Host an office holiday party like a boss… on a budget

Office holiday party on a budget

Because I’m the recently-graduated newbie on the team, my boss and colleagues have tasked me with coordinating our team holiday outing, on what seemed like a rather expansive budget – until I realized I’m budgeting for eight people and their spouses. Considering the team would like to eat dinner at a relatively nice restaurant, and have a few glasses of wine, I see this getting very expensive, very fast. If you’re in a similar situation, trying to organize a holiday party while on a budget, Savored may have a solution that can make the numbers feel a little less menacing.

Savored is part of Groupon and allows visitors to set up free reservations to restaurants in major cities like New York City, Miami and San Francisco. You can search for restaurants by area, type of cuisine, popularity or the percentage of discount offered. Once you input how many people will be included in your party and what date and time you’d like the reservation for, your holiday outing is set and the site shows you what percentage off of your tab you will receive. There are some limitations in that many restaurants won’t let you couple your discount with other specials such as happy hour or weekly menu specials. And as with many restaurant discount promotions, it’s best to tip based on the pre-calculated bill rather than the discounted amount in order to not offend wait staff.

If Savored had restaurant availabilities in Austin, I would be all over this. But since it’s yet to come here, I’ll settle for pestering my co-workers for recommendations – since my experience in fine dining is minimal due to my past collegiate budget restrictions – and clear my throat at anyone whose order starts to get a little extravagant. But if you’re looking to throw a holiday party for team leaders and executives that won’t break the bank, take advantage of Savored’s offerings; having the ability to socialize with coworkers at a notable restaurant and not have to pay full price is a huge benefit. Better yet – you’re able to provide a good time for your peers on a level that would appear to cost a hefty price.