Chain restaurants that offer catering are rising to the next level with exceptional catering services. While hosting any event, the most important thing for everyone is catering.
Why, though? Because food acts as a social catalyst – and a variety of menu options can enhance the overall guest experience.
So, it’s crucial to serve quality food to ensure guest satisfaction. That’s why top-notch catering is an integral part of celebrating special occasions.
Here is the list of our top 10 go-to chain restaurants for catering services with a delightful blend of fast food:
- Subway
- Chick-Fil-A
- Olive Garden
- Chipotle
- Quiznos
- Boston Market
- P.F. Chang’s
- Panera Bread
- Jimmy Johns
- Jersey Mikes
These chain restaurants are fantastic with their locations everywhere. Their services are also quite economical and have minimum delivery charges. So, let’s explore more about these restaurants and their wide array of fast-food options.
We will discover why catering from chain restaurants is the best option. This guide will also provide tips for choosing the best chain restaurant for catering. Let’s dive right in!
What is a Chain Restaurant?
A chain restaurant is a type of restaurant with many locations operating around the globe. That’s why it’s termed a “chain restaurant.” All the chains of any particular restaurant share the same brand name.
These restaurants also operate with standardized recipes, branding, menu, and services. They can either be company-owned or individually owned through franchising.
Examples of the most popular chain restaurants are:
- Subway – largest chain with 42,000+ locations in 112 countries.
- McDonald’s – serves over 62 million customers daily, a record in the restaurant industry.
What is Restaurant Catering?
Restaurant catering refers to a service provided by a restaurant of your choice for a specific location outside their dining establishments.
The event could be any wedding, birthday party, corporate event, or other special occasion. For catering, chain restaurants prepare food ahead of time. Then they deliver fully-cooked food to your desired venue. You can select the menu per your specifications and preferences.
Examples of chain restaurants that offer catering are:
- Applebee’s
- The Cheesecake Factory
- True Food Kitchen
- Taco Bell
- Texas Roadhouse
- Buffalo Wild Wings
Benefits of Opting for Chain Restaurants for Catering
Following are the reasons why catering from chain restaurants is the best option:
- They maintain consistent food quality across all locations
- They offer customizable catering service
- They offer diverse menu options
- They can accommodate a wide range of tastes and preferences
- They offer quick and hassle-free ordering service
- They offer very cheap and top-notch services
- They have the right equipment and trained staff to cater your event
- They are skilled in safe food handling
Top 10 Best Chain Restaurants that Offer Catering
The catering landscape has evolved with chain restaurants leading the way. They offer quality, convenience, and the best catering experience to make your event memorable.
Here are the top 10 chain restaurants that offer catering with exemplary services:
1. Subway
Subway is your best shot that offers fast catering services at quite affordable rates. Its catering menu offers diverse options, including sandwiches, cookies, fries, wraps, and platters.
The giant subs – 3-foot and 6-foot are absolute bombs to cater to an entire army. They can serve up to 25 people.
You can also pick platters with flavor carvers and classic combs, the best catering options. Each platter has 15 portions. Thus, both platters serve up to 9 people.
You can also order individual boxes with customizable items. Another option includes platters with five different types of wraps or sandwiches.
Read: Subway Catering Menu Prices
2. Chick-Fil-A
If you are hosting a conference or meeting event, then Chick-Fil-A’s packaged meals are worth trying. They are best for individual lunch boxes with a main item, a side, and a cookie. Its main course includes a range from chicken sandwiches to spicy grilled chicken subs.
Other menu items include catering trays. Each tray can serve anywhere from 8 to 25 people. You can tailor their catering services based on your preferences.
The most famous of Chick-Fil-A’s catering plates is ‘Nugget Plates.” You can also order customized trays to cater to your event. The additional trays include a kale crunch tray, fruit tray, mac and cheese tray, wrap tray, and dessert tray.
Other items include salads, cool wraps, grilled chicken bundles, and sweet assortments (cookies & brownies). You can add a market salad and cobb salad to your catered items.
Their breakfast catering includes Greek yogurt parfait, fruit cups, biscuits, and trayfuls of Chick-n-Minis.
- Chick Fil A Salads Menu Prices
- Chick Fil A Catering Menu with Prices
- Chick Fil A Nuggets Catering Prices
3. Olive Garden
For Italian-American fusion cuisine, Olive Garden is the best chain restaurant. It’s a fancier restaurant but offers the best fit for your budget. Also, it does not come under the umbrella of fast-food restaurants.
There is no option for different catering packages. Because it has catering pans as its main catering option, each pan serves between 4 to 6 people.
The individual pan of the main course ranges from chicken alfredo to spaghetti with meat sauce. Catering pans consist of lasagna, soups, shrimp scampi, and five cheese Ziti al Forno,
You can also create a pasta station with the addition of two types of pasta, breadsticks, and salads. The past station can serve up to 10 people. Their appetizers menu list also includes fried mozzarella and calamari.
