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Who doesn’t love a great looking cold shoulder top? So stylish, trendy, and sexy. They are everywhere; Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Target, Nordstroms, Kohls. You can wear them in any season. They look good on almost every body type. Perfect for a bar-hopping, date night, a day of shopping or going out for brunch.

While they are perfect for after-hours, there is never an appropriate reason to wear them to work. NEVER EVER, in no way, at no time, not under any condition. Not on casual day, not ever! I don’t care how good you look in it. Save it for the club.

I have noticed there is an observable reaction when someone is asked to order lunch for a group in my office. Most people believe the task is beneath them. Often people are offended that someone would request them to perform such a belittling duty.

When I was hired I was told ordering food would be one of my jobs. Seeing other reactions to this made me feel a little shameful that this was expected of me, but I quickly changed my attitude. I decided to turn this around, and consider it a privilege. I made the decision I would become an expert in this field, and as such, people seek me out to cater their business lunches, meetings and events.

Being in charge of lunch is a huge responsibility and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. Success or failure reflects solely on you, wether its your fault or not, so here are some helpful hints.

1. Research the restaurants in your area. Look for reviews on the internet. Ask people around the office where they like to go. If you see someone with carryout that looks and smells good ask them where it came from.
2. Almost everyone delivers. Between Door-dash and Grub-hub the options are limitless. Be wary of delivery minimums and what delivery fees are. I have passed on restaurants that have a high delivery fee.
3. Use an option like EZ-Cater. You can create an account, save your information and re-order a previous order. They also keep track of your receipts and give you credits to use towards future catering or for amazon gift cards.
4. Use old standbys. Panera, Jimmy-Johns and your local pizza joint are always good choices. When ordering Panera, I try to order at least the night before or the morning of, as their delivery time can get long when ordering at lunch time.
5. Mexican is always a hit. I love Q’doba taco bar for a group and everyone loves Chipotle burritos for a change of pace.
6. Be mindful of peoples diets preferences or allergies. If possible, make sure you have vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb, and peanut free option.

Remember that you have control of where the food comes from, the correct orders (or not so correct for the person you might be mad at), payment, and delivery time to name a few. You hold a lot of power in your hands, and when executed professionally, it will reflect on you immensely.

What can you do to make your manager’s day easier? The more you can do for them, the better they can be. Try some of these thoughtful tasks, and see how productive your manager and team can be:

1. Look at their calendar & print it for them (and for you)– Every morning take a look at your manager’s day. This way each of you has a paper copy to reference all day long. I pin my copy of the wall of my cube. That way, the whole team can come to see where the VP is.
2. How many meetings do they have? Is there an agenda or notes needed for those meetings. Print them, so they have a copy handy. Where are the meetings located? If they are off-site, be sure to set a reminder so you can let them know when they have to leave.
3. Do they have time for lunch? If not, ask if they want you to order lunch in today. Keep track of what they like to order and from where. Eventually, you will know what they want and from where.
4. Do they have an interview schedule? If so, print the resume, so they can review it before speaking with the candidate. Make sure the room the interview is scheduled in is ready. When the candidate arrives, be there to offer a bottle of water or a cup of coffee.

Every day you can free up precious time for your manager, that they can use to be more productive.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton