7 Exciting Catering Trends To Look Out For!

Catering all over the world is seen as a very sophisticated and respectable profession. This is because great caterers have the ability to put on extremely elegant and creative food experiences at any location chosen by a client. However, in Bangladesh, the reverse is true.

Here, catering holds quite a poor impression on people’s psyche. Most perceive it to be a low value and cheap class of business. This is because caterers in this country are still stuck in the mentality of the 1950s, and there has hardly been any sort of innovation, whether in food or presentation, so far. But the trend is gradually changing. A few new caterers, headed by young and innovative entrepreneurs, are working on bringing the global experiences to the local scenario.

In this respect, let us look at 7 upcoming catering trends that are sure to catch everyone by storm in the coming years:

1) Diversification From Traditional Food Items

In Bangladesh right now, 99% of weddings feature the usual menu: kacchi biriyani, chicken roast, jali kabab, borhani and the likes. One or two may “spice it up” by adding naan & beef rezala, or fish fillet. However, even in neighbouring India, wedding feasts are a grand affair with a display of over 20-30 types of different food items. In western countries as well, the trend is the same.

For example, a typical Indian wedding may have the following menu:

Appetizers: Assorted Pakora, Nawabi Kaju Roll, Tandoori Salmon on Stick, Murgh Shaslick, Dahi Sufiyani Kabab etc.

Main Course: Saffron Jeera Pea Polao, Roomali Roti, Murgh Hydrabadi Biriyani, Paneer Kali Mirch, Vegetable Jalfrezi, Dum Aloo Masala, Gobhi Massallam, Navrattan Curry, Dal Makhani, Rajmah Masala, Murgh Khurchan, Murgh Methi Malai, Gosht Vindaloo, Lamb Keema, Butter Chicken, Shrimp Nilgiri, Salad Bar with 8/9 item choices etc.

Desserts: Jalebis (Jilapis), Gajar Halwa, Gulab Jamun, Badam Kheer etc.

Can you imagine the guest reception if your wedding features such exotic items? It will become the talk of the town! Sadly, such a feast is a routine affair in Indian and other countries’ weddings and similar catering events, but still absent in our country. However, in the last two years, there has been a few local weddings which have had such “grand” arrangements. In all cases, the catering was pulled off by Indian catering firms and not the local players. Because our local caterers still do not have the expertise, experience and in many cases, the will to execute such catering orders. But this is slowly changing. Inspired by the masterful experiences created by foreign caterers, a few Bangladeshi catering teams are looking into developing competencies so that we can move away from the usual bland one-dimensional menu served in most wedding and similar profile corporate events, and introduce better experiences for our people.

To add to that, it would be a mistake to assume that the type of menu mentioned above is super expensive compared to what we already pay. Of course cost will be higher, but not by so much as we might believe. This is because smart caterers know that when you have around 30 items on offer, not all guests will have every single item. Amongst the items they do consume, most people will eat only a few bites, and not a plateful. Portions are therefore prepared, and menu priced, accordingly. Moreover, it is high time people stopped paying sky high just for event decoration, and channeled some of those funds for a better food arrangement instead. Guests rarely leave an event thinking how awesome the decor was, and it is more likely they will be crooning about the food experience instead. After all, food is what creates a lasting impression.

2) Eye-catching Presentation

Caterers don’t get brownie points simply for preparing great food. Another critical part of a fantastic catering experience is the food presentation. Again, this is another area where we have severe lacking compared to international caterers. Right now, if you want to enjoy awesome food presentation, your only option is 5 star hotels. But hosting an event in these places can be prohibitively expensive. And most 5 star hotels will seldom, if ever, agree to cater to your preferred location, because they have strict internal restrictions regarding outside catering.

But we will see a shift in this trend as well. Innovation-minded caterers will quickly realize the importance of presentation in standing out in a very crowded market. The simple acts of using shot glasses and wine glasses in presenting food can give rise to a whole new genre of delectable appetizers and desserts.

Similarly, caterers will detach from the use of only chafing dishes in a food setup, and incorporate various types of beautiful dishes, elevators, and carvings to delight guests and deliver a wow experience.

