A retirement dinner is a great opportunity to celebrate the best times of an employee who’s approaching retirement age, and can be a heartfelt gesture of appreciation for all the time and energy they’ve devoted to your company. A retirement dinner should be a positive occasion, even though it’s basically a farewell. You want it to be an upbeat and fun occasion.

Dinners are an overall good form of celebration – people like to be around one another and eat good food. Good retirement dinners can be held either at a restaurant or in the home of anyone willing to volunteer, and the details of the dinner should be noted on a formal retirement dinner invitation.

If your retiree is more of an “at-home” person that doesn’t like to socialize too much, then it’s good to schedule a dinner at the home of someone willing to volunteer. Here you can cater your own refreshments and there are good catering services in most cities. It also offers a wider variety of food to choose from than does going to a single restaurant. Going to a buffet restaurant, or a steakhouse is a good to meet a large variety of people’s needs.

Next, decide what time it’s going to take place. Most restaurants that offer retirement dinners have their best food out in the evening. Also, more people will be off work to enjoy the retirement dinner. Another thing to consider is expense depending on your budget. Buffet restaurants tend to be the best for a light budget as they offer all-you-can-eat for a set price.

Another thing to consider is entertainment or speeches. It’s a retirement dinner, so there’s obviously going to be a need for some form of entertainment. For example, pick something the employees always liked to do together – like a bowling night or maybe a special film after the actual dinner is done. During the entertainment, provide a retirement speech given by someone like an employer or good friend of the retiree. Also give the person retiring a chance to speak as well.

A retirement speech is also a chance to good-naturedly poke fun at the retiree by bringing up funny incidents that happened on the job over the years. Things they said or perhaps did that really made people laugh. Make it a good time of celebration and laughter that the retiree will remember fondly for years to come.

Retirement Dinner Ideas

Are you having a formal affair?  Do you have access to a country club or business club organization?  This is a perfect venue for a formal dinner. The dining service staff will be able to accommodate special requests, and you can arrange to have a variety of alcohol available.

Invite guests to dress in eveningwear, and consider hiring a band for background music or to provide the opportunity for dancing after dinner.

What about a buffet?  It's a little less formal but typically more people can get to something to eat that they enjoy.

You could open up your home to guests and have it catered.  This might be more convenient for out-of-town guests or those with prior engagements who may still want to stop by for a quick hello. A three-hour timeframe works well, such as 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., or even earlier in the afternoon, such as 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

A buffet gives you the opportunity to serve a well-rounded menu with both hot and cold meals.  Include shredded meat with buns for sandwiches with salad items and of course dessert.  You want food that will give people a lot of time to mingle.

Especially in hot summer months, BBQ is always popular.  It's a more casual affair and guests are often more relaxed.  BBQ favorites vary, so be sure to have a selection of meats and vegetables.

If planning is not your forte, booking a restaurant and eating out for your retirement dinner is always a good option.  The retiree still gets the opportunity to celebrate with friends and co-workers, and it's easy to put together. Rent a private room if you can, or reserve an entire restaurant during its off-hours for a large group.