When choosing a caterer, most people look for a company with a reputation for good quality food. However, the customer service you receive is equally important, if not more so. Even if you select a caterer that offers diverse menus featuring the freshest high quality ingredients, your event will not be a success if the service is poor. Guests are far more likely to remember bad service over good food.
Fast customer service is crucial to the success of your event. This is especially true for corporate events and events with a high number of guests.
Fast Customer Service
For events with several people, it’s crucial that your caterer is able to expedite service so that hungry guests are not waiting to eat. The goal should be to get everyone served as quickly as possible. This ensures that everyone is able to eat together.
At corporate events and meetings, guests typically need to be served and seated quickly. This enables events to continue as planned. It also ensures that employees are able to return to work as soon as possible. Speedy customer service helps keep your event on track.
Choosing a Caterer
When looking for a caterer to work with, the customer service you receive over the phone can tell you a lot about the catering service you’ll receive on the day of your event. If the catering company is slow to return your calls or emails, or does not respond at all, it’s probably best to look for a different caterer.
Customer service begins the moment you contact the company. Fast, friendly customer service from the start indicates a catering company that truly cares about its customers.
Special Considerations
If time is a concern for your event, you might need to consider additional ways to speed up food service. Consider choosing a catering company that offers buffet or self-serve options. Of course, it’s still important that the food arrives on time. Self-serve options are not a reliable substitute for fast customer service.
Reliable Northern Virginia Caterer
Boulevard Catering offers fast, reliable customer service for corporate events, private parties, weddings and more in Northern Virginia and the Metro DC area. We offer a wide variety of menu choices as well as buffet and self-serve options. Our professional caterers can work with you to create a customized menu for your event. Please contact us for more information about event catering.
Since opening our business in 1987, we’ve seen a lot of catering trends come and go. Today, more and more people expect high quality food and exceptional service. They also want plenty of options. Sticking with current trends is crucial if you want your event to be a success. The following are the top current trends in catering as we head towards 2018:
Serving dishes that are specific to your event’s location provides out of town guests with a truly unique experience. Your local guests are sure to appreciate the local cuisine as well.
Choosing a caterer that uses locally sourced ingredients can take your event to the next level. Supporting local farms is good for your local economy and ensures the freshest ingredients possible. Boulevard Catering sources most of our produce from local farms.
The food you serve can make a big difference in how your guests remember your event. Foods that are very rich and high in fat and calories can leave your guests feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. Providing options that are healthy and light, yet flavorful and satisfying ensures your guests remain alert and happy throughout your entire event.
Choose high protein, low-fat meats such as turkey, chicken or salmon. Remember to offer vegan and gluten free options as well. Boulevard Catering offers a variety of healthy options. We are able to accommodate most dietary restrictions.
Serving a selection of small plates and appetizers allows your guests to try a variety of dishes. This approach also reduces food waste and costs less than serving an entire meal. Small plates and appetizers are the perfect choice for lunch receptions and events that take place between meals.
Boulevard Catering offers catering services throughout Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland. We offer a wide variety of menu options and are able to accommodate most dietary restrictions. We offer a number of healthy, gluten free and vegan options. We use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
Our catering services are available for special events, weddings, corporate events, parties and more. Please contact us for more information about our Northern Virginia catering services.
Just like that, it’s January again. And in January, two things happen: We recommence spending the majority of our time in our Tysons Corner VA offices, and making resolutions to eat healthier in 2017.
You’re trading the cake for kale, the suds for seltzer, and the channel surfing on the couch for a daily dose of cardio; the year is not yet two weeks young, and you’ve got a long way to go to meet your goals, but you’re committed to making the right choices.
At home, it’s easy to do, but at work, temptations are many: cookies in the break room, the catered corporate lunch, happy hour invitations. How can you say no? It’s not easy, but you can do it. N-O.
The best thing about spending most of your day at work, on a set schedule, is the opportunity to make a plan. Block out ten minutes in the morning to have a healthy snack, and then take a break for lunch. Weight loss isn’t about eating less, but eating healthy. Planned snacks (Think almonds, or cheese, or fruit.) and a designated lunchtime should be priority items on your to-do list, every day.
Plan, and then prepare. Fill your lunchbox with fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains; and make sure to keep a few more healthy options on hand in you’re desk for those days you’re just not feeling the brown bag. When you’re presented with multiple nutritious options, you’re less likely to give in when the lunching ladies come to call.
There’s eating right, and then there’s staying hydrated. We all know how important it is to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, but it’s just as easy to just… forget. Set a calendar reminder for once every half hour, and then drink up!
A commitment to healthy office eating habits doesn’t mean you’ll never get to have another of Carol’s cupcakes. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get to gab over greasy cheeseburgers on Friday afternoons, and it doesn’t mean you won’t get to enjoy the southern fried chicken your boss always orders from Boulevard Cafe Catering for the company retreat. It just means you have one cupcake a month (not a week). It means that you opt for a salad instead of a burger, and for one piece of chicken instead of two. Go ahead: Indulge. It’s the spice of life, but just like any other, a little goes a long way.
