Why are bagels such a great option for breakfast?
Breakfast catering can be tricky, especially if your team is often on the move and a sit-down meal or egg-and-bacon buffet doesn’t seem practical. The answer lies in bagels.
Bagel catering provides early-morning sustenance or a mid-meeting snack without sacrificing portability. Just grab a bagel, add some schmear, and go back to your work. Because bagels come in so many flavors and can be made even more special using toppings, fillings, and sides, they’re equally great for grab-and-go stations, morning meetings, and client briefings. Just serve and eat!
How many bagels should I order for my office?
You should order at least one bagel per person. But if you’re ordering multiple types, you may want to multiply the total number of people by 1.25 so you’re accounting for guests or employees who are eager to sample several flavors. No need to have one type for each person — some people will have none, some people will eat one, and a handful of people will indulge in more than one bagel.
Here’s how you might order for a 30-person crowd:
- If you’re serving one bagel flavor, like plain, estimate one bagel per person for a total of 30 plain bagels.
- If you’re serving three flavors, you might order around 40 bagels total — think 18 plain bagels, 6 blueberry, and 6 everything.
If your caterer only sells bagels by the dozen, just round up your estimate to your nearest multiple of 12 and divide between flavors as needed. It’s better to have a few extra bagels to stick in the office pantry or hand out to hungry vendors than to come up short and leave someone without anything for breakfast.
Is there anything I should know about bagel catering?
Bagel catering is fairly simple in terms of setup and serving, but you will need to have a few items on hand if the bagels are being dropped off.
- Utensils, including knives (or a bagel splitter) for cutting bagels and applying cream cheese
- Spreads
- A toaster (or several, if you’re serving a crowd)
- Plates and napkins
Depending on your goals and whether the office already has drinks stocked, you may want to ask the caterer or restaurant about beverages as well. Juices, teas, and coffees all go well with bagels — but remember, adding coffee means you’ll probably need to add sweetener, milk and non-dairy creamers, and other coffee add-ons.
What kind of bagels can I order, and can I include sides?
Bagels come in a huge array of flavors. Some of the most popular options include:
- Plain
- Whole wheat
- Egg
- Poppyseed
- Asiago
- Cinnamon raisin
- Onion
- Everything
- Garlic
- Sesame
- Blueberry
- French toast
Order a variety, but skew your numbers toward the more popular flavors — you’re better off having more plain and cinnamon raisin bagels, for instance, than tons of more polarizing garlic or onion bagels.
As for accompaniments and side dishes, start with several flavors of cream cheese. Plain cream cheese is a no-brainer, but veggie, smoked salmon, herb and garlic, and sun-dried tomato cream cheeses are all solid choices as well. Side dishes should only be offered if you know they’re going to be eaten right away, like during a breakfast meeting. Fruit salad and cooked sausages and bacon work for early morning catering, while brunch spreads might include chicken salad or egg salad.
How are bagels made?
Bagels are made using a very simple dough that contains just flour, water, salt, and yeast. The dough is formed into circles and often rested for a period of time before being boiled and finally baked. Bagels are the only bread that is boiled before hitting the oven, and that process results in a very specific texture that’s crispy and lightly browned on the outside yet moist and slightly chewy inside.
