We’re very excited to be back this week and bringing in voices from some of San Francisco’s premier event catering teams to shed some light on the future of food service at events, large and small, in person or virtual, and everything in between.
As we started our research on creative alternatives or changes to event catering, we talked to David Zlatchin, owner of Betty Zlatchin Catering and Events. Betty Zlatchin has been known industry-wide for their creative food displays, top notch standards of service, and comprehensive event planning offerings for over 25 years. David’s take? Safety is, and will remain, a top priority for both guests and staff. BZ’s offerings reflect many of our own Covid-19 safe concepts in the venue: limited contact, individual portions, and small seating groups. When it comes to the food itself, one thing is for certain; large format options that had become popular in the later half of 2019 are no longer a possibility. “The buffets we are doing are focused on individualized, packaged items so there is limited contamination opportunity.” said Zlatchin. Examples include individual salad boxes, and mini sushi assortments. As far the classic passed hors d’oeuvre, BZ is discouraging clients from requesting these options, instead offering multiple stations around the event space with individualized, mini tastes of beautifully presented canapes, covered with lids or cloches.
For other businesses, the focus on event catering has been shifted entirely. At Bi-Rite Catering, a beloved SF institution, their events department has chosen to press pause on future full service catering bookings until there are safer options for gathering, choosing instead to put their full weight behind their popular platter delivery options, which arrive beautifully displayed and ready to serve. Even with a pause on current event offerings, Catering Manager Cat Robinson said her team is looking into the future: “When events do come back, some of our plans include portable sneeze guards to cover all food tables, sanitation stations near all high touch areas, and pre-shift wellness and temperature checks for all team members.” In the meantime, encouraging social distancing and doing delivery service will allow small groups to enjoy the convenience of catering without adding additional risk variables to the equation.
Ideas for the future are great, But what about the events being hosted right now? Virtual events, that is. Cyrus Pahlavan of McCalls Catering and Events shares his team’s vision: “Many of our current clients are switching to hybrid, virtual events, and this can take many dimensions: It could be a predetermined menu served by staff, to the permissible number of guests in Cafe du Nord, for example, while at the same time others, in their home, connected remotely, would receive same menu in a box package, complete with menu details and heating instructions.” This “hybrid” vision is the future of events as we see them at Swedish American Hall - a combination of small groups gathered in person, and remote attendance for those who wish to enjoy celebrating from the comfort of their home.
No matter the path chosen, it’s clear that our leaders in catering see a new future for event services, and are finding nimble, innovative ways to pivot their offerings to meet the needs of our clients and guests through this strange new world. We can’t wait to begin hosting small, safe events and discovering the incredible ways we can collaborate with our vendors to bring you the best possible event experience while keeping our focus on safety at an all time high. For now? Check out these great home-delivery options from our partners and create your own mini event experience at home:
https://www.bettyzlatchin.com/socially-distanced-events