Re-energize your traditional picnic by adding a contemporary twist to your next outdoor Chicago event. Whether you are planning a corporate picnic or a day of family fun, a great Chicago picnic catering team can help you brainstorm exciting new picnic ideas. Surprise your guests with something that they do not experience at every picnic!
4 Engaging Company Picnic Ideas
Themed Picnic
Get creative by designing a picnic theme unique to your occasion. If you are hosting a company picnic in Chicago, you can gather inspiration from these 30 themes. Your picnic theme will inspire a festive menu that will keep guests in the celebratory spirit. For proud local companies and families, we love the idea of a Chicago-themed picnic with food like:
- Boneless rib sandwich: nothing pleases a die-hard Chicagoan more than a sandwich overflowing with juicy meat drenched in a flavorful sauce. We grill and baste our premium ribs with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce.
- Chicago-style chop salad: chopped romaine, tomato, pasta, cucumber, red onion, giardiniera, blue cheese and creamy Italian dressing. This is the perfect match to some grilled meat.
- Jumbo Angus beef hot dogs: All-American 100 percent pure beef take this Chicago favorite food to another level.
- 18-hour smoked brisket: sliced, slow-cooked brisket of beef has true Chicagoans coming back for seconds.
- Chicago cut pork chops: bone-in, 10-oz center cut chops, basted with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce for a mouthwatering dish.
Another option is to take guests on a cultural adventure with an “around the world” picnic theme. Set the tone by sending out airline ticket picnic invitations. Then welcome guests with a passport so that they can stamp off destinations as they travel the globe with our “Food Truck Fusion.” With a picnic plate full of ethnic food, guests will sit down at picnic tables decorated with countries flags and banners. Stories of cultural traditions will flow when these menu items speak to guests’ heritage:
- Asian pulled pork sliders
- Thai ginger chicken breast
- Street tacos
- Jerk wings
- Mexicali rice and black bean & corn salad
Weekday Picnic
Give your hard-working employees a midweek break with a weekday picnic. This gives guests an afternoon or evening to relax and socialize without having to travel to another picnic venue.
Environmentally Friendly Picnic
Because picnics call for an outdoor venue, they are the perfect event to demonstrate how much you value the environment. Working with a picnic catering team in Chicago that makes efforts to cater green events using sustainable and environmentally friendly practices is a great start. Encourage guests to take note of eco-friendly serving products, recycling programs and any USDA certified organic ingredients. All-natural signs may elaborate on how these measures help the environment and how guests can do their part.
Bring Out the Inner Kid
One of the most fun parts of planning a picnic is choosing the activities. We have tons of picnic game ideas and are eager to work with you to create new ones specific to your picnic theme. Here are some picnic games and activities that will have adults playing more like kids:
- Photo booth: kids and adults will get silly and creative with friends while making memories they can take home.
- Dunk tank: let employees get some harmless revenge on their boss or co-worker as they hit the lever and make a splash
- Sports games: departments can battle each other in a featured sports game or tournament. Guests will burn off calories and competitiveness while building up corporate pride. Then remind employees of the fun times by posting the winning team’s picture in the office.
- Raffle and giveaways: offer giveaways as prizes to the winning teams or host a companywide raffle by giving each guest a raffle ticket as they arrive—this is one way to ensure your guests stay for the whole event as well as making sure they have something to look forward to.
Picnics are more casual events that should be stress free and playful. For 25 years, Tasty Catering has helped clients have fun in the sun while enjoying some of the tastiest picnic food. Whether you are just starting your picnic-planning checklist or already have a theme and menu selected, contact us to see what exceptional customer service and strong core values we can bring to your picnic in Chicago.
