Time of the season: events and catering

A small example of what Urban Deli can bring to your catered event.

We’re not eager to spoil the party but the fact is August is winding down and September will be rolling in shortly and that means … well, that means just about everything moves into a higher gear.

Kids get back to school. People return from holidays. Business gets busier.

That last one, business getting back to the business of business, is why we’re bringing up the subject of catering.

You’re likely to find yourself either scheduled into or scheduling more meetings than in the last few months.

A lot of those meetings will be scheduled over lunch. Or maybe they aren’t meetings at all but day long seminars. Whatever the case, a key element of making your event a success will be food. Your attendees will need something to eat.

That’s where Urban Deli can lend a helping hand. A key part of our business is catering and we often cater business events like meetings. We have experience in this (we’ve been catering since the day we opened). We’ve even put together some catering tips to help you plan your meeting or seminar.

We can help you make the most of your budget and time by simply getting a few details from you and taking care of the arrangements so you can concentrate on the important stuff – like the meeting itself.

We don’t want to be summer party-pooper’s but autumn looms ahead and it isn’t just an increase in business meetings that are in the offing. There are the social and family events like Thanksgiving, Halloween and, yes, Christmas with its parties.

We cater those too and now is the time to start planning so you can avoid the anxiety of last minute arrangements.

It has been a terrific summer for us and we hope it has been the same for you. With a wistful sigh, we’re now turning our eyes to the days ahead so we’ll be ready for them. If you’re doing the same and you see events on your horizon, let us help you with our catering.

You can simply give us a call to discuss it at 652-3354, or send an email from our  contact page.

As we say on our catering page, what we offer is based on our menu but we also go “off menu,” depending on what you are looking for. If you’re not certain what you might like, tell us what kind of an event or occasion you have in mind and we can make suggestions.

We’d love to lend a hand!

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Catering tips and hints

A small example of what Urban Deli can bring to your catered event.

Be it big or small, when you have your event catered you want it to go smoothly. That is part of the point, isn’t it? You want your guests to enjoy themselves, to enjoy good food, and free yourself to attend to all the other matters that need your attention to make sure it is all smooth sailing.

So we’ve put together a little catering primer. It provides both tips and suggestions on how to ensure your event is everything you want it to be. (You can download it here: Catering Tips and Hints.)

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options. They can range from standard “off the menu” caterings for various gatherings, such as boardrooms or open houses (to name two), or we can tailor to your individual needs for weddings, anniversaries, graduations, or intimate social gatherings with friends and family. We can help you with almost any event. Just give is a call at 652-3354 or send us an email.

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options and we can help you with almost any event.

We’re also easily adaptable and can help you design your memorable occasion.

Regardless of the type of function or the style, there are a few not-so-obvious points to consider when planning a catered event. They can help you achieve a successful catered occasion that meets, even exceeds, your expectations.

We have nine items to keep in mind:

  • Manage Expectations
  • Know Your Guests
  • Know Your Guest Preferences
  • Provide Menu Choices
  • Incorporate Seasonal and Fresh Items
  • Select a Menu that Fits the Event Schedule
  • Anticipate Special Needs
  • Allow for a Comfortable Room Setup
  • Create Ethnic or Regional Menus

To learn more, download our Catering Tips and Hints (.pdf file).

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Stephanie’s torch and our new system

Stephanie from the Urban Deli with her Olympic torch.We mentioned that our own Stephanie was one of the torch bearers when the Olympic flame came through Saint John on Tuesday. Well, this is her!

She came by the next day to show us her torch so we made her dress up in her torch carrier outfit and pose outside for a picture or two. From the way she talks, it was a thrilling experience!

On another topic, you may be interested in some of what we’ve been up to behind the scenes. We’ve put in place a new ordering system to help us be a bit quicker and more efficient. So a big thank you to John and the guys from Atlantic Hospitality & Technologies. They came down to help set it up and show us how the darned thing works. As it turns out, it’s pretty easy to use.

Even more interesting is the online ordering system they’re helping us get in place. (It’s part of the whole system.) We don’t have date yet for when it will be in place but it will be soon. Basically, we’ve got to do a little grunt work to put all our menu information into the system. But once done, you’ll be able to order here, at the Urban Deli site. And what will that mean?

For one thing, if you’re thinking take-out, you can just place your order then come in when it’s ready. If you’re having a meeting over lunch and want food to feed everyone, order then just pop in and pick it up or have us deliver it. If you want the Urban Deli to cater an event, party or something else, you can set it all up online. Of course, you’ll still be able to phone us but we think the ease of the online system will appeal to busy people.

So that is one of the things we have in the works. One last thing, if you’re in Uptown Saint John on Saturday night, we have Marvin Rathburn performing here at the Deli starting at 8:00 pm. If you get a chance, pop by!

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A new page for our catering

We should have created a page for the catering side of the Urban Deli a while ago. We’ve actually been doing catering from when we opened, and Liz was even doing it before that. Now, finally, we have a page for it. (You’ll see a catering tab in the navigation up at the top.)

It seemed something we needed to do given the time of year and the various parties, office gatherings and other events and occasions that will be coming up. If you’re the poor soul given the task of setting something up for your office or friends and you’re scratching your head, you can give us a call and we may be able to help you with ideas (506.652.3354).

We also have a few other things in the works to help us be quicker and more efficient but we won’t speak of that until it’s in place. But we’re pretty sure you’ll like it.

Oh, and getting back to catering … as our page mentions, it’s based on our menu but we also go “off menu” depending on what you’re looking for. We’re always up for trying new things!

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Catering

If you have wondered whether the Urban Deli does catering, the answer is a definite, “Yes!” We’ve been doing it since we opened. Call us at 506.652.3354.

What we offer is based on our menus (Urban Deli and Italian by Night), but we also go “off menu,” depending on what you are looking for. If you’re not certain what you might like, tell us what kind of an event or occasion you have in mind and we can make suggestions.

We’re also pretty wide open as to what we can cater. Here are a few ideas or examples:

  • Boardroom meetings
  • Event(s)
  • Birthdays
  • Weddings
  • Anniversaries
  • Grand Openings
  • Special personal occasions
  • Corporate occasions
  • House Parties
  • Good old-fashioned kitchen parties

In other words, if you ask us, “What sorts of things do you cater?” our answer is, “What cha got?” We’re pretty flexible.

It can never hurt to talk so if you have something in mind, give us a call at 506.652.3354 or send us an email or even just drop in for a chat. We’d love to work with you and even provide some ideas, if you would like that.

(You can also contact us for take-out orders at the same number, 506.652.3354.)

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