In September 2023, ITV, a leading television network, sought to enhance its corporate events by incorporating a distinctive and memorable element. They chose to partner with Pearl Lemon Catering to provide a specialized Bubble Tea Drop-off service, aiming to offer a unique and enjoyable experience for event attendees.
This innovative collaboration was designed to introduce a burst of flavors and a touch of excitement to ITV’s gatherings, providing a refreshing and delightful break for all participants. Pearl Lemon Catering was tasked with creating a range of bubble tea options that would not only be enjoyable but also visually appealing, adding an element of fun and novelty to the corporate environment.
The bubble teas offered a variety of flavors, catering to a wide range of tastes and preferences, ensuring that every attendee could find something to enjoy. This thoughtful addition was well-received, significantly enhancing the event’s overall experience and leaving a lasting impression on the guests. The success of this service underscored the importance of thoughtful catering choices in making corporate events both enjoyable and memorable.
The initial scope of the agreed-upon work included the following components:
The appeal of Bubble Tea events, such as the one hosted for ITV, is found in their simplicity and straightforward cost estimation. Bubble Tea has been a prominent feature on Pearl Lemon Catering’s menu for several years, growing steadily in popularity due to its delightful flavours and the unique, interactive experience it offers. The successful integration of Bubble Tea into our catering offerings can be largely attributed to the early days of our menu development, led by Axel and Lydia—our menu design and curation experts.
Their foresight and creativity were instrumental in recognizing the potential of Bubble Tea as a catering staple. From the outset, they envisioned a menu that included traditional offerings and embraced innovative and trendy options like Bubble Tea. This strategic inclusion has since made the preparation and execution of such events almost effortless for our team.
Thanks to their initial groundwork, Pearl Lemon Catering can offer Bubble Tea services that are cost-effective and consistently exceed client expectations. Each event is an opportunity to craft delightful experiences, where every sip brings a burst of flavour and a moment of joy, enhancing the overall ambience and satisfaction at corporate gatherings and beyond.
The team worked closely together throughout the event preparation.
Lydia kept in contact with Claire and her team by email, while the core team kept in touch on whatsapp.
Lydia was responsible for sending the menu and confirming final counts, as they needed 50 total bubble teas.
Claire and her team ended up choosing:
Soon after the initial agreement for the Bubble Tea drop-off service, Claire from ITV facilitated a meeting between Lydia and some of her colleagues to discuss the collaboration’s necessary legal and compliance aspects. This is a standard procedure for many large companies like ITV, which must ensure that all vendors they engage with adhere to stringent safety and legal standards.
Lydia was responsible for providing comprehensive documentation to demonstrate Pearl Lemon Catering’s commitment to safety and compliance. This included sending our team’s up-to-date food safety certificates, showcasing our 5-star food hygiene rating, and providing proof of our public liability insurance, among other relevant documents.
The process required meticulous attention to detail to ensure that all paperwork was complete and up to the high standards expected by ITV. Lydia managed to compile and send all the necessary documentation on time, ensuring there were no delays or issues in meeting ITV’s vendor compliance requirements. This timely submission was crucial for the smooth execution of the event, allowing us to focus on delivering an exceptional Bubble Tea experience to ITV’s attendees.
Though late, the team arrived ready to roll.
We quickly unloaded and set up the serving station as guests were well ready for their bubble tea. As drinks were chosen, our team explained how we make bubble tea, what flavours traditional boba had, what had popping pearls, the history of boba tea, and more.
As requested, we also brought our catering business cards, so we are hopeful that how happy the client still was at the end, we were able to make valuable connections for future events.
Navigating the challenges of event preparation, especially under tight constraints, can often test a catering company’s resilience and adaptability. Leading up to the ITV event, Pearl Lemon Catering faced a significant hurdle with renewing our public liability insurance—a critical requirement for any large client collaboration.
The unexpected departure of our account manager from the insurance company led to delays, with Lydia having to extend considerable effort over an additional two weeks to secure the renewal. The complexity of insurance transactions and the need for continuous follow-ups meant Lydia had to make more than four calls daily for over a week to resolve the issue. Fortunately, she provided ITV with proof of payment just the day before the event, which helped maintain their confidence in our services.
On the event day, we encountered another major challenge: transportation issues. The original vehicle intended for transporting the Bubble Tea set up to the venue became unavailable at the last minute, necessitating a quick search for an alternative. This situation required the team to rapidly repack all equipment and supplies into a new vehicle, a process that unfortunately led to a delay in the event’s arrival time.
Being late is not in our standard practice, and it was a situation we never wanted to face. However, the team’s quick thinking in securing another vehicle and their efficiency in repacking demonstrated our ability to handle unexpected setbacks. Despite these challenges, the team’s dedication ensured the event was still a success, showcasing our commitment to providing excellent service under pressure.
Despite the challenges faced, the Bubble Tea service for ITV proved to be a valuable opportunity for Pearl Lemon Catering to showcase our capabilities to a major brand. The initial hiccup of arriving late initially caused some dissatisfaction from the client, but the quality of our offerings and the professionalism of our staff quickly turned the situation around.
The client was particularly impressed with the diverse flavor selection of our bubble teas, as well as the friendliness and expertise of our staff. Our team’s ability to engage with the attendees and provide detailed insights about the different bubble tea options highlighted our commitment to exceptional service and customer satisfaction.
Furthermore, once ITV discovered the breadth of our catering services beyond just bubble tea, it opened the door to potential future collaborations. The event not only allowed us to mend the initial setback but also left a lasting positive impression. We are hopeful and enthusiastic about the possibility of being involved in more of their events, continuing to build on the relationship we’ve managed to strengthen through this experience.
Company Address:
Pearl Lemon Catering Ltd.
International House,
47 Blandford St, London W1U 7HQ, United Kingdom
Contact Details:
UK: +44 207 183 3436
US: +1 650-278-4421
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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!
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