Catering Case Study- Centiva Beer and Canape Service
Introduction
Centiva approached Pearl Lemon Catering in September 2023 to help them with an office event. This event was to provide canapes, beer, glasses and some soft drinks (with cups) while they provided their wines.
The Scope of Work
The initial scope of the agreed-upon work included the following components:
- Curate a canape and beer menu for the team to choose from
- Serve canapes to guests
- Serve beer and wine to guests
- Ensure all guests are happy and well taken care of throughout the event
Costing the Ingredients
This was a fun event to determine costs for. The Pearl Lemon Catering team recently redid the canape menu, so this was the first test run at seeing what a client would choose.
This meant rather than just offering meat, vegan and vegetarian options. We also added in more premium options like different cuts of meat and seafood canapes in addition to the existing sweet and savoury menu.
Canapes were calculated, then was soft drinks, beer and cup rental.
Lydia and Auctavia worked together to quickly build a quote to review with Deepak and Axel before sending off to team Centiva to accept.
Leading Up to the Event
The team worked closely together throughout the event preparation.
Lydia kept in contact with the Centiva team via email for both menu planning and sharing contracts and various food safety proofs.
This event ended up taking a few sales calls, follow-up emails and a final confirmation call to ensure the menu was chosen. The below were the final choices for both glasses, canapes, beer and soft drinks.
Setting Up At the Venue
Now initially the team had quoted Centiva with only one staff to come, but the Pearl Lemon Catering team felt that bringing two staff members would help provide much better service.
As the team arrived, we quickly headed to where the station was set up to unload beer and canapes onto trays for serving.
Hurdles and Obstacles
The primary hurdle we faced in the lead-up to the event was the unexpected difficulty in renewing our insurance. Our account manager at the insurance company had left, requiring Lydia an additional 2 weeks to finalize the renewal. This situation can create significant bottlenecks for a catering company, as major clients often require proof of insurance to proceed with the event. However, we managed to obtain the renewed insurance and were able to present concrete evidence to the client a day before the event, appeasing their concerns. Lydia worked tirelessly, making over 4 calls a day for over a week to secure the necessary document.
Another large issue was that the team had to call Deepak to bring wine flutes upon arrival as the wrong glass type was confirmed for the event. And the wine was never confirmed but requested upon arrival. This meant he also had to go on a quick wine run for the event.
One small hiccup was that the provided address was not 100% correct. The initial street number confirmed was 70, while on the way to the event the team mentioned the actual street number was 35. So it was close, but still one small hurdle to overcome.
One last issue was traffic was a bit abnormal on the evening of the event. The team planned on arriving at least 30 minutes early, but due to excessive traffic, the team arrived close to when the event was planned to start.
The Outcome
This was a great opportunity for the team to learn.
This event showed that should we triple-check with the client what they want. While the team had a sales call and two follow-up emails, it was still missed that it was wine flutes to bring and wine and nuts.
We were grateful we were able to execute this event and still hope that we will be able to work with Centiva again.
Quick Links:
Company Address:
Pearl Lemon Catering Ltd.
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct
London, EC1A 2BN
United Kingdom
Contact Details:
UK: +44 207 183 3436
US: +1 650-278-4421
We’re an awesome bunch of Catering experts! Book a Call With Us.
Pearl Lemon Catering is a part of the Pearl Lemon Group . We run three Cafe’s – Pearl Lemon Café (w/lots of plants), Pearl Lemon Boba, Plant Sumo and How Matcha (come visit) in London!
© All Rights Reserved | Company Number: 10411490 | VAT Number: 252 7124 23