Office food etiquette refers to the policies and unwritten rules your staff follows when eating at work. These rules include when and where to take lunch breaks and best practices when using shared appliances like fridges and coffee makers. Etiquette might vary from one office to the next, but a few principles tend to stay the same.

Tidiness

Ask your employees to clean up after themselves following meals to keep the office kitchen and dining area mess-free for everyone. Common office kitchen etiquette includes throwing away trash in the right place, washing dishes after use, and wiping down crumbs and spills from the dining area and countertops.

You might also put a note on the fridge reminding your staff to throw out leftovers at the end of each week — or however often makes sense for your office.

Thoughtfulness

Ask your employees to consider their colleagues when eating in the office. The goal of this rule is to make the office a comfortable place for everyone. Keeping kitchen spaces tidy is an excellent start.

One practice that encourages thoughtfulness is a strict rule against taking other people’s lunches and snacks. Office etiquette for smelly foods like fish and boiled eggs can be divisive, but one option is encouraging employees to eat them in designated spaces rather than at their desks.

Togetherness

One method of promoting togetherness and a sense of community in the office is encouraging everyone to eat together often. Set up a spacious communal dining area where your staff can interact and get to know each other better. You can also join your employees for a few minutes as they dine to build a friendly rapport with them.

Simplify Office Eating Etiquette With Apple Spice Catering

If you want to prevent kitchen crowding during lunch hours and speed up cleaning after meals, Apple Spice Catering can help. Our lunches will encourage your employees to eat together and build a community spirit.

We deliver delicious boxed breakfast, lunch and dinner to companies in various locations across the United States. Whether you want five box lunches or 5,000, we’ll deliver them fresh, right and on time. Our menu is diverse, and we’ll accommodate employees with special dietary needs. We provide catering services for daily meals and corporate events.

When working on a film set, you want to provide the cast and crew with food and drink options to keep them fueled throughout a long day of shooting. So, what exactly should be included in a craft service? Our guide to craft services can help you decide what to bring to set and the kinds of foods and beverages the cast and crew will appreciate.

What Is Craft Services?

Craft services in the film industry refers to the department responsible for providing cast and crew members food and drinks. Many film crews outsource their catering to another company, while other productions may use a team from in-house to create and serve food and beverage options.

Craft services exists on set at all times during the filming process. Actors and crew members can grab a snack from the craft services table between takes and eat meals during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The amount and type of food may vary depending on the production and the film budget. Craft services may offer food like chips, nuts, cookies, pretzels, fruit and veggies, or beverages like coffee, tea, soda, water and juice. They may also provide meals like coffee and donuts for breakfast or pizza and burgers for dinner.

Why Is Craft Services Important on a Film Set?

Craft services is essential on a film set to feed a hungry cast and crew and maintain energy throughout the day. When the cast and crew are hungry, they don’t perform as well, which could hinder the film’s production quality. Depending on your production and your associations, you may be required by regulations to provide craft services options, too.

Being prepared with food for snacks and mealtimes ensures production runs smoothly and gives the cast and crew a convenient way to stay nourished while on set.

When it comes to historical significance, Boston, MA, is one of the country’s most well-known cities. However, it’s more than just museums and landmarks. Boston is a thriving capital, a destination hotspot for travelers and the hometown of many brands and businesses.

Where do you go when you want the best catering company in Boston, MA, for your corporate event, wedding or another occasion? Take a look here to find the best caterers in Boston!

What to Look for in Your Next Boston, MA, Catering Company

Partnering with the right Boston catering company matters. Ensure you have a fine event when you make sure your caterer has the following characteristics:

• Timeliness: Your food should arrive as expected and punctually.
  Freshness: The best food is made from fresh, wholesome ingredients. When you start right, you end with a mouthwatering product.
  Dependability: A caterer with a reputation for excellence is a surefire winner.

Best Caterers for Weddings in Boston

Each year, countless couples get married in Boston. If you’re saying “I do” in the Boston area soon, explore these caterers, known for being among the best wedding catering companies in Boston.

• Spinelli’s: Want an all-inclusive caterer with a spectacular venue? You’ll appreciate Spinelli’s with its fine Italian-American fare and welcoming atmosphere.
• Catering by Andrew: As one of the only kosher caterers in the Boston area, Catering by Andrew has risen to the top of the wedding catering charts thanks to the owner’s insistence on excellence.

