Pride Month is approaching, so what's your office doing about it? It's time for your company to join the world in promoting the values of respect, inclusivity, and equality while having some fun in the process.
Providing extra exceptional food and drink has always been the cornerstone of celebrating for... well... everything that is important.
Providing the right food and drink is inexorably linked to creating a sense of occasion. We're here to share our office catering expertise on making 2024 the best Pride in your workplace.
Before we get started... a few house rules
A couple of Amazon-ordered pride flags in the office won't cut it. Your office celebrations need to be relevant and supportive of the true spirit of Pride. To avoid 'rainbow washing' (lacklustre corporate support of the LGBTQ+ community - no thank you), we recommend exploring this article by thepinknews.com to get to grips with the nuances of celebrating Pride.
Whilst food and drink will amplify your Pride event, we recommend you follow this up with other meaningful activities, which might include:
- Releasing (or updating) company-wide diversity training and educational materials distributed and assigned to all employees.
- Bringing in a speaker to present on LGBTQ+ issues to your teams. Organising a talk will allow employees to learn about the contemporary issues the LGBTQ+ community faces.
- Team up with an LGBTQ+ charity or business to provide direct support during Pride, whether fundraising with the Stonewall Foundation or sourcing Pride treats from LGBTQ+ led businesses.
Psst. Don't forget to have signage to let your diners know who the supplier is and why you chose them.
Whatever you do, make sure that it connects to Pride's original purpose, covering the historical (1969 Stonewall Riots) and current struggles LGBTQ+ people face.
While making your celebrations fun is a must, they need to connect to the central purpose of Pride.
Now, let's get to planning your Pride Office Catering:
Before you decide what food and drink to choose for Pride, it's worth taking into account these three factors:
1. What's your budget?
Budget is all-important in deciding what options are available to you in your planning. A caterer or vendor with the right creative approach should be able to advise you on what's possible for your event - whether it's £5 per head or £50.2. What will match your company's unique company culture?
Is your office down to party? Then Pride cocktails (and mocktails) might be more their cup of tea(quila sunrise). If your office prefers more chilled-out 'not after hometime' type social events, then a breakfast pop-up might be the sensible choice. Cater to what your office loves the most, whilst keeping it inclusive for all tastes, dietary requirements and preferences.3. How do I make my office's Pride FAB-UL-OUS?
You have your budget. TICK. you know what your team likes. TICK. Now, let's explore some winning Pride office catering ideas you can use. Vamos!
Ideas to make your team's Pride Month burst with flavour:
Street Food Pop Ups in the Office
Pop-ups are a versatile way of stirring excitement in the workplace. They bring the bustling energy of street food eating to the office canteen. Everything is possible, from Brazilian dishes with Mardi Gras zest to Greek gyros with Mykonos flair.
An office caterer with a knack for creating a sense of occasion will help you get the right concept for your canteen. In finding the right choice of pop-up for your office, you can do more than just lunch. Maybe a colourful ‘build your own’ pancake and waffle pop-up for breakfast perfectly matches your company culture. Or how about an extravagant afternoon tea at 4PM treat?
The pop-up offering allows you to shape foodie ideas for a more fun and creative Pride celebration.
Sparkly Drinks and Sweet Treats
Speaking to one of our customer experience managers, we got the lowdown on how she has helped our American-tech client to celebrate Pride in style. Here’s some of the exciting event ideas that has brought our clients team together:
- Rainbow themed cocktails and popcorn.
Top tip: with a delivered caterer like Fooditude, you can scale office drinks to match your needs and budget, incorporating extras like extensive drinks selections, canapes and platters. - An dazzling pick and mix station
- Build-your-own rainbow bubble tea
- Order in Pride cakes from independent bakeries, such as Flavour Town.
Top tip: make sure to get your orders in early, as bakeries book up fast for Pride). - Incorporate LGBTQIA+ owned foodie products with whatever office event you choose to do. By buying from people in the LGBTQIA+ community, you are helping to support a more diverse food and drinks industry. Read our blog with our top suggestions from 2023.
Offer a full menu of Pride-inspired cuisine
Celebrate Pride in style with a caterer to provide your teams with a vibrant and plentiful buffet of Pride-inspired meals. Nothing brings teams around a table together like a hearty sit-down meal.
Even if you currently do not have a contract caterer on-site, you can opt for a ‘one-off’ with a delivered-in caterer like Fooditude. We can drop of the food, serve it, and clean everything up afterwards like we were never there. Take a peek below some of the dishes we’ll be serving for our Pride menu in 2024:
- Halloumi & rainbow veg, pink tzatziki
- Green vegetable & roasted cherry tomato risotto
- Roasted salmon, golden beetroot & marinaded candy strip.
- Grilled chicken breast, rainbow salsa
- Roasted sweet potato wedges.
- Heritage carrots & green olive dressing
- Steamed green beans and rainbow chard
- LGBTQ salad- lettuce, green bean, broccoli, tomato & queso
- Rainbow slaw
It’s a wrap
Celebrating Pride Month in the office is a way to join the world in shouting support for the LGBTQIA+ community from the rooftops. It's a loud, colourful, downright fun month with a poignant message. Whatever way is best for your company culture and budget, remember that workplace Pride celebrations should inform and entertain. Catering can help you raise an electrifying sense of occasion for all your team to rally behind.
If you'd like Fooditude to help make the Pride magic happen for your teams, chat with our delivered catering experts to see which food and drink food package is right for you.
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