The live jazz band might be replaced with a disc jockey at this year's office holiday party, and instead of fine china, don't be surprised if you're eating off of disposable plates.

But booze and good food are still on the menu.

While the dismal economy has some Sacramento-area companies tightening their party budgets, few have completely done away with holiday festivities.

"Obviously, the economy is going to affect things, but people are going to eat, no matter what," said Steve Zeigler, owner of Capital City Event Management.

Edible Events owner Margie Tose, who specializes in corporate catering, said she began fielding calls for holiday parties as early as August.

"But then, all of a sudden, it just stopped," Tose said, attributing the drop in calls to the flailing economy. "I think they'll still do something, but they'll scale back. These past couple of weeks have been scary, but once things settle down, I think they'll start calling, probably around November."

Even in August, Tose said, clients were asking about prices for breakfast and luncheon parties, rather than the traditional – and usually more expensive – dinners.

"We'll be thankful for what we get this year," Tose said.

After 24 years in the catering business, Zeigler said a bad economy doesn't necessarily mean a bad holiday season. "There's so much doom and gloom that it's important to do something for your staff to give them a psychological boost," Zeigler said. "In this industry, it's not how many things you book. One or two big events can make up for fewer events."

At Vizcaya, one of Sacramento's most popular event venues, bookings have held steady this holiday season, sales manager Elisabeth Johnson said.

"But clients are more conscious of how they're spending their money, whereas a couple of years ago, they literally didn't have a budget," she said. "The sky was the limit."

Last year's fancy shindigs included theme parties, expensive decorations and live entertainment such as musicians and stand-up comedians. Some even went interactive with dinner theater parties.

"They used to do all of those things, and now they're limiting it to one," Johnson said.

Vizcaya's Johnson and area caterers say they've noticed companies booking more weekday luncheons or choosing to supply their own alcohol for a flat, per-person bartending fee instead of hosting an unlimited, open bar.

"We had a couple of corporate clients last year whose bar tabs were well over $10,000, and they were really worried about that happening again," Johnson said. "There's still lots of food and beverages, but the bottom line is they're spending a third of what they spent for the bar the year before."

Employers may hold back on pricier menu items like steak, or skip the $30 to $40 per person buffet dinner in favor of an in-house office lunch with disposable plates for $16 to $20 a head.

Of course, not every company is planning to cut back.

"You'd be crazy not to at least consider the economic situation," said Jeff Randle, president of Randle Communications. " … But I really feel strongly that this is an important reward and thank-you to our employees for all their hard work."

Randle said he he hasn't decided exactly what he'll do, "but it'll be equal to, or better, than last year."

Call The Bee's Jennifer K. Morita, (916) 321-1045.