Christmas! It’s Christmas time!
Okay, well maybe not quite yet. Thanksgiving comes first, next week, but then it’s Christmas time! And in this jolliest season of the year, there is much to anticipate, much fun to be had. Parades of light, deck the halls, mulled cider, and the office holiday party.
But don’t just throw any ol’ party. Throw a great themed party.
Maybe you love it. Maybe you hate it. Maybe you want to buy Ralphie that Red Ryder BB Gun yourself, or maybe you agree: He’ll shoot his eye out. Whatever your take on the matter, the classic holiday film is just that… a classic.
Just as A Christmas Story is set in the 1940s, so, too, should your A Christmas Story Christmas party be. Serve a holiday menu of duck and turkey — but be sure to keep the dog away! Decade-appropriate beverages and dessert should include Coca-Cola in glass bottles, root beer floats, Bit-o-Honey candies, Bazooka bubble gum, and Almond Joys.
Set a traditional scene with an elegant lit Christmas tree, a bar of soap for the naughty fudgers, themed prizes, and heavens, don’t forget the leg lamp photo opp!
If shtick isn’t your thing, and fancy is more your style, a formal masquerade ball is the IT party to throw! Gather your guest list, stock up on decorative masks for each of your guests, and decorate your home in rich purples and golds.
Any masquerade ball is a fancy party, and the food your serve at your masquerade ball should be just as fancy as the next. Serve a menu of passed hors d’oeuvres (May we suggest Mini Quiche Bites?) and champagne cocktails.
A high-class affair needs high-class entertainment. Hire a string quartet or live jazz musicians to entertain the masked masses; strike up the band, and fill the dance floor to the tune of Christmas classics.
Isn’t great food theme enough? Of course it is!
When you pair simple decorations and great music with a delectable twelve-course tasting menu, your guests will never leave hungry.
August! Tomorrow marks the first day of August, and it’s hard to believe the summer is flying by so quickly. Soon, your kids will be back in school, and your days will be filled with homework, and boxed lunches, and permission slips. Soon, but not yet.
You’re determined to enjoy these dog days of summer while they last.
You’re determined to throw at least one more cookout before summer’s end.
From the Partnership for Food Safety, consider the following tips:
Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.
Wash your hands (Have we gotten our point across yet?) before and after handling food, and ensure you do so properly. Using warm water and soap, lather and rinse for at least 20 seconds.
Perishable foods are a veritable breeding ground for bacteria, and this bacteria will compound and multiply rapidly if its left to sit out for too long. No food (but especially not raw meat) should remain unrefrigerated for longer than two hours. Note: On a day hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, this two-hour rule shrinks to one hour.
A traditional refrigerator is even better, but if you’re hosting a picnic at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, or elsewhere where you may not have access to such, invest in more ice than you think you’ll need. Ice will keep cold drinks cold, and your food safe to eat.
The food will be far more safe in the temperature-controlled cab of your car than it will in the hot trunk.
Raw meat and poultry should be kept away from, and in a separate storage container than cooked foods, fruits, and vegetables. That means: Don’t slice the watermelon on the same cutting board that just held pre-cooked burgers.
And use it.
The Partnership for Food Safety recommends cooking poultry, casserole, and any leftovers to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit; ground meats and egg dishes to 160 degrees Fahrenheit; fresh beef, pork, veal, lamb, ham, and fish to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
When hosting, and cooking for friends at a summer cookout, it’s always better to be [food] safe than sorry, or better yet:
Get in touch with us about catering your next summer get-together, and we’ll suggest delectable, inventive (and food safe!) menu items that include BBQ baby back ribs, Cajun fried chicken, cucumber and black bean salad, cole slaw, and more.
See, there’s this meeting coming up, and even the boss knows it’s going to be… less than fun. So he’s decided to cater lunch for your team. (That’s very nice of him, don’t you think? If you have to sit in an all-day meeting, it’s only right that you get a meal out of the deal.)
He decided to cater lunch for your team, but he’s a little stumped: He doesn’t know from where to order, or what to order, or perhaps more importantly — what not to order. The answer to the first question is clear, you told him when he asked for your advice: Boulevard Café Catering.
The answer to the second question is a little trickier. You should order the food you know everyone will enjoy, right? Yes. And no. Feeding corporate event guests (even when they’re required to attend– such is the case with your meeting) is about good food and flavor, but just as much, it’s about… not being stinky.
Take our word for it.
Nobody doesn’t love a warm bowl of curry over rice. This Indian and Asian staple, with its rich, spicy flavor awakens the senses. But maybe not always in a good way. In a closed-off conference room, the smell of curry might, for some, be more reminiscent of body odor than a home-cooked meal. Don’t order curry to feed the guests at your next corporate event.
Tacos, and quesadillas, and burritos. Oh my! Our mouths are watering just thinking about it. But what’s a taco without an ice cold beer? Nothing, that’s what. And since drinking during work hours is strictly prohibited, do your colleagues a favor and order something else.
