Viennoiserie is baked stuff made from puff pastries.
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This reminded me an incident, I helped a neighbour’s friend (a stranger that I didn’t know) to discharge goods from his car to neighbour’s home. Neighbours were not around. A few weeks’ later, he came to visit his neighbour, he rang our door with a food gift, a home baked baguette type of bread. I appreciated the kind thought behind, but the sad looking bread had yeast rising problem, wasn’t salted, it was hard, I trashed half of it. LOL.
I want to say, sometimes you take some effort in doing something nice but in a wrong direction (I don’t mean failed cooking) but perhaps wrong dietary wise. Nobody touches what you gifted. You can feel offended if you don’t see the expected “nice words of appreciation”.
So I think one shouldn’t go too philosophical and overthink, just ask. The owner might dislike the employees drinking during the work hours. Or the young ones, they are into different types of strict vegan diets, who knows!
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Kind thought and interesting question. I would avoid any time-sensitive foods–those people have dictated work to do, and they lack means on site to keep something hot or chilled. I think pastries of any sort would work, even doughnuts. Pita and hummus can stand around a while.
Reminds me of a time I was at an auto shop one morning and gathered from their conversation that the employees were out of ground coffee for themselves, but none could leave the jobsite. I went to nearby Costco and brought them a big can of coffee for free. They really were grateful.
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Did you ever listen to Car Talk? The Magliozzi brothers always talked about bringing your mechanic homemade brownies. But I think @Rooster’s caution is worth bearing in mind. And you never know if people have problems with alcohol. So it’s probably best to ask.
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I like this story.
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Yes: Do to others as you would have others do to you…
My wife is the cookie queen, so she will always bake something up as a “thank you”, especially at the holidays where our mechanic get’s a cookie tray. Myself, I don’t give food but you can expect a good bottle of something if I “owe you a thank you”.
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Couldn’t agree more. I wouldn’t give food gifts to people I don’t know well. They could have restricted diets, as above - vegan, low salt, lo fat. Or they could have allergies. We have a nut allergy in the house, and allergies aren’t uncommon. You don’t want your generous gesture to inadvertently make someone sick. Or even just have it be awkward.
I don’t want to completely rain on your parade though. A box of coffee or tea is thoughtful. Raw fruit or veg platter is about as low risk as any food comes generally.
Actually, a good buddy of mine is highly allergic to strawberries and pineapples. One of those edible arrangements was a waste of money.
Honestly, I can think of plenty of ways to say thank you that aren’t going to be potentially problematic. The gesture isn’t the issue at all.
I like this idea. Even recognizing the possibility of allergies people will be able to see everything. It also gives me a chance to practice garnishing: ducks from apples, bunnies from grapes and olives, tomato roses, things like that. Slice cantaloupe and oranges and use the skin as bowls for smaller things. Very different from what I had in mind (I was leaning toward pigs in a blanket) but I like it.
These guys work with their hands, including what they do for me, and I think that doing something myself with my hands as a thank you is poignant.
I really am jonesing for pigs in a blanket though so I’ll have to work that into my life somewhere else.
No good deed goes unpunished, eh?
Just trying to answer the OP in a way that he was hoping/expecting. It’s likely there is someone allergic to anything out there. Based on probabilities and likelihood of anaphylaxis, a fruit platter won’t trigger as many people. And as Dave indicated below, a fruit platter won’t hide a strawberry, whereas a baked good will certainly hide nuts as either an ingredient or a cross-contaminant…
But you and I are on the same page - I wouldn’t personally give food gifts to (effectively) strangers.
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Am afraid I have to strongly, but respectively disagree about fresh fruits and vegetables being about as low risk as it gets. If anything, it gives me more pause than anything, besides raw fish or shellfish. Just look at what has caused most major cases of e-coli outbreaks in at least the U.S. in the past few years or decade at least. Salmonella (generally) and listeria are a bit different. Not meaning to be contrary in any way. There’s a reason many countries don’t serve vegetables raw. Improper sanitation or the use of “night” soil. Not sure, but many people may have developed resistance to this kind of thing, and perhaps the young, elderly and immune compromised are most at risk.
I’ve found that simple labeling on the platter is helpful. YMMV.
I LOVE baked stuff made from puff pastries!
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I actually had written fruits and veg are lo risk, except when they are the subject of the latest listeria or ecoli episode. And then deleted it bc my post was already on the pessimistic side. And I figured that people are fairly aware of the news and will be alerted to those things. As far as allergens are concerned, there are far fewer people allergic to produce than to the “big 8” (which includes peanuts, shellfish, wheat, etc.) and even when allergic, severe allergies to produce are rare. Hence, my suggestion.
After reading this thread and thinking about the idea of food gifts further to service providers, I’m sticking with purchased packaged foods, money or sending new biz their way. Fresh food I’m staying in the folks I know lane.
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I’m not talking allergies @Sasha, I’m talking about contamination or cross contamination.Some people or restos actually store their sometimes unwrapped produce below their dripping meat products. Not trying to argue here, and wouldn’t have a problem eating those items from a friend who practiced good kitchen hygiene and washing of fruits and vegetables, as I’m sure you do in your own kitchen. I would happily (probably) eat at your house anyday, and be honored to do so! Had a friend that was an excellent cook, but never washed any of her produce. Doesn’t matter to me too much if it’s cooked, but gives me pause when served raw. And you can wash some of the residual pesticides or whatever, off.
Regarding your comment about the outbreaks of e-coli or others, I think a surprising number of people don’t pay attention to this, or are totally unaware.
You know @Sasha, thinking about your post has given me an idea; what with the potential viral outbreak and various dietary and allergy issues, perhaps a basket of unpeeled, fresh, seasonal fruit might be lovely! Bananas, apples, pears, oranges, tangerines and even grapes from Chile, perhaps. Hope you’re reading this @Auspicious. Would be pretty dang easy too, and present well also. Thanks @Sasha for spurring the idea, wouldn’t have been my first thought. 
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I do see your point, truly. We have different opinions. You suggested a variety of homemade sweets. I think that is a bad idea. Dangerous even. People who don’t have allergies are not informed of safe practices. They’ll make a batch of raisin bran muffins in the same mix bowl as a batch of banana walnut, without washing the bowl or mixing apparatus in between. People get very sick that way. Probably more often than from a fruit or crudite tray. But let’s not quibble. We’ve both said our piece.
Agree totally about the possibility of cross contamination of home prepared sweets. I can assure you, it wouldn’t happen in my kitchen. Not everyone practices good kitchen hygiene. Personally I don’t eat homemade food, unless I know the cook! So good discussion here, and truly I don’t mean to argue. It would be a very boring world if we all thought the same way!
Be well and best to you and yours!
These are strangers. They know nothing about your cleanliness, cooking skills, sense of taste. And you nothing about their allergies, preferences, dietary constraints or ethnic rules. Don’t give them homemade food. Cash. Everyone appreciates crash. That counts more than “the thought”.
You want to tip them for good service. We tip in cash in the US, not in fruit, cookies or ham. No one says “Ugh, my customer gave me extra cash today. I wish it was a fruit platter.”
You are a seemingly thoughtful person nonetheless.
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