The Ultimate Guide to Catering an Event for Fussy Eaters

9 Tips for Planning for Dietary Restrictions, Food Allergies, and Picky Eaters

Planning an event can be stressful, especially deciding the menu! Today, seemingly everyone has a dietary preference, and there are lots of people with severe allergies, which can add an extra layer of complication to menu planning. Then there are people who are just plain picky. I’m sure we can all think of someone in our life that fits into one of these categories! So what to do when you are planning an event? Do you throw caution to the wind and not take these into account? Maybe! However, we have 9 tips that will help make this process easier and you can still get exactly what you want!

That’s where we come in. At Cuisine Unlimited, Utah’s best catering company, we can provide food for even the fussiest of eaters, making your event one your guests won’t forget. We can accommodate for a variety of dietary restrictions such as gluten-friendly food, vegetarian, vegan, and even kosher certified. So if you’re looking for caterers in Salt Lake City, you’re in the right place! We are the experts from over 40 years of experience catering in Utah and surrounding areas! From corporate event catering to wedding catering, here’s the ultimate guide to catering an event for fussy eaters:

Short on time or just prefer the quick tips version? Click here for the 2 minute read!

Set Up Food Stations

For social event catering, food stations are a perfect option. We love a good food station at Cuisine Unlimited, and we can make any type of food station you want. Some of the best stations for picky eaters are sandwich stations, pizza stations, and taco stations, as these are all fan-favorite foods that naturally offer a lot of variety. And remember, variety is your friend when serving fussy eaters.

Serve Food From All Around the World

Serving food from around the world is an easy way to offer a variety, and a fun way to give your event a theme. This option can be similar to utilizing food stations, where each different country‘s food has its own dedicated station.

You can also serve a different option from around the world for every part of the meal. For example, one appetizer from Japan and one appetizer from Italy, then one entrée from the United States and one entrée from Mexico. This will give guests ample choices, and will be loads of fun for your foodie guests. Here at Cuisine Unlimited we know the best restaurants in the valley and often partner with them to make sure you are getting exactly what you want (which sometimes means getting a specific food from a speciality restaurant to compliment the rest of your menu!) which is what makes us the best caterers in Salt Lake City! We aren’t afraid to partner with our local restaurants, we love to support those around us!

P.S. have you tried our Thai Shrimp Soup with Coconut Ice Cream yet?

Label Your Food

Sometimes people are fussy eaters simply because they do not know what the food is. Eliminate this issue by labeling all of your foods. People will be more inclined to try and less afraid of whatever is being served. This will also help eliminate any fears that people with food allergies and food sensitivities may have when eating at your event.

P.S. Need a fully vegan or fully vegetarian menu? We can handle it! Contact us now to discuss our vegan catering options!

Small Bites Are Your Friend

If you have truly picky eaters and really are at a loss of what to serve, turn to small bites. Pass these around throughout the entire evening so guests don’t even have to think about eating.

Small bites can be in a literal sense, where you offer bite-size appetizers and entrées, or it could be in a looser sense, where you’re serving heavy appetizers and tapas. Either way, this option offers variety and gives attendees several options. Let us repeat: variety is your friend!

An alternative to small bites, try a grazing station or a grazing plate! Check out our insanely pretty Full-Plate Caprese featured in Utah Style and Design Magazine!

Get Information From Your RSVPs

RSVPs are your friend. Not only do they tell you who is coming, you can also use them to gather valuable information that will help you plan your party. Instead of simply using RSVPs for attendance, ask your guests to fill out information regarding their dietary preferences and needs, too. 

Remember - the more detailed the better. Your RSVP doesn’t have to be fully comprehensive (no need to ask their blood type or social security number), but asking simple questions about allergies and dietary preferences can help you better plan your menu. And, if you’re really at a loss and know you have picky eaters coming, you can even ask for food suggestions from each guest, ensuring you have a menu that suits everyone in attendance. Or call your local caterers in Salt Lake City and let us give you our favorite suggestions!

Serve a Buffet

Remember what we said about variety? That's right - it’s your friend! And serving a buffet is the ultimate way to provide options for your guests. Instead of serving your guests, let them serve themselves and choose everything that they want on their plate. 

Since we provide the best catering (and we aren’t afraid to say it!), we can make the buffet into a station of sorts, and have chefs and other attendants available to help if something you’re serving requires a cook to make the food in front of guests. This is one of the easiest ways to ensure all of your guests are happy with the food you’re serving. 

Keep Sauces On the Side

Oftentimes people are only picky about flavors, if so give them some options. Think of your entire menu like a salad bar where everybody gets their own choice of dressing, and do the same for all your foods. 

If you’re serving meat, keep it basic with a generally accepted option like chicken, steak, or salmon. Instead of doing something to elevate the entree (we know, we’re dying a bit inside, too), just keep it basic - seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked to perfection - then offer sauces on the side so everybody can choose their flavor. Apply the same principle to cheeses, toppings, or anything else that people might disagree on (within reason). 

Serve Your Kid’s Favorite Food

Have a family reunion, kid-friendly wedding, company party for the whole family? Cater your menu to the kiddos! Of all the demographics, children are generally considered the pickiest eaters. If you have no idea what to serve, just serve something that kids will love. If kids will eat it, then adults will eat it, too. Serve cheeseburgers or pizza. Heck, even give your guests chicken tenders and fries. All that matters is that your guests have eaten. 

Leave it up to us to worry about serving and presenting the food in a way that people love. That’s our specialty as the best catering company in Utah, and we promise guests will be impressed.

Remember that tip about sauces on the side? Well what are chicken tenders if not sauceless boneless chicken wings!? Seriously though. It’s pretty much the same thing but now you can provide 10-15 unique sauces instead of just a couple wing options… Yesssss please! I’ll admit, I love sauce and I’m not picky about my sauce, but you give me a whole variety of sauces on the side to choose from and I am one happy camper! Find me at the kids table any day if that’s what it’ll look like!

Offer a Variety of Options

If you’re planning an event that doesn’t require or utilize RSVPs, you can still plan a menu that is going to suit everyone’s fancy. Cater to everybody’s personal palettes by offering a variety of options. Variety is your friend!

Having many options can sound daunting - and expensive - but having variety doesn’t have to mean large amounts of food. Instead of having copious amounts of many options, offer smaller amounts of many options, keeping your costs the same as if you were serving just a few choices. Offering several options will increase the likelihood that even the fussiest of guests have at least one option they can stomach.

This is a great option for non-profit catering. We are the number one choice for fundraising caterers in Salt Lake City and Park City! We know that when you’re planning an event and need to make sure your guests are feeling welcomed, well-fed, and happy exactly what to do. (No one will spend money at your auction if they’re hangry!) Really though… who wants water poured on their head when they are starving!? Not me! I won’t sign up! Hook me up with some delicious food on a hot day and I’ll sign up for this money maker everytime.