Where to start…
Going out to eat can be a great way to celebrate work achievements and bond with your team. However, if you work in a place like Kensington where there are so many great choices for a work night out, picking a place that is ideal for your team can feel a little daunting.
Here are some things to consider when choosing the right Kensington restaurant for a work do.
Budget
If your company is paying, you will already have an idea of how much you are allowed to spend per head. However, if people are expected to pay for themselves, you may be better off choosing a place that is fairly affordable. Otherwise, some people may not feel comfortable or may not come at all. If you are planning a lavish evening, then restaurants like the Ledbury can be considered. However, for the majority of work teams, it is more appropriate to pick somewhere like the Cast Iron Bar & Grill, which is one of the most pleasant yet affordable restaurants in Kensington (see more here: http://www.kensingtonrestaurants.com/).
Another good choice could be olive’s, an Italian restaurant that is also fairly reasonably priced for the high quality of its food.
Size of your party
Another thing to think about is how many people will be coming and whether the restaurant can accommodate you, and if so, whether you’ll need to book well in advance or prepare your food order and send it to them before you arrive. Many restaurants in London are used to catering to large groups, but a party size of over 10 can rule out some smaller venues like Orange Elephant or mean the restaurant will need a lot of notice. If you are a smaller team or simply entertaining a couple of people, this shouldn’t be a factor in your choice, but a reservation is still a good idea as early as you can make it.
Special requirements and tastes
With a smaller team, it can be fairly easy to agree on a style of food you all like and so you can choose more exotic restaurants like Zaika, a fantastic Indian, or Umami, an Asian restaurant with cuisine from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. However, with a large group, it can be more difficult as there will almost certainly be people who don’t like spicy food or aren’t keen on, for instance, sushi. In this instance, European style restaurants or British ones tend to be the safest bet. For instance, Kensington Place or the Kensington Wine Rooms, which tend to have stuff that appeals to just about everyone. You may also need to consider other things, such as if your restaurant has options for people on your team who are vegan, halal, or have allergies.
When you take all of these things into consideration, finding a great restaurant can be easy, and you can ensure everybody has a great time and will enjoy the food and environment on offer.
