Planning your child’s birthday should be an exciting experience and not stressful, but when it comes to food, kids can be picky and even adults have their preferences—fortunately, there’s where Italian food becomes the perfect kind of catering for a kid’s birthday. For over 50 years, since 1971, the families of Cleveland, Ohio have counted on Stancato’s to make birthday party catering deliciously special.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about why Italian food is so great for kid birthday parties, how to plan catering for a party that has both kids and adults, how Italian catering is so kid-friendly, what service levels Stancato’s offers, and how you can serve your catering at the birthday party.
What Is the Best Catered Food for A Kid’s Birthday Party?
The best catered food for a kid’s birthday party is food that is fun, easy to eat, easily sharable, and has large portions with big flavors that appeal to a wide range of tastes. Italian food tends to fit well for all these needs. Whether it’s pizza, pasta, bread baskets, or a variety of antipasto platters, Stancato’s catering is sure to draw everyone to the table to grab a bite.
Kid-Friendly Favorites
Whether it’s pizza, cheesy macaroni, or chicken tenders, Stancato’s has the favorites that kids love—and adults too. This makes Italian food an easy win-win for your child’s next birthday party.
Customizable Catering for Picky Eaters
Even if your kid’s birthday party has picky eaters, you can’t go wrong with Stancato’s birthday catering. From personalized pizzas to build-your-own pasta bars, you can give your picky eaters the ability to choose what they want on their food, so that everyone has a smile on party day. What’s more, Stancato’s can also accommodate for any food allergies and other dietary needs.
Shareable Options for the Whole Party
Italian cuisine means big portions, and that makes it perfect for sharing. From pans full of chicken tenders and Cheddar Mac & Cheese to bowls of Garlic Stix with Cheese and half-sheets of pizza, kids and adults will be able to serve themselves, grab seconds in-between the fun and games, and enjoy the sense of community of shareable dishes.
But no meal is complete without some dessert, especially at a birthday party. As Cleveland’s favorite catering company, Stancato’s catering knows all about sweet treats!
What Sweet Treats Does Stancato’s Catering Offer for Children’s Birthday Parties?
Stancato’s catering offers an abundance of sweet treats and desserts to put a smile on your birthday kid and all your guests.
Our Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookie platters are easy-win crowd pleasers. But if you want to give dessert an Italian twist, why not try the Mini Cannoli Platter? But if cake is what you’re looking for, Stancato’s catering offers decorated cakes that can serve as many as 35, 55, or even 90 party guests. Also, there is a selection of specialty cakes that you can choose from including our decadent Chocolate Truffle cake and our Red Velvet.
What Should I ask My Caterer for A Kid’s Birthday Party?
When planning your kid’s birthday party catering, it’s important to ask about menu options, if they can accommodate common allergies and special diets, quantity and serving sizes, how the food is presented, as well as any logistics information such as delivery/set-up, pick-up options, etc.
How to Plan for Your Kid’s Birthday When There’s Kids and Adults
Planning for your kid’s birthday requires timing, finding the right food, and of course, managing your budget. Stancato’s catering makes decision-making easy for you!
Picking the Right Foods
When determining the right dishes for your menu, be sure to ask yourself: Are you planning to feed just the kids at the party, or did you need a mix of kid-approved foods and a little more sophistication for the adults? Stancato’s has the options to make either scenario easy to do. Here are some ideas on what Stancato’s has to offer for both:
Sample Kid-Friendly Menu:
- Half-sheet Cheese Pizza
- Chicken Tenders
- Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- Garlic Stix (bread)
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Platter
Sample Menu for Kids AND Adults
- For the Kids: Cheese pizza, Cheddar Mac & Cheese
- For the Grownups: Meat Lasagna, Chopped Salad
- For Everyone: Garlic Ciabatta Rolls
- Dessert for Everyone: Chocolate Chip Cookie Platter and Brownies
What About Food Allergies and Dietary Needs?
Stancato’s can absolutely accommodate any food allergies or dietary needs that your child or any guest may have. Whether it’s gluten-free pasta, dairy-free sauces, or nut-free desserts, the Stancato’s catering team will make sure everyone feels included in the food festivities!
The Budget
While it is important to plan food for both the kids and adults at your child’s birthday party, it can be tricky to avoid exceeding your budget while ordering something to please each person. But that’s what makes Italian food so invaluable for these events—oftentimes, Italian dishes like pizza and pasta, or fun appetizers like chicken tenders, are all around favorites for both kids and grownups.
Stancato’s makes it easy to stay within budget while meeting the expectations of everyone’s taste buds!
Does Stancato’s Offer Catering Packages for Children’s Birthdays?
Stancato’s offers customizable catering packages for your child’s birthday party. Along with creating a custom menu for your kid’s birthday, you’ll also have the option of different service levels based on your budget and preference: Pickup, Delivery, and Full-Service.
Food Pickup
If you have your own plans for a food setup, you can do food pickup straight from the Stancato’s Italian restaurant! Our pickup option also allows for last-minute ordering (you may notice on the catering menu that some items may still require a 12-hour advance notice to order)
Food Delivery
If you’re ordering a lot of food, make it easy on yourself by having your catering delivered to your door.
Full-Service
With Stancato’s full-service catering package, you’ll have our professional staff handling the setup, serving, and the cleanup of your birthday food, allowing you to focus on all the fun instead of juggling any food logistics.
Along with the menu and level of catering service you desire, you’ll want to also consider the format that you’d like your food to be served.
Individual Meals, Trays, Buffet-Style: Which is Best for a Child’s Party?
It depends—the best way to serve your child’s party will be to base it on the size of your party, your preference for the way food is served, and even what kinds of tables you have. With years of experience in Cleveland birthday catering we have seen it all and can help you determine whether individually served meals, shareable trays, or a self-serve buffet works well with your birthday party plans. Smaller parties may work better with individual meals. If you have long tables, shareable trays are ideal. But a large birthday party group of hungry kids and grownups would likely benefit from having access to a buffet where they can serve themselves as the party goes on, relieving you of some food logistics.
How Do I Make Food Easy to Serve at a Backyard Birthday Party?
If you’re planning to have a backyard birthday party, going for a buffet-style may be best so that the kids can serve themselves whenever they’re not too busy enjoying the fun and games.
Now that you’ve got an idea of how Stancato’s birthday catering works, you’ll want to make sure that you order your food in time to ensure you get the delicious food to create the perfect birthday party.
How Early Should I Order Stancato’s Birthday Catering for Guaranteed Smiles?
To ensure you have your preferred menu and catering service package, it’s best to book at least two weeks to a month in advance. The earlier, the better, to make sure that we have all the necessary ingredients and are prepared to make your birthday party dishes as planned.
Ready to throw a birthday party your child will always treasure? Give us a call! The Stancato’s catering team will be happy to help you plan for timing, building your menu, and selecting catering options that fit your vision and your budget, so that everyone’s smiling at your kid’s birthday party!