July 16, 2019

Delivering Service or Service Delivered? Clearing up the Confusion

July 16, 2019

Delivering Service or Service Delivered? Clearing up the Confusion

Delivery? Full-service? What’s the difference and which is right for you?

When we speak with new clients, sometimes they are confused about which option is best…and suits their needs. “Don’t you deliver all your food? Don’t you provide full service to every order?” These are questions we have heard, and we understand the thought process. Yes, we will deliver food for our full-service events to the sight, and, yes, you will receive our exemplary service on delivery orders. Confused? No worries! Read on….

FULL SERVICE

Are you looking for a catering partner who can manage the entire experience at your special event? Whether it’s a wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, milestone birthday party/anniversary, company picnic or holiday party, choosing full service means that you can fully hand your event over to our team. We’ll take care of everything so you don’t have to worry about a thing!

Here are some of the reasons why you may prefer full service to delivery:

Chef-prepared fresh on-site

You read that right! With full service, we bring the kitchen to you! All dishes are fully prepared and cooked on-site using only the freshest, high-quality ingredients. This flexibility in preparation also allows us to customize dishes for those picky eaters or any guests with food allergies.

CATIE Awards 2019 Best Buffet

Fully customized menus

We believe that every event should be unique! That’s why we offer personalized menus which are custom designed to complement the unique style or theme of the event.

Serveware to match your event style

Speaking of customization, with full service we offer a stylish range of china, flatware, glassware and linens to fully enhance the event theme or style.

Professional and helpful staff

Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is available throughout the duration of the event to provide only the finest service and personal attention. From food preparation and serving to the ever so dreaded cleanup, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that all aspects of the event are covered.

Speaking of clean up….

We understand the last thing on your “how-to-have-fun-at-my-event” list would be cleaning up. With full service, we will take care of everything, so you can spend time catching up with friends & family, or dancing the night away!

DELIVERY

If our full service offering is more than you need, worry not! With Catering by Michaels delivery, we bring gourmet catering right to your door! It’s the ideal option for business meetings, casual social gatherings, luncheons, employee appreciation events, and religious celebrations.

Here are some other great reasons why you might choose delivery:

Prepared in our kitchen and delivered to your door

There’s no need to go out of your way for anything. No shopping. No driving all over town for elusive ingredients. No hours spent in the kitchen. We’ll make sure your order is delivered to you, fresh, delicious, and with everything you need.

Easy set-up and beautiful presentation

Our simplified delivery service comes with everything you need for a stress-free experience. From display and serving pieces to utensils, we’ve got you covered!

Chicago delivery catering by Catering by Michaels

Read More…


July 1, 2019

Celebrating the Fourth of July in Style

July 1, 2019

Celebrating the Fourth of July in Style

In between work, school, and everything else you have going on, it can be difficult to find a chance to gather together everyone you care about. But the holidays offer an opportunity to slow things down and spend time with family and friends.

In a few days is the Fourth of July, where we celebrate our country’s independence. The Fourth of July is always a joyous affair, with many hosts going the extra mile by serving food that relates to the theme. You’ll often see a menu dominated in red, white or blue, as well as dishes served with little flags or cut into stars.

Because the holiday falls right in the middle of summer, many opt to spend the day at the beach, while others prefer the excuse to host an outdoor barbeque.

Whichever way you decide to spend it, hosting a celebration means putting time into preparations. Here are some ways to set up your Fourth of July celebration for success:

How to Prepare for Your Fourth of July Party

Aside from the company, another essential ingredient for a great party is the food.

However, before deciding on the food, you have to decide whether you’re hosting an afternoon party or a dinner party. Another consideration to make is the type of menu. Typically, Fourth of July parties serve barbeque or All-American dishes, but you can certainly opt to deviate from the norm.

Lastly, decide whether you want to prepare the food yourself or have someone else take care of it. Between planning a menu, preparing food, and entertaining guests — the holiday won’t feel like a break if you have to do all the work.

So consider outsourcing the hard work. Catering by Michaels has over 30 years of experience under its belt to ensure that you have everything you need to make your Fourth of July party go off without a hitch!

