Somebody in the office says “let’s just get Indian” for the end-of-year lunch, and suddenly it’s your job. Or your mum has invited forty people for a puja and the kitchen at home won’t cope. Either way, you end up ringing a caterer with half the answers they need.
If you’ve put a couple of these together, you’ll know the thing the smooth runs have in common: you sort out the dull admin before the butter chicken even comes up. Let’s walk through the short list.
1. Get a real headcount, then split it
“About fifty” won’t fly with any kitchen. Give them the best number you can, then split it out: the number of vegetarians and vegans, anyone who’s gluten-free, any nut allergies, and the count of kids. It’s usually easier with Indian food than most because loads of the dishes are vegetarian already, but the caterer still needs that breakdown — otherwise the paneer’s gone before the chicken even hits the table.
2. Decide how people will eat
Trays on a buffet table is what most offices and home functions go for. If it’s a training day and everyone’s eating at their desks, individual boxed meals make more sense. For a birthday or a small Diwali get-together where the last thing anyone wants is a mountain of dishes, a sit-down at the restaurant works better. They’re all priced differently, so lock this in early.
3. Build the menu around two or three crowd dishes
When you’ve got Kiwis and Kiwi-Indians at the same table, the safe core is butter chicken, a lamb or goat curry, a dal, one paneer dish, rice and a stack of naan. Biryani’s a great centrepiece because it’s a meal in one dish. If there’s a bunch of younger guests, the momos and Indo-Chinese noodles go first. Ask them to pull the heat down on a dish or two and send the spice on the side.
4. Ask about timing and travel
Foil trays of hot food stay good for a bit, but they don’t last all afternoon. Pin down when it leaves the kitchen, when it lands and who’s putting it out. Around Takanini and the motorway on-ramps in South Auckland, traffic can add on twenty minutes with no sign, so a kitchen that’s actually local saves headaches.
I’d point people at Indian Zaika, an Indian restaurant in Papakura on Broadway. They do dine-in, takeaway and delivery, and their Indian catering service covers Takanini, Drury, Manukau, Manurewa, Clendon Park, Pukekohe, Ramarama and Pokeno. From North and South Indian curries through to tandoori, biryani, Indo-Chinese and Nepali momos, the menu’s broad enough to keep a group that can’t agree on much all happy.
5. Don’t forget the small stuff
- Plates, cutlery, serving spoons and napkins. (Some caterers bag these in, some make you sort them.)
- Chafing dishes or burners if the food has to sit out.
- Raita, pickle and papadums. (Folks spot when they’ve been left off.)
- Something sweet. Gulab jamun is cheap, easy to serve and always gets eaten.
- Containers for leftovers, because there will be leftovers.
6. Book earlier than you think
Late October to December is busy. Diwali, office Christmas parties and weddings all land at once. Two weeks’ notice is fine most of the year, but a Friday in November needs a three- or four-week heads-up.
A quick checklist before you hang up
- Date, time and address confirmed in writing.
- Final headcount and dietary split.
- Menu with spice levels noted.
- Delivery or pick-up time, and who sets up.
- Price per head or per tray, and what’s included.
- Deposit and cancellation terms.
Get those six sorted and the food pretty much sorts itself. The only row you’ll still have is over who takes the last piece of naan.