Best Boston Caterers for Baby Showers, Bridal Showers and Other Special Occasions

There are so many great reasons to get together with your loved ones. As you’re planning your next shower or special occasion, contact these Boston baby shower caterers for the best service and recipes:

• Above and Beyond Catering: The name says it all — from clambakes to buffets, you’ll find a sophisticated, exciting menu lineup at Above and Beyond Catering.
• BG Catering Concepts: When magic is what you’re after, you’ll find the right catered items at BG Catering Concepts. Celebrate in delicious style!

Top Corporate Caterers in Boston, MA

It’s impossible to concentrate on business when you’re hungry. Satisfy everyone’s appetite at your next meeting, convention or gathering by hiring Apple Spice Catering. We’re the top catering company in Boston and serve up the freshest food you can imagine.

Best Overall Caterer in Boston — Apple Spice Catering

It’s our privilege to make every catered experience a little brighter. Find out why our signature boxed lunches, homemade bread and irresistible cookies have positioned us as one of the best corporate caterers in Boston.

Contact Apple Spice Boston, MA, to order your next catered items.

Are you ready to celebrate? November 3 is National Sandwich Day. What better way to commemorate the day than by eating a sandwich?

Learn all about the meaning behind sandwich day and how you can indulge in a delicious sandwich during work.

What Is the History of National Sandwich Day?

John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, has received credit for creating the first sandwich back in 1762. According to history, Montagu requested an easy-to-eat food that wouldn’t stop his 24-hour gambling streak, so his chef prepared a meal with sliced meat between two pieces of toast — which became known as a sandwich. Montagu took inspiration for the meal after seeing the sandwich’s convenience while traveling in the Eastern Mediterranean.

By the Revolutionary War a few years later, the sandwich became a staple in English meals, but it wasn’t until 1815 that the meal came to North America. Now, National and World Sandwich Day receive regular observance every year on November 3.

6 National Sandwich Day Facts

Since the original inception of sandwiches, many unique sandwiches have been created in different regions of the United States, from the Po’Boy in Louisiana to the Reuben in Nebraska.

In addition to the sandwich variations across the country, there are many interesting facts about sandwiches:

1. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a sandwich consists of 35% cooked meat and more than 50% bread.
2. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were once luxury food only the rich could eat.
3. Elvis Presley flew back and forth to Denver to buy a Fool’s Gold sandwich with 8,000 calories. The sandwich has a hollowed portion filled with peanut butter, a jar of jelly and a pound of bacon.
4. Some iconic sandwiches have their own national days, like Cheesesteak Day, French Dip Day and Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day.
5. You will surely find a distinct sandwich in each region of the United States, whether it’s a lobster roll in Maine, a brisket sandwich in Texas or a Cuban in Florida.
6. Elvis Presley is known for his love of peanut butter, fried banana and bacon sandwiches.

Order Corporate Sandwich Catering to Celebrate

Whether you want to celebrate National Sandwich Day or you’re just in the mood for sandwiches, Apple Spice Catering can deliver. We’ve been providing box lunches and catering to corporations and businesses for more than 30 years. When you want convenient, high-quality sandwiches for lunch, we have you covered.

Apple Spice makes bread from scratch daily and uses the finest, freshest ingredients to craft delicious sandwiches for catered lunches. You receive a sandwich, sides and a freshly baked cookie for dessert in every lunch box. Count on us for professional and dependable customer service every time you order catering from Apple Spice.

Celebrate National Sandwich Day with Apple Spice Catering! Order sandwich catering for your next business meeting or event. Learn about your sandwich choices and sides when you contact us today. If you’re ready to schedule catering, you can browse our locations and place your order online.

Understanding the importance of the onboarding induction process can significantly benefit your company. Employee orientation helps new employees feel confident and motivated at work. Treat new employees to a catered corporate lunch and follow some employee orientation best practices to help them have a successful first day.

What Is Employee Onboarding?

Employee onboarding is the process that occurs when a new hire starts working at a company. During onboarding, new employees may fill out paperwork, meet current employees, tour the office, learn procedures and acclimate to the company.

Employee onboarding allows new hires to adjust to their new role within the company. It’s a great opportunity for companies to create a positive first impression and make employees feel welcome.