Perfect Fourth of July Picks from Our Seasonal Menu

For a Fourth of July party, menus are typically made up of picnic fare — think grilled meats, salads, desserts, and fruits. Catering by Michaels offers both delivery and full service menu options. With full setup, you can customize our standard offerings and we’ll take care of all the little details — yes, even cute Fourth of July flags! All you have to do invite your guests, and we’ll take care of the rest (including cleanup).

Read More…


June 21, 2019

Restaurants Have Food, So Why Hire a Caterer?

June 21, 2019

Restaurants Have Food, So Why Hire a Caterer?

You look at the calendar and you see the Big Red Circle around that special day. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime event like a wedding, graduation, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or Aunt Millie’s 100th birthday celebration. Or it could be that family reunion, holiday gathering, corporate picnic, or your “just-because” party. Whatever the occasion, that Big Red Circle is staring out and making you nervous. The phrase, “everyone re-members the food” keeps echoing in your head so you know you want a professional on your side. Good choice! But where to begin?

Caterer or Restaurant?

Everyone in the Catering by Michaels family loves restaurants. We enjoy eating at them. We enjoy the experience. But we also know restaurants and caterers are very different businesses. At first blush, you may not see how they differ when it comes to feeding your guests. They both have food, after all! But once you take a closer look, you’ll begin to realize caterers and restaurants are not as similar as you might think.

Purpose

The main purpose of a restaurant is for you to go to them. You choose a restaurant, go and sit down, and enjoy your meal. Restaurants work hard to provide an experience based upon their physical location.

With caterers, we bring the experience to you. We know how to transform spaces and optimize service. Whether we provide delivery or full-service, we are devoted to making sure your event is a success no matter where you hold it.

Menus

Restaurants create menus based upon theme, aesthetic, and the decision makers’ preferences. Then, you choose a restaurant based upon their offerings. After all, if you’re hungry for Italian you wouldn’t go to your favorite Thai restaurant.

Caterers work with you to craft highly personalized menus for your events. Our dedicated event producers know how to accommodate your budget, your tastes, and any of your guests’ special needs (vegan/vegetarian, allergies, food intolerances, and so on). In turn, our chefs have extensive experience in creating the food to fulfill your personalized menu.

Read More…


There are a million ways to celebrate Father’s Day, but the best way is to simply spend time with the person you call “dad” or an important father figure in your life.

When it comes to finding the perfect gift, it’s nice to know that dads are easy to please. Give them a hug and a decent meal, and they’ll be happy. But take that a step further with a catered feast fit for a king to show him how much he means to you.

For a stress-free celebration this Father’s Day, let Catering by Michaels take over the planning, cooking and cleaning, so that you can focus on celebrating! To plan the perfect Father’s Day brunch, start with his favorites.

But if you’re stumped for ideas, we have a few suggestions:

Building A Father’s Day Menu From Catering by Michaels

For Father’s Day, we’re featuring a special sandwich menu for dad: a robust chipotle chicken sandwich. Featuring grilled chipotle chicken, sweet roasted poblano peppers, pepper jack cheese, romaine lettuce, and chipotle mayonnaise on a miniature salted ciabatta square, this is a favorite of dads in the Catering by Michaels kitchen and offices!

Chipotle Chicken Mini Sandwich

Dad and your guests will also love the classic fried chicken sandwich with honey mustard sauce, lettuce, jalapeño coleslaw, and homemade pickles on pretzel flatbread. Or, try the piri-piri turkey sandwich made with smoked turkey breast, piri-piri sauce, avocado, sunflower seed aillade, tomato, mixed greens, and garlic aioli on a freshly baked herbed ciabatta roll.

Your Father’s Day brunch menu may also benefit from a grilled asparagus sandwich as a solid vegetarian option. Aside from the grilled asparagus, there’s sun-dried tomato, goat cheese, and lettuce on a miniature salted ciabatta square.

While sandwiches are a great option for dad and guests, sometimes, there’s nothing better than a selection of meats to choose from.

Read More…


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.

Read More…