In today’s world, it seems that food allergies are becoming more common. If you’re planning an event where food will be served, it’s likely that you will have guests in attendance who have food allergies. Your guests with dietary restrictions will have to be taken into consideration when you’re planning the party menu for your event. If you personally don’t have dietary restrictions, you may not know where to start when it comes to planning a party menu that can accommodate everyone. Luckily, our catering professionals here at Word of Mouth Foods can help. In today’s post, we’d like to go over some of the ways in which you can guarantee that everyone who attends your event will be well fed, regardless of their dietary restrictions.
Your Guide To Accommodating Dietary Restrictions At Any Event
Ask Guests For Their Preferences
The easiest way to ensure you take every dietary restriction into account when planning the food for your event is to ask guests to note their restrictions when they RSVP. If your guests will be registering for your event online, you can include a form that allows guests to state their food allergies or simply their food preferences. Allergies and preferences should both be taken seriously and respected when planning your party menu. If you will be asking your guests to RSVP via the mail, include an extra card with the invitation that has a place for guests to list their dietary restrictions.
Simplify Your Party Menu
If you are going to have multiple people at your event and you’re not able to ask each guest about their food allergies and preferences, the next-best solution would be to create a menu that can easily accommodate most diets. Mexican and Asian cuisine are go-to options that most people can eat. Corn tortillas, rice, meat, and grilled vegetables can all be made gluten free and dairy free. Extras, such as sour cream, cheese, and soy sauce, can all be set out as condiments that can be added based on each person’s needs. If you’re uncertain of guests dietary needs, setting up a buffet is often the best solution to let people pick and choose what works best for them.
Labels Are Essential
If you don’t have dietary restrictions, you’re probably not used to checking labels to identify ingredients you can’t consume. However, people who have food allergies or choose to limit certain ingredients are always grateful when labels are available. As stated above, it’s also a good idea to simply choose menu items that you know most people will be able to consume. If you want to include nuts in a salad or dessert, consider creating two options so your guests with nut allergies won’t be disappointed when they find that the only dessert option is a walnut brownie. An easy way to label the food is to either indicate ingredients on a menu or place a card next to each dish that lists the ingredients.
Provide The Perfect Salad Bar
When all else fails, a salad bar is always a good option for accommodating people with dietary restrictions. To create the perfect salad bar, you will want to include a variety items, such as leafy greens, a plethora of vegetables, both animal and non-animal proteins (chicken and beans are good go-tos), grains, which can include quinoa and rice, and you’ll want to provide salad dressings for everyone. Make sure you include a simple dressing options, such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A well-stocked salad bar can cater to even the most challenging dietary restrictions.
The Most Common Food Allergies
Not everyone is aware that certain foods can be problematic for other people. Just in case you’re not sure of what the most common food allergies are, we’ll go over them with you here:
- Dairy – typically from the lactose found in cow’s milk.
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Trees nuts
- Soy
- Gluten
- Shellfish
When you want to plan an event where your guests will have food that will be both delicious and can accommodate their dietary restrictions, call Word of Mouth Foods. We offer our catering services to clients in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. We can work with you to create a party menu that will be perfect for your event, regardless of the food allergies or preferences of your guests. Don’t allow the stress of trying to accommodate everyone get to you, get the help of a catering professional! Contact Word of Mouth Foods now!