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
Topping out ceremony and regular catering are two different things. We organized the topping out ceremony with the general contractor. There was a notice posted at the site: “Topping out ceremony, Karsten is treating, who wants to join?” Then the plan was to keep it cozy, so we made sure the house was fully enclosed by then, with windows installed. The client provided folding tables and benches for the tent as well as gas heaters; we, the company, brought the wreath and the gas cylinder. Food and drinks were supplied by the client, and for music, we provided our Makita tools. That was the arrangement, and about 15 journeymen plus the boss and secretary attended. Together with our private guests, it turned into a lively party; our house was sealed, warm, and comfortable.
Regular catering, on the other hand, was just the mentioned crates of drinks, which I always kept on hand: Flens free, Flens radler, Vilsa. Then at 7:30 a.m. there was the walk to the construction site, message to my wife that three men were there, and she would bring them coffee and cake. It should be noted that my wife only works three days a week, so on other days she has time for this kind of thing. Karsten
Regular catering, on the other hand, was just the mentioned crates of drinks, which I always kept on hand: Flens free, Flens radler, Vilsa. Then at 7:30 a.m. there was the walk to the construction site, message to my wife that three men were there, and she would bring them coffee and cake. It should be noted that my wife only works three days a week, so on other days she has time for this kind of thing. Karsten
So, this is primarily about the site accommodation. You should check whether the tradespeople go home every evening or stay nearby in a site room. At home, they will find a refrigerator and can bring their preferred bread or sandwiches.
It’s different with site rooms: they have to rely on expensive bakeries or eat out in the evening. This is not necessarily subsidized by the employer for tradespeople. Therefore, they will certainly appreciate a crate of drinks (sparkling water, cola) and some potato salad or pea soup.
I would recommend asking in advance so you can prepare accordingly. Being stingy or making remarks like "they should work, not eat" is something I would avoid out of politeness, respect, and a good working relationship.
In my opinion, this is where the wheat separates from the chaff [emoji6]
P.S. Smaller teams, such as electricians or tilers, always appreciate cake or coffee.
It’s different with site rooms: they have to rely on expensive bakeries or eat out in the evening. This is not necessarily subsidized by the employer for tradespeople. Therefore, they will certainly appreciate a crate of drinks (sparkling water, cola) and some potato salad or pea soup.
I would recommend asking in advance so you can prepare accordingly. Being stingy or making remarks like "they should work, not eat" is something I would avoid out of politeness, respect, and a good working relationship.
In my opinion, this is where the wheat separates from the chaff [emoji6]
P.S. Smaller teams, such as electricians or tilers, always appreciate cake or coffee.
ypg schrieb:
I would simply avoid stinginess or remarks like "they should work, not eat," out of courtesy, appreciation, and good cooperation. I agree: you get back what you put in, so it applies to how I build my house.
ares83 schrieb:
For most, you never know exactly when they will show up. The construction schedule allows 2 weeks, but they only need 4 days. And precisely because catering for an unpredictable number of hungry people is not an easy task, the quick fix of a meatloaf sandwich ("Leberkässemmel") is so popular.
Nordlys schrieb:
Those beverage crates I always kept on hand, Flens free, Flens Radler, Vilsa. May I ask how much that added to the incidental building costs?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
A crate of Flens costs between 10 and 13. It lasted almost a week. The water expense is about 5 per crate per week as well. Let’s say 25 per week, around 500 euros. The topping-out ceremony also 500 euros. Small tips 500 euros. That would make 1500 euros in additional costs. In return, a smooth construction process. What do others pay for their experts and supervisors?
In the first week of the house assembly, we always brought coffee and some sweets in the afternoons. That was very well received. It also gave us a chance to have a little chat with the tradespeople.
There was always a box with cola/lemonade/apple spritzer as well.
Otherwise, I do think that workers generally need to take care of their own refreshments.
(We didn’t have a topping-out ceremony, as neither we nor the workers were interested in it.)
There was always a box with cola/lemonade/apple spritzer as well.
Otherwise, I do think that workers generally need to take care of their own refreshments.
(We didn’t have a topping-out ceremony, as neither we nor the workers were interested in it.)
How did you manage to provide for the workers on schedule? If I finished work as early as possible at 3:30 PM and then arrived at the construction site around 4:00 PM, most of the time nobody was there anymore. During the lunch break, I was occasionally able to extend the break, but just the travel time already took up an hour. With a half-hour lunch break, I could only use that time for necessary on-site meetings.
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