North Platte Canteen, a stopover during World War II in North Platte, Nebraska
A professionally catered event
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site like a hotel, public house (pub) and other various locations
A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events (such as concerts), workplaces, and downtown business districts.
Events range from box-lunch drop-off to full-service catering. Caterers and their staff are part of the foodservice industry.
When most people refer to a "caterer", they are referring to an event caterer who serves food with waiting staff at dining tables or sets up a self-serve buffet. The food may be prepared on site, i.e., made completely at the event, or the caterer may choose to bring prepared food and put the finishing touches on once it arrives.
The event caterer staff are not responsible for preparing the food but often help set up the dining area. This service is typically provided at banquets, conventions, and weddings. Any event where all who attend are provided with food and drinks or sometimes only hors d’oeuvres is often called a catered event.
A box lunch is a lunch consisting of a sandwich, chips, fruit and a dessert. A box lunch is typically prepared by a caterer and dropped off to a location for a client’s dining needs. Box lunches are used primarily in the corporate arena for working lunches when they do not have time to take a break from their meeting yet still need to eat. A box lunch order is placed with a caterer a couple of days before the delivery date and is a cheaper way to go instead of a full sit down lunch. The box lunch option is strictly a drop off service and does not offer any type of wait staff or cleanup. The caterer’s only job is to prepare and deliver the food. In some cases, the caterer can setup the food, which means placing the individual cartons on a table or another area that is easily accessible to the clients. A box lunch is prepared for each person, so that they have all of their food in one container. This makes for very quick efficient service. Caterers can offer a variety of sandwiches such as:
- Roast Beef
- Turkey
- Ham
- Egg
- Tuna Salad
- Chicken
- Chicken Salad
- Vegetarian
The box lunch will also include an individual pack of chips, a piece of fruit and a dessert such as a cookie or a brownie. Drinks such as sodas, waters and juices will also be dropped off by the caterer in individual containers but may or may not be included in the box lunch itself. The idea is for the clients to be able to grab their box and a drink and go. The boxes or bags should be visibly marked with the type of sandwich included or grouped together for easy identification. The individual bags and boxes allow guests to dispose of their trash at their leisure and keep everything neat and clean. For example, if a company is holding their lunch meeting in a conference room, it is necessary that they can clean up easily. Every individual can simply place all of their trash back into the box or bag to clean up.
Merchant ships often carry Catering Officers - especially ferries, cruise liners and large cargo ships. In fact, the term "catering" was in use in the world of the merchant marine long before it became established as a land-bound business. The "Careers Scotland" website gives the following definition of a Catering Officer’s duties:
Merchant Navy catering officers oversee the purchase, preparation and serving of food and drink to crew members and passengers. They are also responsible for accommodation services, including the provision of linen, bedding and laundry. They may be in overall charge of administration, organising record keeping, wage payment, and the interpretation of customs and immigration records that apply while the ship is in port.
On larger ships, responsibilities may be shared with the purser, who looks after passengers’ comfort and facilities such as banking and shopping, while the catering officer concentrates on organising stores, overseeing the preparation of menus and meals and generally managing dining rooms and services. On a cruise liner, catering officers may be known as ’hotel services managers’.
Merchant Navy officers sometimes work in difficult and uncomfortable conditions. They spend long periods of time away from family and friends.