Do we even need to explain this one? Fish is delicious: Tuna or salmon, sushi or smoked. We love it however you give it to us. But let’s be honest. There is no spice, nor herb, nor lemon that will cover up the stench that lingers.
Wait. Vegetables, really?!
Yes, really. But not all vegetables. Just the cooked ones. Sure, they’re healthy and chock full of the vitamins and nutrients a body needs, but fibrous greens (Think broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage.) get a little — shall we say — funky when warmed over. Opt for a crudite platter instead.
You found it! Family owned and operated since 1978, Boulevard Cafe Catering can handle any number of different corporate catering requirements. From breakfasts to box lunches to the most sophisticated office parties, we can help. Don’t let your next meeting or corporate event take place without great catering from Boulevard! The food can make your event a success (even if the powerpoint presentation is boring!).
February is a great month: The last full month of winter, the shortest month of the year, the month of love, the month of movies, the month of Lincoln’s birthday, the month to leap (Okay, not this year.), and the month of PARTIES: Oscar parties, corporate employee appreciation parties, parties for no reason at all.
What’s that you said?
No way! Well, you came to the right place.
With diverse menu selections to complement three decades of unparalleled service, Boulevard Café Catering is *the* preeminent local institution for corporate event and business catering. And thanks to the recent hire of new Executive Sous Chef Ruben Vasquez, Boulevard is excited to offer a new special menu each month, featuring entree, side, and dessert items concocted to sate the discriminating tastebuds of northern Virginia’s professional community.
Assorted English muffin egg sandwiches
(Including cheese, bacon and/or sausage)
French toast sticks & fruit salad
$9 per person
Confetti scrambled eggs
Breakfast country potatoes with bacon & sausage
Mini bagels, muffins, coffee cakes & fruit salad
$11 per person
Stir-fried chicken with basil & chili sauce
Beef & broccoli
Asian salad with sesame dressing
Sautéed egg lo mein noodles
Mix stir-fried vegetables
Assorted mini pastries
$18 per person
Chicken champagne
Grilled salmon with pineapple salsa
Roasted mix vegetables
Confetti orzo
Sweet heart salad with cranberry vinaigrette
Rolls & butter
Assorted cannoli
$18 per person
Jerk chicken breast topped with caramelized onion relish
Pineapple beef skewers with tamarind mint sauce
Coconut rice
Mixed roasted vegetables
Tropical green salad with honey ginger dressing
Rolls & butter
Assorted mini cupcakes
$18 per person
Beef and golden potato puff served with tamarind sauce
Spicy bacon wrapped potato with tabasco aioli
Mini fruit skewers with tropical dip
$1.25 per person (with a 25-person minimum)
Everyone and his neighbor is throwing a holiday party, and you’ve been invited to them all — an ugly Christmas sweater party at Jane’s, a Happy Hanukkah party at Dan’s, the office holiday party at your boss’s house on the river, and a white elephant gift exchange party at Betsy’s. You found the tackiest tacky sweater, perfected your latke recipe, purchased a yodeling pickle, and scoured the wine store for hostess gifts. Your party guest prep is complete.
‘Tis the season to let your hair down, and party like it’s 336.
Bring the manischewitz. Spike the eggnog.
Have yourself a merry little holiday party, but mind your surroundings. Attempts to strike up a rousing chorus of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” as Dan lights the menorah will fall flat; likewise, an impromptu dance party on your boss’s coffee table might be frowned upon.
A good rule of thumb is, “If you wouldn’t wear it to work, don’t wear it to your office holiday party.” That doesn’t mean you have to wear slacks and a demure blouse (Go ahead, add a little sparkle.), but remember that you’re not going bar hopping with the girls. Avoid overly sexy dress or short skirts.
Can you imagine how embarrassed you’d feel walking into the office Monday morning after a night of drunken debauchery… Did you hear someone say something about a broken coffee table? Enjoy the champagne punch, but don’t go overboard. Know your limits, and make sure you eat. Rumor has it, Boulevard Café Catering provided the food, and it’s going to be TASTY.
Your inhibitions will be lowered; the occasion will be festive — you might be tempted to give that cute guy from Accounting your phone number. Don’t. That cute guy from Accounting (Is his name John?) came to the office holiday party with his wife, and chances are good neither she, nor he will be appreciate the overture.
Remember, the party may be a… party, but it’s still a professional event. If that off-color joke wouldn’t be welcome around the water cooler, it probably won’t go over well at the appetizer table.
Whether spouse, friend, or Mr. Right Now, you are responsible for your guest’s behavior. You may be pleasant, polite, and professional all evening, but if he’s spiking the punch and breaking furniture, it’ll be you who pays the consequences. Behave as responsible party guests, the both of you, and a good time will be had by all.
Welcome! Thank you for visiting Boulevard Catering. Our new website will make it easier than ever to arrange for corporate and event catering and also see our famous Daily Specials available at our Cafe.
Through these pages we will also be posting all kind of great information about catering and cafe specials for our northern Virginia customers.
We hope you enjoy the new website – we look forward to seeing you soon!