RELISH IS DESIGNED FOR INIDVIDUALIZED WORKPLACE CATERING. | PHOTO: RELISH
“Companies are using food to bring people together once they get them back to the office, and not all companies can afford to do lunch for their employees, so snacks are a less expensive alternative.” —Cindy Roche, CMO of ezCater
space in an office building to accommodate these groups. Here, interactive stations fea - turing sushi, pasta and similar on-trend but casual food promote that engagement. On the social side, happy hours and brunches have gained popularity as cater - ing occasions and people tend to plan more last-minute events, she said. Except for wed - dings of course, where the season has ex- tended to November and March. “As we open new restaurants, we’re now making design decisions to accommodate catering, such as segmenting restaurants for large and small events,” said Henry. Most of Lettuce Entertain You’s catering is done out of the restaurants’ kitchens. One Off Hospitality, another Chicago-based inde- pendent restaurant group, built a state-of- the-art commissary to centralize its catering operations, which opened last October. “Before COVID, we handled most of our catering out of our restaurant kitchens,” said
but much beloved Blackbird. Or they can opt for The Blackbird Experience, an elevated, multi-course seated dinner focused on hyper-seasonality and wine pairings. The company’s catering arm also participates in the Feast of The Bear, a dinner experience based on restaurants featured in the popular TV series “The Bear,” several of which are One Off brands. “People are super interested in this,” said Browne. Weddings are back at full speed and corporate catering has recovered about 60%, Browne estimated. To capitalize on the surge, she added two new leaders to the team: VP of Events & Catering Michelle Krage, who is tasked with training and maintaining a high level of hospitality at all events, and Executive Chef Gabriele Ausraite, who oversees and customizes all the catering menus. “Business is back, but we have to bring a higher game,” Browne said.
CEO Karen Browne. “But with the growth in catering business, our restaurants alone could no longer handle the volume.” Those restaurants include Avec, Publi - can, Violet Hour and Big Star, and some of the off-premise “pivots” they made during the pandemic inspired One Off’s commissary model, she added. “During COVID, we curat - ed a Supper Series in people’s homes with bread from Publican, cocktails from Violet Hour, entrees from Avec, desserts from our pastry chefs, etc., creating a feeling of hos- pitality and a differentiated product,” said Browne. Now with the new commissary, One Off Hospitality is targeting corporate events, weddings and large galas, all fairly limited previously by kitchen space constraints. Customers can mix and match favorite dishes and specialties from all the restaurant brands, including signatures like the sturgeon and endive salad from the now shuttered
APRIL 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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