Why Employee Onboarding Is Important

Employee onboarding is important because it helps employees adjust to the company and their role within it. Onboarding introduces employees to company philosophies, the company’s purpose and their responsibilities as a company employee. A well-planned and implemented onboarding process can engage and motivate employees, making them feel like a valued part of the team from the beginning. Employee onboarding has the following benefits:

• Increased employee engagement
• Higher productivity
• More knowledgeable employees
• Increased job satisfaction
• Reduced employee turnover

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of employees who quit their jobs increased by 370,000 between October 2021 and November 2021. In total, 4.5 million employees quit their jobs in November 2021, which is the highest number of recorded quits since December 2000. To increase employee retention rates, companies should consider improving their employee onboarding process.

Most Common Mistakes During the Onboarding Process

Onboarding is more than filling out paperwork and handing out an employee handbook. It’s an important process that requires adequate planning. If you’re wondering what not to do in new hire orientation, avoid the following common mistakes:

1. Neglecting a Structured Process

New employees will form some of their first impressions of the company during the onboarding process. If the process is unorganized, a new hire will most likely assume that the company is disorganized. Additionally, new employees may feel neglected and unsupported if people within the company fail to talk to them or provide training. Simply giving a new hire the employee handbook to read is not enough.

Planning and implementing a structured onboarding process can convey that the company is organized and well-operated. It will help new employees feel supported and excited to work for the company.

2. Failing to Give New Employees a Tour

Failing to greet new hires and give them a tour can make them feel unwelcome. It’s important to make new employees feel welcome and connected to other team members. Choose one or two friendly employees to greet new hires, show them around the office and provide useful information. They can share information about nearby lunch spots, parking, team building activities and more.

Greeting new employees with a friendly smile and a helpful tour can help them feel like they are a part of the team. Shed a positive light on your company culture by making your new employees feel welcome.

3. Overwhelming New Employees With New Information

Overwhelming new employees with information is one of the most common new hire orientation mistakes. Learning takes time, and too much information in one day can overwhelm new employees. Provide new information and training resources at a reasonable pace to allow new hires time to absorb the information.

Retaining a ton of information in one day is almost impossible, so allow new employees several days to gather new information and assimilate it.

4. Flooding New Employees With Paperwork

Paperwork such as contact forms, benefits and tax information is necessary. However, you should avoid overwhelming new employees with paperwork. They should spend most of their orientation day getting to know the company and just a small portion on filling out paperwork.

Utilize technology and other resources to help employees complete important paperwork before the onboarding process so they can spend their first day acclimating to the company.

5. Failing to Give Employees Tasks to Do

While the first few days on the job may be dedicated to learning and adjusting, make sure new employees also have some responsibilities within the first several days. Give new employees tasks to complete so they feel useful and included. New employees are excited to use their abilities, so start giving them work to do once they feel comfortable.

Employee Orientation Best Practices

Employee orientation is important for maintaining employee morale and retention. Improve your employee onboarding experience with the following best practices:

1. Make New Hires Feel Welcome

Greet new employees as soon as they enter the building. Meet them with a friendly smile and make them feel welcome. Set their desk up, offer them a coffee or invite them to a catered company lunch. Choose someone to show them around the office and introduce them to team members so they feel more comfortable. Giving new hires time to adjust to the office and meet friendly faces can ease first-day anxiety.

It’s also important to explain company culture to new employees. Let them know where most employees gather or eat lunch, and tell them about company activities or office customs like casual days.

2. Provide Clear Rules and Procedures

Employees who clearly understand company expectations, proper procedures and their own responsibilities will feel more confident going into their role. Provide clear instructions and rules about how you expect employees to do their jobs. Create an employee handbook that new hires can reference when they have questions, and be sure to include the following information and procedures:

• Job information
• Lingo, acronyms or important terms
• Department information and phone numbers
• Information about meetings
• Protocols for taking messages
• Phone-use rules and protocols
• IT troubleshooting tips
• IT department contact information

3. Engage Employees

Engage employees with the company by providing support and clear goals. Assign a staff member to answer any questions they may have and help them acclimate to the office. Establish goals for new employees and provide them with work tasks once they start to feel comfortable in their role. Providing clear goals to achieve will help employees feel engaged and motivated.

Make New Hires Feel Special With Corporate Lunch Catering

Make your new employees feel special and welcome on their first day with delicious corporate lunch catering. Treat a group of new hires to a special lunch or plan a corporate lunch for all current and new employees to get to know each other. Order delicious, individually packaged meals delivered to your office for an easy and delicious corporate lunch.

