Introduction
Holiday parties are a great way to show appreciation to your employees or reward them after a busy year. Although it seems early, it’s usually a good idea to start planning in August as October – December calendars can fill up quickly for Charleston venues and caterers. Don’t worry too much though – it’s pretty common to push holiday parties to January or February to avoid scheduling conflicts with employee’s holiday plans.
Decide on the Event Type
The first thing to decide on is what kind of feel or vibe are you going for? Do you want a more casual drop-in type of event or a more structured event with some activities thrown in? Do you want to do something short after the work day or plan something on a weekend or in the evening? Do you want to have bar service available or is it a dry event without alcohol? When it comes to catering, you also have the option between a full-service event with staff who stay the entirety of the event or you can just have everything delivered and set up. Once you figure out what type of event you’re going for, it will help you pick your venue and menu!
Great Venues
One of the many great things about Charleston is there is no shortage of fantastic venues to choose from for your event. When you’re choosing your venue, consider your headcount, your event type, and travel time for your staff. If you’re having the party on a workday, it’s an especially good idea to choose a venue near your office. Neighborhood clubhouses are a great choice. They’re versatile spaces and can be more cost-effective than other venues, plus their event calendars may not fill up as quickly.
If you’re having an oyster roast, make sure that there is a covered space outside if you don’t want to end up needing a tent. The Shed Downtown, The Park Circle Community Building, Destination Goldbug (Mt. Pleasant), Harborside East (Mt. Pleasant), and The Pavilion at Pepper Plantation (Awendaw) are all perfect for oyster roasts.
If you have a larger headcount of 200 or more people, pick a spacious venue like Founder’s Hall (West Ashley), The Shed Downtown, or the Porter Room at Holy City Brewing (North Charleston) to make sure all of your employees and their guests are comfortable.
Other popular venues include:
- Cooper River Room (Mt. Pleasant)
- IOP Exchange Club (Isle of Palms)
- McLeod Plantation (James Island)
- Quarters K (North Charleston)
- Camden Room (Downtown)
Keep in mind that venues are typically more expensive on Fridays and Saturdays during the Charleston Fall wedding season, so booking on a weekday or waiting until January or February could be a more budget-friendly option.
Picking a Menu
Once you’ve decided on a date and venue, it’s time to get catering figured out! What kind of menu do you want to go with? At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we have a variety of menus to choose from. There’s the Traditional Holiday menu with roasted turkey, honey glazed ham and all of the fixin’s, a classic menu that’s easy to expand if you want more options or perfect on its own or as a base for potlucks. We can also do a BBQ menu with signature comfort food like pulled pork, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and vidalia onion cole slaw.
If you’re in the mood for something different, go with our Fajita bar or Greek-inspired menu. You’re also able to build your menu completely from scratch.
All of these menus work for any size crowd, whether it’s 50 people or over 200. They’re perfect as a buffet menu or you can mix & match different menus to turn it into a stations-style event.
Buffet vs. Stations
If you’re not sure what the difference is between a buffet menu and a stations-style menu, we’re happy to explain! A buffet menu is when the food is set up in one continuous line and uses large, dinner-sized plates. Sometimes there are appetizers beforehand, but that depends on your event’s feel and timeline. A buffet is usually made of cohesive dishes that complement each other well. A stations-style menu is made up of several smaller dinner stations and uses smaller plates. Stations menus can consist of different heavy hors d’oeuvres or you can pick from several different menus so that each station is like a mini meal. For example, you could have a BBQ station with BBQ chicken skewers, macaroni and cheese and green beans, a taco station with black beans and rice, and a pasta bar with meatballs and Caesar salad. For more information on the differences between buffet vs. stations, see our blog!
Either style of event can work well for holiday parties. Buffet style events are sometimes better for structured events, potlucks, or if you just want to keep the menu simple. Stations style events encourage mingling and can give your guests a variety of options to choose from.
Activities
If you want to really make your holiday party special, add some sort of activity. For a true holiday party feel, add a white-elephant or Secret Santa gift exchange. Or you could have an awards ceremony like the Dundies from The Office, although we suggest making it peer-nominated or awarding employees for their hard work or years of service. If you want to do a slideshow or presentation as a year in review, we recommend keeping it on the shorter side – no more than 10-15 minutes.
Adding activities and games will increase attendance and encourage people to stick around and socialize. Raffles, bingo, trivia, and giveaways are always crowd-pleasers. Prizes can include physical items, company-branded merch, or even something like PTO! You could rent arcade games or ask guests to bring their favorite board game to share. You can also open the event up to your employees’ families. There’s just something that’s really nice about being able to introduce your actual family to your work family!
If you want to add bar service, we recommend sticking to a beer and wine menu and adding on a seasonal sangria or a mocktail.
We’ve worked events with bowling alleys, jump castles, karaoke, and mechanical bulls, but if you want something that will be fun for everyone regardless of skill, add on an oyster roast to your event! It brings everyone together at the tables and we’ll keep the oysters going until everyone is ready to go home. At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we’ll bring everything you need for a great oyster roast that your office will look forward to every year. We even have several companies
Logistics
At Crazy Dutchman Catering, we ask that the headcount and timeline is finalized about two weeks before your event. An RSVP system will help you get an accurate headcount. If you’re having an oyster roast or bar service, you can also note how many are interested in the oyster roast or how many employees or guests will be under 21. The exact due date for your headcount will be listed on your contract and we will send you a reminder. When it comes to the event’s timing, we will help you figure out the best flow. It depends on the style of the event, but we typically recommend having appetizers start 30 – 45 minutes before the main food opens.
If you’re trying to figure out what all you need to bring versus what’s already included in our services, all of that is listed on your contract. It depends on which style of event and what services you’ve selected, but we will provide all of the chafing dishes, serving platters, and serving utensils that we’ll need for the food. It’s our goal to make our services as turnkey and seamless as possible to take the burden off of you!
Conclusion
Celebrate the season and your employees with a holiday party!
It’s never too early to start planning due to Charleston’s busy event calendars. After you decide on the type of event you’d like to have, prioritize booking your venue and caterer before adding fun activities. No matter if your company is large or small, Crazy Dutchman Catering will help you plan a great event without going over-budget, giving you the best value for your money.
