This week at Footers Catering, we are celebrating FAB TIGERS’ Week. What is that you ask? Well FAB TIGERS is the acronym (yes we love our acronyms) for our nine core values - Fun, Awesomeness, Balance, Teamwork, Innovation, Growth, Ethics, Respect and Service. We designed a week to celebrate our team, our accomplishments and have a little fun! The idea was inspired by our friend’s at Butler’s Pantry Catering in St. Louis and their “Re-Set” week that they did earlier this year.

September is shaping up to one of the busiest months in the history of our company. We’ve been on quite the roller coaster ride over the past 18 months and we are right in the thick of trudging our way back up the mountain. As we look ahead to how far we still have to go, it’s critical that we keep things in perspective and reflect on how far we’ve come, celebrate little victories on our way, and make sure that we are looking out for one another both mentally and physically. And while I believe it’s important to do this year round, I also think there is power in putting extra emphasis on it for one week.

The leaders on our team divided up into groups and planned a variety of events, games and activities, highlighting our core values to balance out all of the catered events we have on our calendar this week and the month ahead. This week we are hosting a breakfast to celebrate the awesomeness of our team and our new patio at Social Capitol. We have an educational history lunch that pays respect to where we’ve been and the growth of our company and our people. There will be a friendly competition game that will last throughout the week promoting relationships, fun and teamwork at work. And there will be a few innovative surprises for our team highlighting the service we provide to our clients and their guests.

In a time where ‘busy’ is an easy excuse, I applaud the leaders in our company for coming together to put on a series of events for one another. How much difference can one week make you ask? Time will tell, but if the alternative is forging ahead for fear of it taking away from productivity and waiting for a more convenient time when “things slow down”, then we’ll take our chances. As we continue to navigate the recovery of catering and events, it’s more important than ever for us to remember our mission and values, remind ourselves the ‘why’ behind what we do, and nourish the people who make it possible. And to not let busy get in the way of celebrating the small wins along the way!