Choose Apple Spice Catering

Successful employee onboarding can significantly improve employee retention rates, motivate employees and increase productivity. Make your new employees feel comfortable in the office with a welcoming catered lunch.

Apple Spice Catering will deliver fresh, individually labeled boxed lunches to your office. As corporate catering experts for over 30 years, we are dedicated to providing quality meals for corporate events. We can make your next corporate event easy with online ordering, fast delivery and guaranteed freshness. Order online for your next event and treat your employees to a catered lunch.

Coping with stress is a normal part of being an employee, but how much stress is too much? Stress can make workers less productive, and high-stress environments have been linked to numerous health issues.

Learn how to reduce stress in the workplace below with four helpful strategies:

1. Encourage Breaks

When rapidly approaching deadlines and other stressors pile on, employees begin to feel emotionally overwhelmed. Heavy stress leads to procrastination, cutting corners and the worst result of all — burning out. This creates a vicious cycle where employees stressed out over deadlines have a more difficult time completing their work.

You can offset the gradually accumulating stress load by encouraging your employees to take more breaks. According to some studies, when employees are allowed to take more breaks, they are more productive at work.

Letting workers have more break time also helps by promoting connection. Your generous actions show you care about your employees’ well-being. Studies show a correlation between feeling connected to others in the workplace and better health. A strong social network means individual mental health is more likely to be good.

Enabling short breaks more regularly helps manage stress levels, recharging workers emotionally and boosting their productivity. Here are some ways you can encourage employees to take more breaks:

• Cater food: Whether you want to order lunch or host a coffee and donut breakfast, bringing food into the office is a fast way to get everyone in a good mood.
• Hold a brief team meeting: Brief 15-to-30 minute sessions with the team can be highly encouraging during stressful times. Get everyone together to talk through obstacles and congratulate one another on progress. Make sure you set a time limit, or the meetup could turn into a therapy session.

2. Set Realistic Expectations

Sometimes, how you manage stress among your team members depends on how you define your company’s deadlines. You can help reduce stress by making your expectations transparent and realistic. Try the following strategies for managing stress related to your expectations:

Define Your Objectives

Clearly defining your objectives can reduce your need to micromanage employees. They will work toward their goals while having autonomy in their daily workflow. Ways to define your objectives include:

• Creating weekly and quarterly goals: This way, your team will have a reasonable idea of what they’re working toward. As you set measurable goals, allow leeway for when employees fall behind.
• Setting up task assignments: Give everyone a clear understanding of how many hours each important task should ideally take.
• Accepting results: Allow your employees to report key results, which gives them a sense of achievement.
• Making progress notes: Take time each quarter to review your previous objectives. Share your results in an encouraging manner as you work on improving productivity for the next quarter.

Give Employees Time to Adapt

The earlier you set your expectations, the easier your employees can adapt to meet them. It’s best to discuss vital expectations during the onboarding process, or even include key specifics in the job description for applicants to read.

Job descriptions often include long lists of required skills and responsibilities, and once an employee starts, they might feel these were misleading. When seeking new hires, ask current employees about the basic responsibilities, and get them to provide information for the listing.

It’s also helpful for new hires to understand expectations can change. The expected pace during the first 30 days differs from what employees should be doing by day 365. Try describing what a week of work is like in the listing to give prospective employees an idea of acceptable standards.

Making your expectations transparent from the beginning reflects well on your company’s values. It also keeps employees from wondering if they would be a good fit for the available role. New workers might question their abilities less frequently if they are able to meet your expectations, resulting in a less stressful onboarding process.

3. Permit Flexible Hours

Allowing your employees to work on their own schedules can improve their ability to complete all assigned tasks. If you have confidence in your employees’ abilities to manage their own time, giving them more autonomy in their workflow allows them to meet and succeed expectations.

As one of the most effective strategies for managing stress in the workplace, flexible hours have many benefits, including:

• A better work-life balance: Your employees can take the time they need to complete their daily responsibilities outside of work.
• Higher quality work: Allowing your employees to spread their hours out lets them put their best effort into their work.
• Higher morale: Remote work and flexible hours lead to employees enjoying their work life more. Being able to get out of the office keeps stress low.
• Discrete crisis management: When an employee experiences a crisis, they can leave without disrupting the office or concerning other employees.

4. Show Appreciation With Lunch Catering

Many Americans eat lunch at their desks or skip lunches to stay caught up on work. In an effort to conserve time and energy, skipping lunch actually leads to increased stress and exhaustion. You can help with this problem by occasionally providing a catered lunch for the office to share.

