No slowing down for caterers at this year’s Stampede
Posted Jul 2, 2019 1:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The Calgary Stampede is just days away and while many are ready to hit the grounds and take in the atmosphere, Stampede parties are also a big part of the 10-day festivities.
With these parties being so popular it makes it a very busy time for local catering companies, as they get ready to feed thousands of hungry people.
Many of these companies say they’re either on par or slightly above when it comes to bookings this year.
One catering company, Fork and Farm, says so far they’ve had fewer bookings this summer but with more people.
“In past years it’s been a lot of smaller events, maybe 50 to 100 people,” said Event Coordinator Harley Lister. “This year we’re doing at least four events that are between 600 and 1,000 people instead.”
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Lister says the large bookings isn’t the only change they’ve seen as they’re trying to come up with new ways to serve food.
“How about we have a 20-foot-long grill where we can grill smokies for the guests and the guests can grill their own as well. We’re trying to keep us with those new trends and keep it fun and different as well.”
As for the kind of food being delivered, Lister says they’ve been able to accommodate the growing demand for alternative options such as vegetarian diets and keto.
Another Calgary based company, An Affair to Remember says they’re also altering menus to be more inclusive with their customers’ dietary requests.
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All in all, it’s business as usual for these companies at another busy Stampede season.
“The clients that we use, I don’t find we’re losing them year to year.” said Lister, “They kind of stick with us and then we gain a few more year to year.”
