When it comes to catering in 2025, you may recognize some trends from last year that are becoming your new staples as an event planner. The challenge this year is to build on your success. Guests still want the best, whether that means having foods to choose from, quality to pique their interest, or an experience to remember.
In 2025, we see an encore of elements such as sustainability, personalization, and interactive involvement. Caterers continue to focus on eco-friendly practices, intimate occasions, and getting guests invested in the outcome.
Consult these top catering trends below to help you craft the right narrative. No matter the year, event creation is as much storytelling as anything else.
1. Sustainable doesn't mean forgettable
Sustainable is at the top of our list, and we want to remind you that sustainability doesn't mean sacrificing style. True, partnering with local farmers or composting leftovers can help you reduce waste and impress your guests with your responsible ethos at the same time. But the best part of being sustainable when it comes to taste is fresh, fresh, fresh. Look around your neighborhood and begin to inventory the sights and smells. Are you inspired? Natural elements such as fresh flowers, environmentally-friendly lighting, and thoughtful arrangements of dishes will help you to link that local good food to lasting memories.
2. Making it personal is part of being memorable
Taste is more than biological. Taste is subjective, too, and personal preferences aren't hard to cater to. Delivering that personal touch has long been good event-planning business practice. Today's consumer doesn't expect any less. In order to make the personal work for you as an event planner, give guests agency over their choices once they arrive. Flexible menus will help you reach the standard. Create table settings that are intimate and easily adapted to personal flair. Provide guests with simple keepsakes, too, as a memorable finishing touch.
3. Interactive is proactive and will give you the edge
Food tastes better when you're involved with the process. Build interaction in your event by offering interactive food stations. Pizza bars allow guests to choose pizza toppings, crusts, and sauces for a personalized pizza experience, none of which need to be ordinary. Taco bars feature a variety of fillings, toppings, and sauces, allowing event guests to customize their meals. Just use your imagination as you plan your menu. For dessert, a dessert charcuterie board offers a sensual finish with bite-sized confections, fresh fruit, chocolates, and dips. Or try a liquid nitrogen ice cream station where guests can watch their delish ice cream being flash-frozen.
4. Keep it moving, keep it interesting
Progressive dining adds a new twist to the traditional multi-course meal. By spreading the courses out throughout the event, you keep the focus on each dish, allowing you to highlight flavors along the way. Guests are sure to anticipate the next course, adding impact to the overall event experience.
5. Live it up by making it live
Live cooking stations allow guests to watch chefs prepare dishes, engaging guest senses with delectable aromas and energizing sounds. Any menu can be adapted to the live cooking station. You have only to apply the concept and find the chef. It doesn't get any fresher than chef-prepared with guests looking on.
6. Gleam with a theme
Thematic food experiences add instant shine to any event for an event planner. Any number of things may be used as your topic. Bling up a farm-to-table theme, creating visual interest alongside locally sourced ingredients. Add glittering panache to a vintage tea party to update that tradition. Organize your event around a backdrop such as enchanted forest dining for extra wow. Sights and sounds influence how food tastes, after all.
7. Go global to own the moment
Novelty is a great way to jumpstart the senses. Keep the taste sensation story moving forward by offering a wide variety of small plates of food from different regions, allowing guests to sample diverse flavors. Variety truly is the spice of life. You can even mix things up a bit by blending flavors from different cultures for next-level fare. Put it all together as a street food festival boasting a selection of international classics.
8. Imbibe for the vibe
Cocktails and mocktails round out what is sure to already be a sensory experience at your event. Greeting guests with drink options as they arrive is a tried and true way to help guests begin to mingle at the start. Today's cocktails and mocktails don't sacrifice health. A variety of fresh and innovative ingredients await your decision. Pairing drink options carefully with the character of your food is an important part of a tour de force of taste.
9. Take it outside
There is nothing like a little bit of fresh air to build an appetite, and outdoor events offer a setting all their own. Simply a great choice this time of year, outdoor events pair well with sustainable practices and both traditional and contemporary styles. The perfect outdoor setting means much of the work is already done for you. Outdoor locations can be some of your most affordable options as an event planner, too. For that outdoor or rooftop event, cater with the elements in mind. Dress things up with tables towering with gourmet grazes such as cheeses, meats, and fruits. Dress things down by going with picnic baskets instead, locating baskets strategically near gathering spots, music, and other entertainment.
10. Comfort in the classics
Comfort food has never really gone out of style, and you can take advantage of comfort food's enduring ethos at your event. Old favorites such as mac and cheese, fried chicken, and chili make for one more way in which to help guests enjoy their stay. Moreover, there isn't a comfort food out there that can be tweaked a bit for a signature dish, enhancing the flavor profile.
Discover all the trendsetting event ideas at The Expo
The right narrative is key, no matter the time of year. Events are stories anchored in 2025 by sustainability, personalization, and interactive involvement. Involved guests make memories for themselves and others; intimate occasions remain in the mind; eco-friendly practices help everyone enjoy themselves with a clear conscience. Last year's trends strengthen this year's choices as you build on your success. Focusing on sensory details reinforces the flavor of food. Find all this and more at The Event Planner Expo. It’s the premier conference for event planning professionals and your doorway to all the latest trends to wow your event guests. Make sure you’re in the room this October and get your All Access tickets today!