Catered lunches show your gratitude in a highly enjoyable way. This strategy can be an excellent use of your company’s funding and also emphasizes the importance of stress management in the workplace. Catered meals promote productivity and restore energy in the middle of the day. Concerning how to help employees manage stress, catering meals can:

• Provide healthy food: Busy employees might select the quickest meal options instead of the most healthy ones. They need to get the right nutrients to power their brains, and catering lunch ensures the meal is well-balanced and filling.
• Save time: Your employees can eat lunch without going on a stressful food run. Your resident workaholics feel more comfortable remaining near their desks, and the frequent lunch skippers are encouraged to enjoy a company meal.
• Save money: Some employees skip lunch to cut living expenses, resulting in low blood sugar levels and high daily stress. They may feel relieved when you provide food at work, increasing morale.

Order Apple Spice Corporate Catering

Good food can go a long way to helping you manage stress among your team members. Apple Spice provides a quality box lunch catering service directly to your office. We deliver quickly to meetings or casual lunch events. Try our fresh individually packaged sandwich and lunch combos to meet your employees’ unique preferences.

Our team prepares lunches with premium ingredients, providing our diners with the nutrition they need and the flavors they love. Browse our locations to find a service near you and start selecting your lunch catering options.

Whether you’re planning for a corporate event or an upcoming executive business meeting, it’s crucial to find the perfect caterer. Apple Spice here in Houston not only provides awesome catering but a box lunch delivery menu created for these types of events. Below we break down the menu so that you can see what we offer.

Sandwiches

Every box lunch comes with a delicious sandwich of your choice. Some of our most popular would be the chipotle chicken, turkey avocado, manhattan roast beef, and the strawberry grilled chicken. The box lunches also come with a pickle, cookie, mint, and a choice of potato chips, carrot chips, pasta salad, or fresh fruit.

Soups

The soup comes in 3 different sizes. Cup, bowl, or a quart. We have a broccoli cheddar, chicken noodle, Amy’s special chili, and the Baja tortilla soup. If you want to make it a bit more filling, add a bread bowl for only 99 cents more.

Wraps

Substitute a sandwich for one of our wraps! Apple Spice features 3 different wraps such as the turkey bacon ranch, southwest chicken, and the chicken caesar. These healthy wraps are paired perfectly with a side of fruit or some crispy potato chips.

Salads

Salads at Apple Spice are full of flavor and we offer 13 different options to choose from. Some of our most popular include the classic cob, Thai curry chicken, tuna salad, or the garden vegetable if you want to make it meat-free. Every salad comes with freshly baked bread and a salad dressing of your choice.

Bakery

End your box lunch meal with one of our delicious bakery treats. Our most popular dessert is the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. You can exchange a cookie for a lemon bar, apple crumb cake, or anything else you desire from the bakery menu.

The next question is which box lunch should you go for? We offer 3 different box lunches featuring the classic box lunch, deluxe lunch box, and the executive lunch box. If you want to check out more menu details, head over to our full list of menus for all the information you need! You can order online or by calling 832-491-1952. We look forward to catering to you!

New to Vinings here in Georgia? This historic community beckons local residents and visitors with its rich history, culture, and charm. This is a great place to experience cool tours, events, and delicious restaurants! Speaking of restaurants, get to know the best dining in town to better your time in Vinings.

Muss & Turner’s

A deli by day and a bistro by night, this restaurant offers authentic and fresh ingredients with a variety of menu options depending on the time of day! Made by local farmers, Muss & Turner’s strive to bring their customers the best flavors naturally! This is a great atmosphere for a night out with your friends or family.

SOHO – Atlanta

A lovely spot for wine lovers with a delicious mix of flavors and top-quality service. They offer menu options including starters, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and a wine list that is to die for. The perfect place for private dining or special events.

Paces & Vine

A chef-driven restaurant with a great weekday lunch menu, weekend brunch menu, and dinner menu with unique blends of flavors. If you are someone who appreciates Northwest comfort food, this is the place for you!

Looking for more of a variety of restaurants to choose from? Check out the full list here. Local to the area and looking for new places to cater from? Apple Spice here in Northern Atlanta offers a box lunch and corporate catering menu perfect for work events, business meetings, or an everyday lunch at your office. Fresh coffee, baked bread, soups, salads, and more prepared right from the kitchen. Order online to book your first order with us today!