Planning an Evening Event Koffee Katering
Planning a reception, cocktail party or wine & cheese event?
If you’ve never arranged an evening catered event before, there are a few things you should know.
Koffee Katering’s evening events are designed primarily for Yale receptions, holiday parties, wine & cheese events, networking events and after-work gatherings where people are standing, talking, drinking and snacking.
They’re not formal sit-down dinners.
They’re not intended to replace dinner.
They’re something a little more relaxed:
Good drinks. Good food. Good people. And somebody else takes care of the mess.
Think of it as a snack—rather than a full meal.
Our coffee break packages are designed to give people something to drink and something to nibble on. If you want something more substantial, that’s easy, too: start with a coffee break and add some food.
And if you’re running a multi-day event, you can use different packages and add-ons to make each break feel different.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
First, understand what you’re ordering
Our evening packages are designed around a cocktail/reception format.
Most evening events run approximately 1–2½ hours, with many beginning around 4:00 or 5:00 PM.
This is not dinner.
The food is designed as snacking and hors d’oeuvre food, not as a complete meal.
That’s important when deciding what to order.
If your event starts at 4:00 PM and ends at 6:00 PM, the food is intended to tide people over while they’re enjoying drinks and conversation.
If your event starts at 6:00 PM and runs until 9:00 PM, you may want to add substantially more food—or reconsider whether a cocktail reception is the right format.
If people are expecting to leave your event saying, “That was a delicious dinner,” you’re probably looking for a different type of catering.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
People generally:
• Stand and mingle
• Have a drink
• Grab some hors d’oeuvres
• Have another drink
• Grab something else to eat
• Talk some more
• And eventually go home
Start with a package, then make it your own
Just like our lunch and coffee-break catering, the easiest way to plan an evening event is:
Start with a package.
Then add things to it.
Our evening packages provide the basic food and beverage foundation for your event.
From there, you can add additional food, drinks, desserts, coffee, tea and other items to create exactly the type of reception you want.
This is particularly useful when you want an event to feel a little more special without turning it into a full-scale catered dinner.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
What kind of event are you planning?
The first question isn’t really “Which package should I order?” It’s:
“What do I want people to experience?”
For example:
There are lots of ways to change things up.
After-work cocktail reception
People arrive at 4:30, have a drink, eat some hors d’oeuvres and socialize for two hours.
A standard evening package is perfect.
Wine & cheese reception
The emphasis is on wine, cheese, crackers and conversation.
Choose the appropriate package and add additional cheese, crackers or other hors d’oeuvres if you’d like.
Holiday party
You may want a more substantial food selection, additional appetizers and desserts, along with a wider beverage selection.
Yale reception
You may want a polished but affordable setup with food, beer, wine, cocktails and bartenders, without the expense and complexity of a traditional full-service caterer.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Don’t overlook
salads
If you have guests who need Gluten-Free or Vegan food, please don’t try to solve this by ordering less of the regular food.
Instead, tell us how many individual Vegan or Gluten-Free meals you need.
For example: →
Monday : Garden salad
Tuesday : Greek salad
Wednesday: Cobb salad
Or add a salad to the Basic Lunch when you want the meal to feel a little more substantial.
You can also order individual meal-sized salads when you have guests who would rather have a salad as their main lunch.
We currently offer individual Cobb, Greek, Greek with chicken, Garden and Garden with chicken salads.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
What about the alcohol?
This is an important difference between an evening event and our other catering.
Koffee Katering provides the alcohol.
Customers cannot bring their own alcohol for us to serve.
That’s because of the way our alcohol service and licensing works. Koffee Katering provides the alcohol, and our trained bartenders are the ones who serve it.
This also ensures that our alcohol service and liability insurance requirements are met.
We provide beer, wine and selected cocktails as part of our evening packages.
If you’d like real glassware rather than disposable cups, we can provide glassware as an additional option.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
How much food should I order?
The food included in your package is designed to provide hors d’oeuvres/snacking food for the number of people you’ve ordered for.
As with all Koffee Katering events:
Order for the number of people you actually expect.
If you know 75 people are coming, don’t order for 60 because you think some people won’t show.
You may also run out of drinks.
We build appropriate quantities into the packages, but the extra is intended as a cushion—not as a second event for people who weren’t on the guest list.
