Nothing says “summer” like a delicious barbecue. The kids play, while the adults get to catch up over some grilled goodness.

If it’s time to start planning your annual company barbecue, it’s a good idea to start with picking a caterer. When you work with Catering by Michaels, we act as complete event planners — handling all the details, so that you can relax and enjoy the resulting event.

Here are a few reasons why Catering by Michaels always puts on an awesome company picnic event:

We’ve Been in Business for a Long Time

Catering by Michaels has almost four decades of experience with picnic-style service. We’ll be celebrating our 40th year in the business in 2020!

We believe we’ve lasted so long in this business because of our distinct style for setting up picnics. For these types of events, we staff a live buffet setup with chefs at grilling stations, so that attendees can get menu items fresh off the grill. Event guests appreciate being able to see and smell their food being cooked.

We Know Our Food

We would never have lasted this long in the business if customers weren’t satisfied with the way we handle every aspect of the picnic planning process.

And when it comes to barbecues, we’re famous for our hamburgers: a proprietary blend that’s always prepared fresh and never frozen. We also bake our bread fresh everyday — not every catering company will go to the trouble.

One of our greatest strengths is our experience around making menu modifications (vegan, gluten-free, etc.) to accommodate special dietary restrictions. We’ve been doing meatless burgers before they even became a thing!

We’ll Do Everything We Can to Make Your Event a Success

Our picnic setups tend to be oriented for more of a corporate customer, but we do accept bookings for social barbecues or picnics under a normal catering booking.

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March 29, 2019

Picnic Season is Just Around the Corner

March 29, 2019

Picnic Season is Just Around the Corner

As we bid goodbye to winter, it’s time to welcome spring and summer… and get excited about warm weather outings. This means company picnics are right around the corner!

To ensure the most enjoyable event, preparation is always key. To help you plan ahead for your company outings, we present a few timely tips:

#1: Book Your Venue Ahead Of Time

Chances are good you’re not the only company looking to lock down a lawn for a company picnic. Getting a head start on booking a venue for your corporate picnic will ensure you have first dibs on a space that suits your company’s needs.

If possible, try and plan at least 5-6 months before your planned picnic date to give you enough time to secure the venue of your choice, hire a rock star caterer, and give employees enough notice to clear their schedules to enjoy the outing.

#2: Hire A Caterer For Your Picnic

Unless you’ve all agreed to a potluck-style event, when people attend a company picnic, they are expecting the food to already be prepared. The trick to pulling off a killer company picnic is finding a caterer who has the experience needed to properly cater this type event with high-quality offerings.

If possible, it is a real bonus to have a caterer who already has a partnership with the picnic venue. By working with a venue/caterer team, you’ll be able to tick off two important to-dos on your list, right off the bat.

Outdoor picnic bbq

company picnic catering in chicago

#3: Planning The Perfect Menu

Prior to picking out a menu, it’s a good idea to check in with your employees (and their families) regarding any allergies, food preferences, and dietary restrictions. Having a menu that accommodates everyone is important. Once you have surveyed the office, work with your caterer to prepare a personalized menu that fits your company’s needs.

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October 3, 2017

2017 Picnic Season Wrap-Up

October 3, 2017

2017 Picnic Season Wrap-Up

Another successful picnic season has come to a close and we thought it would be fun to share some of the stats, including the astonishing 22,924 guests we served throughout the season and the team of 794 staff members it took to make it all happen.

Here are a few of the interesting numbers:

2017 Picnic Season Wrap-Up Infographic

Thanks to all the amazing companies (big and small) that trust us each year with their annual company-wide picnics. Picnics are always exciting for us since we can really push the creative limits!

It’s never too early to start planning your 2018 picnic. Give us a call at (847) 966-6555 or contact us online to get started. Our experienced team of event coordinators are ready when you are!


Each year we get the privilege of working with our good client Denese at Rustoleum to help her plan their annual company-wide picnic. For many years, the Rustoleum Picnic has taken place at the North Bay Pavilion at Independence Grove. But when the picnic grew a bit too big for the picturesque space, we worked together to find an alternative event venue that would be suitable for the company’s growing needs.

Eventually, we decided on Banner Day Camp.

My client Denese is incredible at executing a vision she has for an event. Once she gets an idea in her head, it’s impossible to get in her way. We knew Banner Day Camp would be the perfect venue to allow her to really spread out and execute any theme she had in mind.

After talking back and forth to develop the theme for the event, we came up with some great ideas and elements:

  • The dude ranch-type welcome sign was a hit.
  • The décor throughout the space included thematic elements, such as haystacks, barrels, ropes, a couple of ranch-type lounge areas, rustic florals in galvanized vases, and pallet tables for the extensive raffle offerings
  • We had actors dressed up as old-timey Western characters (one of whom was a lasso expert!).
  • We catered Western-themed food, including pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, roasted corn on the cobb and baked beans.
  • Our caricaturists drew on pre-printed, fun and logoed paper.
  • We also had pony rides, and tasked our hayrides to be valet transportation for remote parkers.

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August 8, 2017

Tips For Planning An Impressive Company Picnic

August 8, 2017

Tips For Planning An Impressive Company Picnic

Summer is the perfect time for a picnic! Picnics are a great way for corporate businesses to give back to their employees and show their gratitude for all their steadfast hard work. If you’ve been chosen to plan your company’s annual picnic, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together the below tips to help you save time, money, and unnecessary headaches.

Here’s how to plan a company picnic with as little stress as possible.

Plan ahead as much as possible.

Easier said than done, right? We understand that it’s not always realistic to carve out extra time to plan a company-wide event when you still have your regular job duties to attend to. That’s why we strongly recommend putting together a schedule that realistically addresses the complexity of putting together such a large-scale event. This will ideally go back 5-6 months before your planned picnic date to give you enough time to secure a venue, hire a rock star caterer, and give employees enough notice to clear their schedules.

The trick here is to find a caterer who has the experience needed to take this off your plate. And it’s a bonus if they have partnerships with picnic venues — that way you can scratch two important to-dos off your list right away, and then breathe a sigh of relief!

Corporate Picnic venue

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