Drinks reception or walking dinner
The first question is not the menu, it is whether your guests will be having dinner afterwards. A drinks reception accompanies a speech and ends when people leave to eat elsewhere. A walking dinner replaces dinner: it has to be substantial enough to carry two or three hours on foot, and varied enough not to become monotonous.
The two formats differ in the number of pieces per person, in how the evening builds, and in how much staff they need. We settle that question with you before talking about recipes.
What makes a standing reception work
- Pieces that are eaten in one or two bites, one-handed, without cutlery and without endangering a shirt.
- Staff circulating continuously rather than a buffet that gets stormed on the first pass.
- A progression across the evening: the most substantial pieces do not come out first.
- Drop points planned in advance, so that empty glasses do not end up on your product stand.
A corporate cocktail reception usually falls under the Signature package: 30 to 200 guests, from €45 per person, walking dinner or hot-and-cold buffet, service staff included, tableware and furniture on request, and a menu built with the chef.
A launch is not a dinner
At an opening or a product launch, the catering is in service of something else. There is a speech at a precise moment, an object or a space that people need to look at, journalists or clients who should not be left standing alone. Service has to stop during the speech and resume immediately after, without anyone having to ask.
That timing is agreed beforehand, with the run of your evening in front of us, not improvised on the night.
Where we operate
We serve your corporate cocktail receptions in Biarritz, Bayonne, Anglet, Bidart, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and throughout the Basque Country, on your own premises or in a hired venue.
Frequently asked questions
How many pieces should we allow per person?
That depends entirely on the format. A drinks reception before dinner elsewhere and a walking dinner that replaces the meal call for neither the same volume nor the same variety. We settle that number with you based on how long the reception actually runs and what your guests will be doing afterwards.
Are service staff included?
Yes, in the Signature package, which covers most corporate cocktail receptions from 30 to 200 guests. Tableware and furniture are available on request within the same package.
Can you work around the running order of the evening?
That is the starting point. Service pauses during speeches and resumes immediately after, and the more substantial pieces come out in step with how the evening builds. That timing is decided beforehand, with your running order in front of us.
What is your minimum number of guests?
Below 30 guests the Essentiel package is often the better fit. Above that, and up to 200 guests, a cocktail reception falls under Signature. Beyond 200 it moves to the Prestige package.