, it has always been perfect)!

But we just added to our Catering Menu at a great price!

Our Lobster Mac n Cheese…

Our full size catering tray of Lobster Mac will dish out 20 servings at $7.50 per. It\’s loaded with 2 lbs of Lobster Meat! In addition, there are two \”At Home Menu\” versions that will dish out 5 and 10 servings!

You’ll have to try it!

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Lobster Mac n Cheese Catering

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