They also provide a wide variety of dietary options. For a big event, you can order multiple catering pans – so that each one can enjoy lots of variety.
4. Chipotle
To cater a big Super Bowl Bash, Chipotle is a great restaurant to enjoy football’s biggest day. Its burrito bowls are as big as footballs. It gives you an authentic Mexican cuisine taste with salsa, guac, and more. You can select any of them from its chips and dips menu.
Chipotle offers customizable burrito boxes for groups of all sizes, start sized for a minimum of 6 people. For group orders, it offers fantastic prices. The deal comes with a burrito box designed to serve 10 people. It costs only $8.75 per person.
5. Quiznos
At Quiznos, you can get the best sandwiches to cater for any event. You can either order individual boxes or have them customized per your choices. You can add main items and side items in individual boxes.
It also provides the option to choose between sub trays or sandwich trays. Its subs are 3 inches in size. You can order a set number of lunch boxes. Each box includes a sandwich of sub or regular size with a drink and a side item.
The best thing about these lunch boxes is that they come labeled. Hence, it’s a convenient option for a big event. These boxes will cover an entire army at a big event.
6. Boston Market
Boston Market is an ideal restaurant for catering any holiday party. They have four main course items, mouth-watering sides, and other extras. It’s the best place to cater a large family dinner or a big event.
You can have a buffet-style spread named “hot buffet family meal.” This meal comes with rotisserie chicken, ribs, or meatloaf as entrees. It also includes two sides with cornbread.
Boston Market can serve groups of 5 to 5000+ people, ensuring plenty of decent food for everyone.
It offers sandwich platters and boxes with a la carte menu items. Boston Market’s three catering packages cover everything you need, with delicious food and party essentials, all-inclusive.
7. P.F. Chang’s
With an authentic taste of Asian-American cuisine, P.F. Chang’s also offers three catering packages. Each serves between 10-20 people. For individual orders, you can have customized boxes with rice.
P.F. Chang’s main catering menu has five plus appetizers and a variety of dim sums. Its main course items include pepper steak, Mongolian beef, sesame chicken, and more. Noodles and rice are also part of the entrees.
8. Panera Bread
Panera Bread offers an extensive range of menu options for breakfast and lunch catering. It offers 15+ sandwiches, oatmeal options, three baked egg souffle, and many baked goods. You can have both custom and premade breakfast boxes.
They offer a lot of gluten-free and 10+ vegan options. Their Greek salad and roasted turkey are excellent. Besides this, their avocado BLT sandwich, mac and cheese, and chicken noodle soup are also very delicious.
Their lunch boxes include sandwiches, baguettes, and salads. Apart from that, their catering menu includes soups, beverages, sides, sweets, and more on their catering menu.
9. Jimmy Johns
Jimmy John’s catering menu offers 18 and 30-count sandwiches, and mini-Jimmy’s, along with individually boxed meals. They also offer a range of fresh sandwiches with different sizes and ingredients.
To complement your order, add desserts, sides, and drinks. Their desserts include scrumptious raisins and chocolate chip cookies. Indeed, a perfect treat for a birthday party.
10. Jersey Mikes
Jersey Mike’s sandwich catering is a must-have for any party. Their catering menu consists of boxed subs for up to 12 people, subs by the bag of 4, and lunch boxes with cookies and chips.
You can also place a separate order for drinks and brownies for a more customized catering experience.
Best Fast Food Restaurants that Offer Catering
Other famous fast-food restaurants that offer catering are:
- Pizza hut
- Dominos
- McDonald’s
- Sonic
- Smash burgers
- Wendy’s
- Panda Express
- Potbelly
Tips for Choosing the Right Chain Restaurant for Catering
When selecting a chain restaurant for catering, choose wisely for the best experience. Here are some key factors you must consider if you want to opt for chain restaurants for catering services:
- Choose a restaurant with high-quality food.
- Sample their dishes before finalizing, especially for a big event.
- Beforehand research is crucial to make the right choice.
- Make sure to compare prices among all considered catering services.
- Balance price and food quality through research.
- Go for an experienced restaurant that has catered to a variety of events.
- Ensure their catering services include dietary options with a variety of dishes.
- Ask about setup and delivery services for a seamless event.
- Lastly, check customer reviews for your selected restaurant’s catering services.
FAQs Regarding Food Chain Restaurants
Conclusion
Organizing events, big or small, can be nail-biting at times. Catering services can make or break the overall experience of an event. That’s why it’s better to go for chain restaurants that offer catering with reliable services and a wide array of menu options.
After going through the above information, we believe that now you’re confident enough to pick your ideal fast-food chain restaurant for catering. All these restaurants’ locations are easily accessible.
Moreover, the food is both delectable and cost-effective. Rest assured-guests will love the food, no matter the choice.
Selena is a food lover who has decided to put her passion into practice by becoming an experienced blogger and chef. She shares the fantastic experiences of some of the best fast-food restaurants around you every day!
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