Food for Thought

I have been tossing around the idea of hiring a Chef to come in and prepare lunch for CurrentMarketing. And now that we are more than 30 people, it feels like the right time to consider an alternative to 10-person orders from fast-food joints and/or frozen meals. Our Board agreed that it would be good to find out more about logistics and costs so I am working with a culinary student at Sullivan University and putting together a proposal.
I’m thinking fresh, organic foods and include a variety of vegetarian options. Right now we could be enjoying soups, chili, lasagna, tetrazzini, a little home-baked bread…warm, comfortable-type foods. And in the spring we can fire up the mega-grill with portabellas, chicken, “designer” burgers and dogs. I can smell the Courtyard now…and it’s not the Chinese Chestnut I’m thinking about.
Now, how to find out what everybody likes—and dislikes.  A SURVEY!!! Just a few questions about food allergies, preferences on vegetables (no lima beans please), bread types.
Do we want a daily salad bar?
How often will you eat at CurrentCafé each week?
Should we plan for 25 each day knowing that some will have lunch appointments or maybe just want to get out?
What about a big pot of homemade oatmeal each morning with a toppings bar to get us started?
Do you think $5 bucks is a good deal for an all-you-can-eat Chef-prepared meal every day?
Should we only provide meals Monday thru Thursday and leave Fridays open? I think we definitely need a weekly menu.
Hosting more lunch business meetings could also be a great benefit and wouldn’t that get the WOW! “This is delicious! Where’s it from?” Well, our very own Café.
We could even have to-go options for those who like to work through lunch or use that time to exercise or take care of personal stuff.
We’re just gathering costs and recipe ideas right now. Next step is a Board discussion and that will include adding some costs to have proper cutting boards, tools, etc. Insurance will probably want everyone to sign a waiver regarding any food safety issues. Our Chef has been “safe certified” already so I’m sure he’s doing things in his kitchen much better from a food safety standpoint than I ever have.
I think this would be another amazing benefit for everyone at Current and I hope we can justify the cost and make it work. Who knows, we might even open it up to our Bakery Square tenants and folks in the neighborhood someday.