Virtual Restaurant Experiences Your Corporate Clients Will Love

We want to offer our corporate clients the best possible experience when they choose us for their events, whether in person or virtually. Corporate clients are typically looking for venues to host unique and memorable events for their customers – and this can now extend to working with restaurants, venues, and even caterers that can offer something out of the box virtually. If you’re wondering what kinds of virtual experiences your restaurant can offer to catch the attention of some corporate business, check out the ideas below.

Chef-guided virtual cooking classes

Take advantage of your chef’s expertise and offer guided virtual cooking classes! Since we’ve all been trying to perfect our quarantine cooking skills, it’s a great way to engage groups. Take a page out of what the Tao Group has been offering with their private, chef lead livestream cooking classes — they also offer different customizations, such as the option to add chef-curated ingredient boxes, or the ability to add in a stream moderator and trivia. 

If you are having a hard time convincing your chef to do multiple events, Amerigo Italian Restaurant in Tennessee has the solution! Their virtual cooking classes are a bit different, where guests can purchase a pre-portion kit (that includes a cocktail kit!) and receive a YouTube video link to cook along at their own pace at home. This way your chef can record once, but you’ll be able to reuse the recording for multiple groups and clients.

Or, create a cooking experience tailored to your brand and what you are known for, as Weber Grill has done with their virtual grilling classes offered through the Weber Grill Academy. They include a shipment of their premium meats and have a chef join the live stream to teach everyone how to properly prepare and grill their meats. 

These chef-guided virtual classes aren’t limited to just restaurants. Caterers, like The Party Line, are offering to help groups sharpen their cooking skills with online cooking classes hosted by their kitchen team. 

Guided virtual tastings, pairings, and classes

To attract more corporate business, put together a virtual tasting and pairing menu. You’ll create an enhanced virtual experience for everyone to enjoy. That’s exactly what Sixty Vines in Houston has done — guests pick up their wines and then tune into a Zoom feed where they are led through four pairings and plates, with games included! 

Or, offer classes on pairings and recipes like Capitol Cider House in Washington, D.C. They host virtual workshops where you can learn about cider making, cider cocktails, and even cider and cheese tastings. Clients pick up their cider kits and then follow along with the guided tasting on Zoom. 

Don’t be afraid to offer an array of options for your corporate clients — Fabio Trabocchi has launched Fabio at Home and offers a range of virtual options from chef demonstrations, to mixology and cocktail classes, and even sommelier-guided tastings. 

Virtual winery or brewery collabs

Partnering with a local winery or brewery is a great way to create a custom and memorable experience for your corporate clients, as these can be collaborations that your restaurant may not normally do. El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, Calif., has taken this approach and partnered with a local winery to offer a Sip & Savor experience. Their winery partner, Three Sticks Wines, pre-ships a package of wines and gives an interactive personal tasting and tour of their winery, while guests can enjoy food prepared from a custom recipe provided by El Dorado’s chef.

Reata Restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, has also taken this approach and teamed up with a local brewery, Rahr & Sons, to offer a four-course virtual dinner. Reata pairs their dishes with Rahr & Sons local beers. Guests pick up their meal boxes and then tune in to a Zoom session with the brewery to discuss the pairings. 

Start generating holiday revenue with DirectBook today

There are many ways to offer unique, virtual experiences to your corporate clients that can showcase your brand and will leave a lasting impression, and Tripleseat’s Directbook feature can help! DirectBook offers restaurants, hotels, and unique venues the ability for their customers to complete the entire event or catering booking process, from choosing the perfect space or room to selecting their menu to making payments in just a few clicks.

If your venue isn’t currently using DirectBook to book in house events and catering orders, there’s no better time than the present. There is no additional fee associated with DirectBook. You must be a Tripleseat customer and have online payments set up with one of our online payment partners: Clover Connect or Stripe. For help setting up your DirectBook feature, reach out to our support team. You’ll be on your way to generating holiday revenue with DirectBook in no time.