ᐅ Catering for construction workers during the building phase
Created on: 11 Mar 2018 08:00
K
KingSong
Good morning,
we are slowly approaching the critical phase; our house framing is scheduled for the end of May. My wife is now wondering how and how often you should provide food for the tradespeople... We need support for about 4 months from the framing stage until handover, and obviously, it’s not feasible to bring food every day for 4 months straight.
How did you handle this? How often do you think it makes sense to provide food, and at which stages of the construction project? And what did you bring? (The good old meatloaf sandwich is probably not so popular anymore.)
Thanks, Jörg
we are slowly approaching the critical phase; our house framing is scheduled for the end of May. My wife is now wondering how and how often you should provide food for the tradespeople... We need support for about 4 months from the framing stage until handover, and obviously, it’s not feasible to bring food every day for 4 months straight.
How did you handle this? How often do you think it makes sense to provide food, and at which stages of the construction project? And what did you bring? (The good old meatloaf sandwich is probably not so popular anymore.)
Thanks, Jörg
At our topping-out ceremony, we had sausages and similar snacks for those who were there. Nothing else, since you never really know exactly when someone will show up. If you don’t finish work early, you usually don’t see anyone anyway. Dropping by during lunch break is quite difficult if both people work, especially with a 60-minute (1 hour) round trip travel time, which essentially uses up half the lunch break. If you’re not building with a general contractor and perhaps live right next door, you can manage it differently, but for us, that wasn’t possible at all.
Drinks were always available, including beer. From demolition to moving in, only three bottles of beer were consumed in total.
On cold days, I usually brought a pot of coffee. On Wednesdays, a butcher’s food truck was parked opposite, where they could get something, and occasionally I had food delivered. Popular choices were curry sausage, chicken, and spit-roast pork.
On cold days, I usually brought a pot of coffee. On Wednesdays, a butcher’s food truck was parked opposite, where they could get something, and occasionally I had food delivered. Popular choices were curry sausage, chicken, and spit-roast pork.
During our build, nothing really happened on site; the surveyor only visited a few times. We skipped the topping-out ceremony because we were on vacation then – the site manager’s feedback: that’s fine with us, everyone can go home on time. Once we were free of defects after moving in, we invited the foreman for a barbecue. It was a pleasant evening.
Coffee machines and other drinks were always available for us. I offered food when I was already present anyway.
I have also always offered something to tradespeople when I used their services.
This often helps to avoid minor disputes and the need for them to return.
There is also conversation, and sometimes tips based on experience are shared.
Besides, it’s a pleasure and doesn’t hurt my pride. They’re not robots, but people who appreciate small attentions.
Of course, this is not mandatory.
I have also always offered something to tradespeople when I used their services.
This often helps to avoid minor disputes and the need for them to return.
There is also conversation, and sometimes tips based on experience are shared.
Besides, it’s a pleasure and doesn’t hurt my pride. They’re not robots, but people who appreciate small attentions.
Of course, this is not mandatory.
S
Steffen8012 Mar 2018 07:06I often brought coffee from the gas station and had lunch once with each trade (there is a butcher with a lunch menu just around the corner). In December, on the last working day, there was mulled wine and bratwurst.
For the topping-out ceremony, we had a catering service with hot and cold dishes as well as staff for service. Everyone stayed for a long time.
For the topping-out ceremony, we had a catering service with hot and cold dishes as well as staff for service. Everyone stayed for a long time.