Hosting In Instead of Going Out

Last week some colleagues of mine from another city were in town and wanted to know if I wanted to meet them for lunch.  We traded ideas for restaurants that had food that everyone could eat (one vegetarian) and that had wifi so they could continue on with their work and would be casual enough that it wasn’t too expensive and quiet enough that we could have a work-related conversation.  Finally, I invited everyone over to my place and served lunch. I made some quick prepared foods that were served buffet style, and we spent most of the time chatting without worrying about disturbing people around us. If the occasion arises, I would do this again as the time spent preparing was not too different than the time I would spend driving around, and the cost of a well prepared home meal for 4 persons is about the same (around here) as a restaurant meal for one.  Here are some suggestions to keep it simple:

–Remember that a quick lunch stop is a quick lunch stop, have food that isn’t fussy or requires extra preparation.

–Serve things buffet style so that everyone can help themselves and choose what they want (I made Mexican rice bowls).  Also, this helps to customize to vegetarians, low carb diets, gluten free, etc… by keeping each component separate.

–Keep drinks simple, by having one available drink, such as iced tea or lemonade or juice; and have water available.

–If you’re running short on time, skip dessert and set out a platter of fruit and chocolates.

–Make sure you have emergency items that traveling business people might need such as extra pens, writing paper, tape, or other things.

–If people are not familiar with the general area, be sure to give directions appropriate for an out of towner.

shared at Works for Me Wednesday