Special Meals: Not Just a Case of Being Picky

By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 2/26/2007

The general populace is more health-conscious than ever, and even those who aren't want more out of life than rubber chicken and limp hot dogs. Add the needs of some for kosher, vegan, low-carbohydrate, diabetic-friendly and other special meals, and the question becomes: How do caterers and events people cope? Are all these special needs causing more work — and costing more money?

Murat Eskicioglu, general manager of catering for SMG at Moscone Center in San Francisco, said there absolutely has been an increase in requests for special meals at tradeshows and events in the last few years.

"The biggest has been in halal (food permissible for Muslims to eat)," Eskicioglu said. "SMG serves nearly as many halal meals at Moscone as kosher ones, and it's because there are so many international attendees at Moscone events."

He remembers the old days, two or three years ago, when the overwhelming number of special requests came from only two sources: kosher observers and vegetarians. Since then, requests for vegetarian meals have skyrocketed, but so have requests for everything else. At Moscone, there are now six different categories of requests, including gluten-free and non-dairy meals.

Some special meals mean increased costs because they require special preparation and specialized suppliers, but most show managers just consider it part of the cost of doing business.

Eskicioglu gets the number of each type of special meal requested from show managers, who in turn get the information from attendees when they register. But he always keeps additional special meals on hand, and an attendee can make a special request right at the table if necessary.

At most events of any size, Eskicioglu assigns a staffer to make sure the right meals get to the right people. Each attendee with a special meal request gets a color-coded card on his or her plate. It's a challenge, and at a show with, say, 40,000 attendees, not everything goes as planned.

"It really keeps you on your toes, especially with very specialized meals like gluten-free," he said.

But if you really want to talk specialized, you're talking fruitarian: people who only eat what falls, or would fall, naturally from a plant; in other words, foods that can be harvested without killing the plant. Eskicioglu has provided meals for them too. To a chef running a major convention center food-and-beverage operation, that primarily means culinary fruits, nuts and, for some, seeds.

Sandy Biback, principal of Imagination+Meeting Planners, said one attendee at an event she organized listed 14 different food allergies. Meeting those needs required special consultation between her and the chef.

Eskicioglu has seen increased demand not only for healthier foods, but for foods that are more environmentally friendly. That's why he tries to use local food products instead of those that have to be trucked from across the country or shipped from elsewhere on the globe. He's also noticed people drinking more water and less soda.

Diligence in delivering special foods is not optional. If someone gets the wrong meal, there could be serious religious or health implications. Nothing serious has ever happened, but Moscone is insured against that possibility, Eskicioglu said.

"It's impossible to control everything, but the individual also has a responsibility," Eskicioglu said. "With sit-down meals, we're very cautious about what we serve. If an attendee questions the meal's ingredients, we can easily provide an alternative. For instance, about 2 to 3 percent of all our salads are prepared without nuts so we have plenty for those with such allergies. This is a big responsibility, and we don't want to make anyone sick."

Biback lists medical information and emergency contact information on the backs of name badges, with a disclaimer that the information should only be used in case of emergency.

Jennifer Hoff, general manager of Natl. Trade Productions, said people getting special meals have often gotten the short end of the stick. For instance, a vegetarian might get the regular meal minus the meat, with double potatoes. Still, she conceded, caterers have gotten better at providing genuine vegetarian dishes.

At Moscone, everyone at each table is served at the same time; those with special meals don't get theirs later. Special meals are separated by category, for easy access by the servers. And vegetarians don't just get the regular meal minus the meat; they get something made especially for them.

Eskicioglu said that about three months before every event, the meeting planner or show manager comes in for a tasting that includes special meals. There's also a certain amount of intuitive advance planning that can be done. For instance, if chefs know an event will draw a large international attendance from certain parts of the world, it's a good idea to prepare meals from those regions. And it's probably safe to prepare fewer vegetarian meals at, for example, a trucking aftermarket show, he said.

Biback agreed that it's best to be accommodating. She generally serves healthier meals, although some clients are old-school and want meat and potatoes. You have to know your audience, she said.

Most of her requests are for vegetarian meals and those related to allergies, Biback said. She's seen an increase in requests for all types of special meals but, fortunately, the cost isn't passed on to the meeting planner. One exception is kosher meals, in part because they often require special plates and cutlery. Typically, though, there are only a few such requests per event, she said.

Certain groups do require more kosher meals, and some venues in Toronto, where Biback is based, have kosher kitchens. The Washington (D.C.) Convention Center has one too.

Biback, who recently organized a two-venue conference for 200 that required 78 special meals, believes requests for special meals will continue to grow. With that is likely to be a gradual rethinking of what chefs serve.

For example, she said, diabetes seems to become more common all the time. Does that mean centers will begin to question how much chocolate or other sweets it's prudent to serve? Shellfish is another concern; the list goes on.

Biback called it a culinary minefield, but her job is the health and safety of everyone at her events. Because there are more attendees than ever with special food needs, event planners and caterers have to be more vigilant, and chefs have had to become more knowledgeable.

At buffets, vegetarian choices and foods without nuts, for instance, are always offered. If everyone who needs a special meal asks for one on the registration form, all goes smoothly, but that doesn't always happen.

Hoff said that for her, special meals are not a major issue, and there aren't any extra costs in providing them, but she has become more conscious when planning food service. Like others, Hoff identifies special needs, food or otherwise, through the registration process.

"Usually they're pretty basic, and hotels and convention centers can easily handle them," she said. "But if the right meal doesn't get to an attendee who requests it, that's a problem, and the wait staff addresses it."