There is another choice besides sandwiches at your next Catered Event: Crepes!

You have decided to cater your company meeting and don’t want to use the stand-by sandwich shop or order pizza…again. You envision your team-building meeting as a special, different, and even…entertaining event.  Crêpes a la Cart offers your solution: they cater!

A crêpe station is a unique, delicious and affordable solution. The wide variety of tastes that can be created, when combining a myriad of topping choices, creates the ultimate experience of the French crêpe. From start to finish, guests will watch crêpes being made. What is unique about their crêpes, for the meeting’s sake, is that they hand them to your guests in proprietary crêpe sleeves (triangular casing, entrapping the dripping toppings and fillings from leaking out of the crêpe). This unique crêpe sleeve allows the crêpes to be an entree or heavy hors d’oeuvre, without the necessity of a plate. This increases the networking at the meeting, because guests can talk and mingle, while eating.

Give them your budget and they can design a menu, fit to your group. You’ll choose filling and toppings, the number of crêpe stations, and even get a choice in batters (savory or sweet). Limit topping and filling choices to save money or go all out, giving your guests many choices.

Mouth-watering and unique, a crêpe catering station is perfectly entertaining and delicious. More importantly, a crêpe catering station is the perfect complement to your team-building event.

Crepes a la Cart gives A-Z Business Meeting Themes

Coming up with a “theme” for your next sales or management meeting is the creative foundation to build your meeting from. It will help you choose the location, the menu, the entertainment and the team building activities. Here are my favorite themes:

A
Above all Others
B
Back on Top

C
Can Do

D
Defining Moments

E
Educate Your Customer

F
Follow Through

G
Gangbusters

H
Happy Days

I
It is Never Too Late

J
Joining Forces

K
Knowledge is Power

L
Listen to Sell

M
Make it Happen

N
Nobody Sits on the Bench

O
Off and Running

P
Positive Expectations

Q
Quicker than the Competition

R
Responding to Change

S
Seek the Peak

T
Taking Aim

U
Up, Up and Away

V
Visualize the Goal

W
Words That Sell

Y
Yes, I Can

Z
Just kidding – there isn’t a “z” meeting theme, or IS there?

Whatever theme you choose, Crêpes a la Cart can be your caterer. In fact, a crêpe station is the crowning touch to a perfect, motivating meeting!  Feel free to comment, below, if you have a killer theme, not mentioned.

Let Crepes a la Cart make your wedding unique, in New Orleans

Weddings can be a stressful and expensive ordeal. Occasionally, the thrill is taken out your wedding because of the wrong kind of stress (is there a “right” kind) and too little thought for the important parts of the day.

Simplicity is the key, when you are trying to create a memory that you want to keep. It can even be harder to create a simple wedding, on a budget. Here are some tips:

First: remember why you are getting married in front of your friends and family. This isn’t for them and it isn’t a show. It is to share the most important decision of your life and the promises that you’re making, with them.

Second: write down a list of the your specific fears of the day (tripping on your dress, not knowing how to dance, Aunt Bea getting drunk, running out of food, having the DJ play the “electric slide”) and figure out ways to avoid your greatest fears (shorten your dress, take dance lessons in your wedding shoes, give Aunt Bea a chaperone, cushion your menu for hungrier guests, and tell the DJ exactly what to play).

Third: choose just two things that you must do to make your wedding unique and special. I have enjoyed these ideas, at weddings, recently:

• Have real butterflies released as you leave the church, creating a real fairy tale effect.
• Sing a love song to your new partner, with a microphone and all the guests looking on.
• Use a digital camera and printer and a scrap book at the guest-book station. Encourage each guest to sign and decorate their own page in the guest book, with all sorts of pens and stickers.
• Create a special photograph, unique to you and your wedding party. Plan the pose and theme, ahead of time, as a special keepsake for everyone in the party.
• A Photo Booth with props and costuming, unique to the theme. The photo will be imprinted with the your name and wedding date.
• Have a corsage or boutonniere made for each guest and present it to them as they make their way down the receiving line. This gives you special time, with each guest, as man and wife.
• Only kiss when someone stands up and tells a story about one of you or about the two of you.
• Have two small detachable floral arrangements, as part of your bouquet. When your father gives you away, you detach the first and he gives it to your mother. After the vows, and you walk back down the isle, detach the second arrangement and present it to your new mother-in-law.
• Ask your married wedding guests to bring a framed wedding photo of their own wedding. Have the table filled with these frames at the guest-book table.
• Have the videographer present each table with a small card that helps them come up with tips, advice, or romantic ideas to present at the beginning of the reception. Then have each table videoed, after they’ve had time to come up with a personal message.
• Have each guest come up with one word or phrase that describes each of you. Then, rather than putting people on the spot toasting you, each person will call out their words that describe the bride and then the groom, in separate toast (Tip: make sure you have this videoed, or you’ll forget everything that was said about you!)

As a final thought, let’s discuss the biggest expense, at your wedding: the food and alcohol. Many marriages are just celebrated with cake and champagne, these days, to reduce costs. That is not necessary the only way to reduce costs. You can still create a special atmosphere without breaking the bank or skipping the meal.  Have one beverage (besides the water) available, in pitchers. Leave several coffee flavors and whipped cream at the coffee station. Have a champagne fountain or a frozen slushy machine with a special alcohol beverage (margarita, banana daiquiri, coffee frappe) as your beverage (believe it or not this is cheaper than offering wine/beer). As far as food is concerned, the less choices that you have, the less the costs. So limit choices on the food and skip the buffet or the sit down meal.  In fact, we would recommend two crèpe stations. One for the savory crepe and one for the sweet. Our crèpe sleeves even eliminate the need for dinner plates or seating charts. The wedding cake? Who needs one when you have Nutella and Banana crèpes! Request a proposal by filling out our Catering Form: http://www.calcno.eventintelligence.com/quote/

What should you expect from Crepes a la Cart as your caterer, in New Orleans?

The caterer helps plan the menu, orders necessary food, hires the correct employees for the function, and makes YOU feel like you made the correct decision hiring them. They have the non-stop job of evaluating cooking ingredients and quality standards as well as planning recipes for your event, and the seasonal portion of the menu. Because of different food’s availability, the caterer will, hopefully, steer you towards local and seasonal products, whenever possible. They should ask questions for special dietary needs (including allergies, vegetarians, as well as specific religious requirements). Sometimes the caterer actually works at the gathering, rather than hiring personnel, due to budget restrictions; each gathering has its own diversity, so the caterer needs to be very flexible.

Crêpes from Crêpes à la Cart have been an outstanding hit at corporate events, art galleries, festivals, fundraisers, private parties and farmer’s markets throughout Louisiana. A Crêpe Station is a unique, delicious and affordable addition to an event. Each crêpe is, truly, a work of art! Guests will enjoy watching their crêpes being made on authentic French griddles with the freshest of ingredients.  Whether slicing bananas onto a crêpe drizzled with hazelnut chocolate, or melting cheese over a crêpe filled with succulent ham and fresh mushrooms, talented and professional crêpe chefs and their made-to-order creations are sure to be one of your party’s most talked about attractions. Fill out a quote form, for a party in Louisiana, at their website: http://www.calcno.eventintelligence.com/quote/

Getting Married? You come up with the vows and Crepes a la Cart will cater it

Everything about the wedding day is romantic and PUBLIC. Saying vows aloud could make a public speaker nervous, but proper planning can take care of all the big and the tiny aspects that can make the event less stressful and more unique.

Your wedding (and specifically the vows) will mark the end of a stage in your relationship and the beginning of your new one. Vows are guidelines that will always be resorted to when problems appear in your life together. They may be re-spoken on wedding anniversaries. They are, perhaps, the most personal things to plan and the most emotional to say aloud. They aren’t a simple “I Do.” They are read, recited, sang, and cried through. Start researching NOW. These were a couple examples I found in a simple Google search:

Renewal: “I, Jane, give to you, Tom, a new promise and yet not so new; a new wife, and yet not so new; and a new affirmation of love from the heart that has loved you for 11 years and will love you for as many more as God allots to it.”