If you expect a particularly large turnout, it’s better to order conservatively high.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
How much alcohol is included?
Our standard alcohol packages are designed for casual, moderate drinking—not a fraternity party.
The standard package provides approximately:
1.3 alcoholic drinks per person
So for 10 people, that’s approximately 13 drinks.
For 100 people, approximately 130 drinks.
That’s a reasonable amount for a reception where people are having a drink or two while socializing.
If your guests are likely to drink more than that, you can add additional alcohol to the order.
One important piece of advice:
Don’t assume that everyone drinks.
They don’t.
In fact, people drink considerably less alcohol than event planners often expect, and there are usually more non-drinkers than you might think.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
What about people who don’t drink?
We’ve noticed a change over the years:
More and more people want interesting non-alcoholic choices.
That’s why we offer a Light Alcohol version of our packages.
With the Light Alcohol option, we remove some of the beer and wine and replace it with non-alcoholic beer and other non-alcoholic beverages.
This can be a great choice for:
University events
Professional receptions
Afternoon events
Events with a broad age range
Groups where many people don’t drink
Organizations trying to reduce alcohol consumption
You don’t have to choose between an event with alcohol and an event with no alcohol.
There’s a middle ground.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
How long will the alcohol last?
Our standard packages are designed for approximately 1–2½ hours of service.
If your event is going to last more than three hours, you should plan on adding additional:
• Alcohol
• Non-alcoholic beverages
• Food
A two-hour cocktail reception is one thing.
A four-hour party is another.
The longer people stay, the more they eat and drink.
It’s simple math.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Do I need a bar?
Nope.
You don’t need a fancy portable bar.
A properly positioned table works perfectly well.
You’ll need:
One table for the bar/beverages
and
One table for the food.
If you have enough space, keeping the food and bar separate makes the event flow much better.
People can grab a drink without blocking the people getting food.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Who provides the tables?
You do.
If you don’t have tables available, Koffee Katering can provide them for an additional fee.
For a typical standing reception, you don’t need nearly as many tables as you would for a seated dinner.
The goal is to provide enough places for food, drinks and people to comfortably gather without turning the room into a maze of tables.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Do people need to sit down?
Not necessarily.
These events are designed primarily as standing receptions.
That means you don’t need a chair for every guest.
Depending on the type of event, however, it can be nice to provide some seating.
A good rule of thumb is:
Standing reception = fewer tables and chairs.
Seated event = substantially more furniture and space.
For an informal cocktail reception, a mixture of standing room and some seating is often ideal.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Planning a multi-day conference?
This is where the package + add-on approach really shines.
You don’t need to order a completely different lunch package every day.
Instead, use the Basic Lunch as your baseline and change the experience each day.
Here’s one example:
DAY 1 — Classic
Basic Lunch
• Garden salad
• Chocolate-chip cookies
DAY 2 — Fresh
Basic Lunch
• Cut fruit platter
• Greek salad
• Bagel chips & hummus
DAY 3 — More substantial
Nice Lunch
• Cobb salad
• Chicken satay
• Assorted sweet treats
DAY 4 — Lighter
Basic Lunch
• Vegan chickpea salad
• Cut fruit
• Vegetable & hummus platter
DAY 5 — Finish strong
Nice Lunch
• European cheese & cracker platter
• Cut fruit
• Sweet treats
Add afternoon coffee, decaf and tea to each day if your group is staying into the afternoon.
That’s five lunches that feel different without requiring five completely different catering plans.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
What does the bartender do when they’re not serving drinks?
They’re not just standing behind the table waiting for someone to order another glass of wine.Our bartenders also help keep the event area clean.When they’re not actively serving, they will go around collecting used cups and generally cleaning up.For a typical event, that’s usually enough.But if you’re having a particularly nice or formal reception, you may want to add a Buffet/Event Attendant.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Should I have an Event Attendant?
For a small cocktail reception, probably not.
For a large, formal or high-profile event, it’s worth considering.
An Event Attendant can:
• Keep the food table looking good
• Replenish and organize food
• Clear plates
• Keep the buffet area tidy
• Monitor the food throughout the event
• Generally make sure the reception continues to look polished
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
This is particularly useful for a Yale reception, holiday party or other event where presentation matters.
The bartender will already be helping with cleanup, but an Event Attendant gives you someone whose primary job is the food and guest area.
