Food that works for a work crowd
Part 5 of 7 of the free corporate holiday parties guide from The Gallery on Montana. Stations versus a seated dinner for a company holiday party, how to collect dietary needs, when to bring food out and how catering works at The Gallery.
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Food sets the pace of a holiday party. Pick a format that matches what you want people to do: talk to everyone, or sit down together for an hour. Then plan around the people with dietary needs from the start, not the week of.
Stations or a seated dinner
| Format | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Chef stations | Mixers, teams who want to mingle, mixed arrival times | Lines if there are too few stations |
| Seated dinner | Smaller teams, awards nights, client dinners | Guests stuck in one seat all night |
| Heavy bites | Short parties, lunch, after work drinks | Guests leaving hungry if portions run light |
For most work crowds, stations win. People keep moving, talk to colleagues they never sit with and are not stuck next to their manager for two hours. A seated dinner makes sense when the party is small, when there are awards or speeches at the center of the night, or when clients are the guests of honor.
Plan dietary needs on the RSVP
Ask about dietary needs in the RSVP itself, not in a separate email nobody answers. Keep it simple: vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, allergies, and a free text line. Send the totals to your caterer with the final headcount, and ask them to label every dish so nobody has to ask.
- Make sure every station has at least one dish everyone can eat.
- Put allergy labels on the table, not just on a menu card at the entrance.
- Keep a few plates set aside for guests with allergies before the line opens.
- Plan dessert for everyone, including a gluten free option.
Timing the food
Have something out the moment doors open, even if it is just bites and the coffee bar, because people arrive straight from work and hungry. Open the main food about 30 to 45 minutes in, once most guests are there. Dessert after the toast gives the night a natural second half.
Tip: Feed people before the speeches. Never make a hungry room listen to a toast. Food first, speeches second, dessert right after.
How food works at The Gallery
Visage, our partner across the street, builds a menu around your team, with neighborhood flavors and a full vegetarian and gluten free path, and groups often come in for a tasting first. Each holiday package includes food: bites on Gather, chef stations on Celebrate and dinner on Gala, plus a cocoa and coffee bar on all three. You can also bring your own licensed caterer, and the house has a kitchen and prep area for them to stage food.
Next up: entertainment, photos and gifts, and which ones are worth paying for.
Previous: Alcohol and the TABC · Course overview · Next: Entertainment, photos and gifts
About The Gallery on Montana
A curated event space, photo and film location, and vintage gallery at 701 Montana Street on the East Side of San Antonio, one block from the Alamodome. Built around a twenty year collection of vintage furniture and objects, rented by the hour or the day for photo shoots, private dinners, podcasts, workshops and pop-up markets.
Capacity: 35 seated indoors, 12 on the porch, 25 on the patio under the art arch, 50 to 60 in the yard, and up to 100 standing inside.
The Gallery on Montana, 701 Montana St, San Antonio, TX 78203. Events, shoots and meetings book on our booking page. Explore: Home · The space · Private events · Holiday parties · Weddings · Photo and video shoots · Workshops · Planning guides · Book a tour