Later-in-life: “Tom, I offer you not the “summer of my life” but the autumn, brisk and vibrant. I promise to be a companion worthy of your precious friendship. I pledge you compassion in good times and bad; encouragement in sickness and health. It is my intent that our life together includes our large circle of friends and loving families. We’ll cherish the memories of our individual pasts; and create our new life as we go now together.”

Search to find the words that express YOU and your love and then paste a couple examples together – edit, tweak, and there you have it!  You don’t have to write your vows from scratch. There are millions of writers that feel the way that you feel – and have better words that you may ever have, already written. Now, you just have to put your heart and voice behind them and express your feelings in front of all the people who are important to you, to the love of your life.

Marriage is a many splendid thing; congratulations for your decision to go boldly into it. And…don’t forget to let Crêpes à la Cart cater your event; we’ll be the crowning touch to your amazingly romantic wedding vows.

Proposing Marriage? Propose so she’ll want to tell the story again and again and again and again

This photo is the PERFECT way to propose – girls love the man on his knee, in a private location, while she looks pretty – but before you pop the questions, make sure that you know what women don’t want to live through as the “engagement story” that she will have to tell and retell he story. After all, we gals love to hear the story of the proposal – so make it romantic, memorable and not … ahem … embarrassing.

• Don’t surround the proposal by complete strangers, a sport’s event, your family, or her workplace. This is between the two of you and should be presented in a place where you can speak from your heart.
• Don’t EVER do this over the phone, through email or remotely. You need to be able to see her eyes, embrace her, and – again – as an intimate, special moment between the two of you.
• Don’t propose at someone else’s celebration. First off, she needs to have the moment to herself. Second of all – it appears that you were pushed over the edge because of the emotion that you are feeling from the other event, not your feelings for her.
• Don’t use humor to propose – of course you should propose as yourself and humor can add a personal element to this moment – but please limit humor and remember that it is romance that she’ll want to remember.
• My final tip is that you should really have thought this over, have a ring (even if it is modest), spoken to dad if appropriate, and have flowers or champagne waiting.

Here is to the hope that she says “yes!” Here is to the hope that she likes Nutella crêpes as much as you and likes the idea of a crêpe station at your wedding event! Let’s hope she agrees that the ONLY caterer to consider, in New Orleans, is Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans!

Crepes a la Cart tailgates at the Superbowl XLVII

On Feb. 3, 2013, about 140 million football fans are expected to tune in to 2013’s Super Bowl, with 5,000 of those fans actually watching it live, in New Orleans, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The last time the Super Bowl was held in New Orleans was right after 9/11, in 2002; this game will attract 1/3 more visitors. Besides the fact that the Super Bowl will be held during Mardi Gras, New Orleans expects additional economic activity of over $400 million because of the Super Bowl.

Why are these statistics important to my reader? To help you understand just how big of a deal the official NFL Tailgate Party is. Tickets to this event are not sold publically and are very, very dear when you can find them to purchase. The NFL has made this party family friendly and VIP rich. Lucky fans will have an unforgettable experience with access to meet and greets, autograph signings, and amazing food. AMAZING food.  My client, Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans, has the honor of being one of those AMAZING-food participants. How exciting and how daunting of a catering event! Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans has to load in on busses, trucks, and vans run by the NFL – no public vehicles are let in the premises. They will load in hours earlier than the event. But, they are feeding…the VIP’s of the Super Bowl.

Can you just feel my envy? I expect that you can. Even so, I am proud to be Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans social–media marketer and proud of them. What an amazing feather in their cap – to spin crêpes at the Super Bowl Official Tailgating Party.  This catering event sounds like an amazing adventure. I wonder just how many catering events will spin off of this great big catering event for my lucky client? Interested in booking an event? Visit their website: http://crepecaterer.com/

Crepes a la Cart discusses Foodies and their memories

It isn’t a mistake that one of the best loved Crêperies, in New Orleans, (Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans) has a website with Catering in the name (www.crepecaterer.com), as catering is more than ½ of their business. And it isn’t just the name of their website, it’s a philosophy – they say that that the best part of catering is meeting and talking to the client and creating a menu that gets them excited for their event. And an event with a crêpe station is never the same ol’ same ol’!

Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans only takes catering jobs they love – and they love making an event artistic and delicious. Yes, artistic – yummy, edible art. The spinners spin deliciously thin crêpes and fill them with fresh, delectable toppings, with a flourish, that is both sophisticated and satisfying. Because of their showmanship and artistic, edible creations, they have a niche business and a long list of satisfied, returning clients. Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans is invited again and again to weekly markets, corporate luncheons, and most recently to the Super Bowl XLVII’s Official Tailgate Party. They give away crêpes, each week, on a Facebook contest – so make sure to “like” their Fan Page.

Food, of course, stirs up poignant memories in us all.  And the food at some events IS forever in the memory of the attendees. Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans, the Crêpe Caterer, knows that, so they make your event more memorable and more poignant by bringing art and food together. Food not only stirs up the past, it brings back the memories of the whole day and the whole event – whether it is a picnic or a corporate luncheon, a festival or Bar Mitzvah – and helps remind us of those poignant memories again and again. And again.

Why Crepes a la Cart uses Festivals as Restaurant Outreach

The food scene in most cities continues to grow and change to include food trucks and new style of food. Using festivals as local outreach is just great marketing. Open-air selling is a wonderful way for restaurants to show their specialties, as most often these booths work as an outreach arm for their brick-and-mortar restaurant. Regular appearances at Farmers’ Markets and festivals allow one-on-one connections with the local community, made possible through public events.

Most times, the foods match the region or the season. Whether you are attending an art festival or a Farmers’ Market, one common bond is the smell of freshly cooked food.  I’m always amazed to seeall types of sets-ups, from a full-kitchen in a tent, to hot-dog carts, to trailers. Festival vendors want to share the best of their restaurant, hoping to gain new customers and develop a different type of relationship than what they already have.

As a consultant to Crêpes à la Cart on all matters related to their online presence, I’m constantly thinking about ways to leverage their online presence (Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest) and do a better job of connecting and interacting with their customers. What I have discovered is that they do a bang-up job, themselves – so my job is much easier. Crêpes à la Cart – New Orleans is always spinning and creating a unique product that tastes amazing! Follow them on Facebook to find out where they are spinning THIS week. Fill out a catering request form, at their website. Visit their brick-and-mortar location at 1039 Broadway Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118. Just FIND this great concept – their crêpes are spun to please!

French Crêpe Magic near Tulane University

The word has gotten out, over this past year – you can get authentic, delicious crêpes right on Broadway Street in New Orleans, near Tulane University campus, in the fast-casual format for freshly-prepared products. Crêpes à la Cart- New Orleans aims to create the definitive brand for French crêpes in the “quick casual” market by serving high-quality, delicious food made from the finest ingredients in a format that emphasizes the customer experience.

You only have a half hour for lunch? No need to sacrifice flavor or sit at your desk. You order at the counter, they prepare your crêpe to order and then you walk out, with your crêpe in its own crêpe sleeve for a walking lunch. If you are meeting friends, gather at the counter or sit at one of the tables, street side. Prices are reasonable, from $3.50 for butter and sugar to $9.00 for the Crêpes à la Cart signature crêpe (chicken, ham, mushrooms, broccoli, baby spinach, red onions, honey Dijon mustard, and choice of cheese). Crêpes are great fast food – great for breakfast, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a late-night snack. They offer both sweet and savory crêpes – with over 50 combinations. In addition to entrée and dessert crepes, they provide a smoothie bar and beverage/coffee service. They have weekly contests (with Nutella Crêpes as prizes, on their Facebook Fan page)

The best news is that the restaurant is open for late-night snacking and midnight cravings.  Crêpes à la Cart is open every day from 9:00 am until at least midnight, every day (they stay open until 4:00 am on Fridays and Saturdays!) – serving crêpe magic and smiles at 1039 Broadway Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.