Is there anything better than having two Thanksgiving meals? The employees at Tesani don’t think so!

Friendsgiving is a fun event that can go a long way for your company culture. Food, friends, and giving thanks is all you need to have a good time.

Start planning this event in October and get your date set. A little tip: Hold Friendsgiving a couple of weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday. Employees don’t love eating two Thanksgiving meals right next to each other.

Preparing a Thanksgiving meal is no small task especially if you have a lot of employees. We’re lucky enough to have an in-house chef who prepares all of our meals. She’s used to feeding a crowd, but Friendsgiving is a meal that takes a couple of prep days to feed 50 employees even with the help of a few office admins.

Sadly, not everyone has an in-house chef… The next best thing is to order in food or organize a potluck.

There are many offsite caterers or chains who provide Thanksgiving meals. You can even order in a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal to spice things up. Once your date is set, get that food ordered and booked.

If you are located in Utah, Here are some catering options that we like.

Friendsgiving is not complete without a lot of pies. Having a pie bar is always a huge hit. Mindy’s Café prepares 10 different kinds of pie and it creates a small frenzy.

Here are three different ways you can make your pie bar happen:

Tesani typically has two lunch shifts so everyone can fit in Mindy’s cafe better. But Friendsgiving is special so we stuff everyone in there at once for this occasion.

We bring in extra tables and chairs to make sure each person has a seat. Make sure you know if employees will be bringing in any family members for the feast. At Tesani, we set an RSVP deadline for employees who are wanting to bring in spouses so we can plan on seating and food.

Thanksgiving isn’t the prettiest holiday and sometimes budgets can be tight. No worries! There are lots of ways to add some extra visual fun to the holiday.

Wrap all of the tables in paper and put crayons on each of them. Encourage employees to write what they are thankful for on the tables as they enjoy their food and the company of their co-workers.

It’s good to try and keep your Friendsgiving event concentrated during the lunch hour, but there are quick and easy activities that add fun to your feast.

Starting Nov. 1st you could have a “thankful turkey” made from paper that employees can decorate with feathers saying what they are thankful for. It’s fun to watch the turkey grow throughout the month and realize that there’s a lot we take for granted.

Another option is to have a Thanksgiving trivia keynote playing during lunch to add a bit of fun and conversation to the feast.

At Tesani, our first core value is Gratitude. “We’re kind, grateful, and we express it often. It’s the happiest way to live." If you make an effort to celebrate Thanksgiving and express gratitude with your employees, you’ll find yourself a happier person.

What more could you want?

Check out the resource center on our website for more culture tips, HR info, and business help.