3) Live Cooking Displays

Another great attraction presented by caterers which is universally beloved by guests is live cooking arrangements. There is great thrill in watching expert chefs whip up delicious food items live right in front of you. It immediately stimulates the appetite and makes you crave for a cheat day where you go all out in trying all the food items being offered. This trend will soon catch on in the local catering scenario in the coming years. Live cooking options include BBQ items like chicken skewer, beef skewer, chicken satay, prawn skewer, other items like shwarmas, steaks, pizzas, wraps and rolls, dosas, vegetable stir fry, pasta/risottos, tandoori grills, assortments of sushis, mexican tacos and fajitas, desserts such as gulab jamun, jilapi, gelato, waffle, crepes, sizzling brownie etc. The possibilities are endless!

4) Food Stations

This is another guest favourite catering concept. For example, in your dream wedding, you will instruct your caterer to arrange food stations covering 5 unique cuisines. He will then prepare 5 different food stations, each presenting food of a particular cuisine such as: Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Korean, Arabian etc. These stations are sometimes thematically decorated to reflect the particular country’s culture and flavours. At times, they are even put on decorated food carts.

5) Fusion Cuisines

Have you heard of Beef Kala Bhuna Pizza? Domino’s created quite a stir back in March by introducing this item in its menu. Cheez followed suit by launching its own version of the delicacy in August. What is interesting is that this food is a combination of an Italian cuisine item (Pizza) with a local cuisine item (Beef Kala Bhuna). This is known as fusion cuisine. You take the best of two or different cuisines to create a completely new food item.

Fusion cuisine has been making the rounds globally since the early 2010s, and caterers have lapped up this trend as well. In Bangladesh, restaurants are also indulging in such practices, and it is only a matter of time for trend-setter caterers to adopt the same. Popular fusion cuisine items by subcontinental caterers include tandoori chicken bruschetta, apple jilapi with golap jamun icecream, shredded beef tacos, paneer lasagna, chocolate spring roll, strawberry chutney, gulab jamun cheesecake, tandoori momos, noodle samosas, chili and tomato achari bread, keema pie, tandoori chicken sushi etc.

6) Bite-sized Food

At present, if you go to any wedding or corporate event, the idea is that you will be presented with 4-5 items and you will have to eat a plateful of each to feel well-eaten. But this is contrary to the prevailing trend in many other countries, where the focus has been shifted to consuming small portions of a larger variety of food items instead. That way, you can taste much more delicacies without feeling full too early, and your host can also delight you with a fancy arrangement of feast. For this reason, caterers are increasingly offering bite-size portions instead of the entire food item. Many of these are presented by roaming waiters, while some are beautifully set up on buffet stations.

As catering events become more sophisticated in our country, expect to see a similar trend of introduction of bite-sized foods at your next event.

7) Outdoor Events

Most events, whether corporate or weddings, take place in indoor venues, like hotels and convention centers in Bangladesh. However, it is difficult to incorporate many of the attractions mentioned above, such as live cooking, cuisine-specific food stations etc. inside such locations because of inherent restrictions like lack of space, policy against live fire etc.

Caterers work best in arranging terrific food experiences when they have enough space to work with. That is why many weddings and other grand events are hosted in outdoor venues when it comes to other countries. It may be an open space beside a hotel, a resort, or even an open field. Especially resort weddings can add a uniquely memorable flair when the catering experience is executed properly.

In Bangladesh, resort wedding is slowly catching on. In fact, our catering firm, Alpha Catering, has already served for 3 resort weddings so far this year, with two more lined up in December. As people get tired of experiencing weddings in the same old venues like Golf Garden and ICCB, expect a good number of future brides and grooms to choose resorts and outdoor venues to create a more memorable evening for their guests. Such shifting habits will also allow caterers to get more creative with their offerings.

If you want to make your wedding or next corporate event a unique affair, you can definitely consider giving us, Alpha Catering, a shot. We have already introduced many of the delicacies and presentation styles mentioned in this article, and are working hard on preparing more. This market will get very exciting in the coming years, and we are aiming to be at the forefront.

Written by: Muhammed Asif Khan

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