How do I make the food more substantial?
Remember:
The evening package is the foundation.
You can add additional food if you want a more substantial reception.
Some useful additions include:
Additional hors d’oeuvres
Chicken satay
Mini quiches
Cheese & cracker platters
Fruit platters
Vegetables & hummus
Additional desserts
Additional sweets
Other appetizer selections
This allows you to customize the event without having to completely redesign the menu.
For example:
Wine & Cheese Reception
Wine & Cheese package
• Additional cheese & crackers
• Fruit platter
• Vegetables & hummus
Holiday Reception
Evening package
• Chicken satay
• Mini quiches
• Additional appetizers
• Dessert platter
Casual After-Work Reception
Standard evening package
• Additional hors d’oeuvres
• Additional non-alcoholic beverages
The possibilities are pretty flexible.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
Planning a two-night conference?
If you’re hosting a multi-day event, you can use the same basic strategy we recommend for lunch and coffee breaks:
Change things up.
You probably don’t need four completely different catering experiences.In fact, four evening receptions in a row would be unusual.But if you’re hosting a two-night conference, you could do:
Night 1 — Wine & Cheese
Wine & Cheese package
• Additional cheese
• Fruit
• Vegetables & hummus
Night 2 — Cocktail Reception
Evening package
Mini quiches
Additional desserts
Coffee & tea
Chicken satay
Two evenings.
Two different experiences.And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each night.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
A note about alcohol
Here’s another thing that’s worth understanding before you plan your event:
More alcohol isn’t necessarily better.
Our standard packages are deliberately designed for moderate, casual drinking.
We provide approximately 1.3 alcoholic drinks per person.
That’s enough for a typical two-hour reception where people are having a drink or two.
If you expect a crowd of enthusiastic drinkers, you can add more.
But if you’re planning a professional reception, university event or networking event, you may actually find that the standard package is plenty.
And remember that some guests will drink no alcohol at all.
That’s why the Light Alcohol option can be such a good fit.
And that’s really the idea.
You don’t have to know how to cater a conference.
You don’t have to calculate how many sandwiches, salads, cookies and coffee servings 75 people need.
That’s our job.
Tell us how many people, what you’re trying to accomplish, where you’re going, and how long the event lasts.
Then choose a package, add a few things that sound good, and let Koffee Katering take care of the rest.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382
The easiest way to plan your evening event
If you’re new to catering, think about it this way:
-
Wine & cheese?
Cocktail reception?
Holiday party?
Yale reception?
After-work gathering?
-
1–2½ hours: standard evening package works well.
3+ hours: consider additional food and drinks.
-
If yes, this probably isn’t the right format.
If no, and it’s simply a cocktail/snacking event, you’re in the right place.
-
Get a realistic headcount.
Don’t order for 60 when you know 75 people are coming.
-
Remember that one coffee serving is approximately 1.3 cups.
If you think people will want more, add more coffee/decaf.
For afternoon events, think approximately 50% regular and 50% decaf.
And don’t forget tea.
-
Start with the standard package.
If you know your crowd drinks more, add alcohol.
If you think many people won’t drink, consider the Light Alcohol option.
-
· Cheese
· Fruit
· Hummus
· Chicken satay
· Mini quiches
· Additional appetizers
· Desserts
-
Plan on approximately one bartender for every 50–75 guests.
-
For a large or formal event, consider adding one.
-
At minimum, plan on:
One food table + one bar table.
-
Building access.
Room location.
Setup instructions.
Pickup requirements.
Special dietary needs.
The more we know, the better we can make the event.
And finally…
You don’t need a $50,000 event planner to throw a really nice reception.That’s part of what Koffee Katering is about.We can provide the food, drinks, bartenders, setup and cleanup—and you can customize the event with additional food and beverage options to make it your own.The key is simply understanding what you’re trying to accomplish.This isn’t dinner.It’s a cocktail reception.People will stand.They’ll talk.They’ll have something to eat.They’ll have a drink.
Some will have two.Some won’t drink at all.And that’s perfectly fine.Start with an evening package.Add the food and beverages that make sense for your group.Tell us what you need.And let Koffee Katering handle the complicated part.You get to enjoy the party.
Need to talk to a real person? Call Andrea at (203) 809-1382