Catering is the most memorable part of any event. Guests may not remember what you wore or what the room looked like, but they will remember what they ate. Get your food planning started right with these important event catering tips.
Planning The Right Food For The Event
We may not admit it, but food selections get decided when you create your goals and budget.
Make sure you are considering what time of the day your event is taking place. You wouldn’t provide just cookies and punch when it was dinnertime.
Serve the right food for the right event. Hint: Don’t serve food that needs a knife if the event is all standing and mingling.
Consider your food options when you are planning your menu. Hint: If you are serving a seafood buffet, have an alternative for those who don’t like seafood.
How To Prepare For Meeting With A Caterer
Get the list: Most of the time if caterers are allowed, the venue may have a list of preferred caterers they recommended. To see if caterers are approved, check with your venue.
Know what you want: Before going to you your first meeting, have menu examples. Find samples online or go through your perspective caterers. Have in mind if you want a buffet style or a sit-down meal. Hors d’oeuvres versus a full meal. China service or disposable service. If you are unable to research what you are looking for, ask the question, what are your recommendations? You might even want to know how big the portion sizes are. And last, Can I count on not running out of food.
How can you tell if the caterer can meet your needs? It will be by their initial responsiveness, attention to detail and openness to menu changes. And this may give you the idea how they will perform throughout the length of your contract.
Negotiate the extras: What is included with the venue? Will the caterer provide chairs/tables, linens, china/tableware, table/buffet décor, and etc.? It is important to determine the pricing for these items so that you can decide whether to include them in your catering contract or look for other vendors. Start by asking these 20 questions for hiring catering services.
Stretch the budget: If you are trying to make your dollars stretch, try choosing heavy hors d’oeuvres instead of a traditional meal. Also, mixing hors d’oeuvres with live action stations may suffice.
Consider the theme: If you want the caterer to match your theme for the evening, then you are going to need to be upfront with your budget. You can always negotiate. All the caterer wants to know is how much you have budgeted for your event. Without disclosing your budget, it is a stab in the dark what you are going to spend on food.
Looking for more event planning tips? Get all the details in our free eBook: Your Guide To Planning A Successful Event.
I like what you said about how you should know exactly what you want to happen at your party. That way you know what you should get and do for your party. It seems like it would be smart to know what type of food and how much you need for your event. Doing that would allow everyone to get good food at your event.
I’m planning my reception and need to get a caterer. Thanks for the advice about knowing what you want and having a tentative menu in mind. I can see how this might be good since it could also help you get an estimate on the food price and let you know if you’ll stay in your budget or not.
I liked when you talked about how a good catered pays attention to details when working with you. It makes sense that taking your time to you your research can help you find someone that can work with what you want. I would want to consult with several companies and with the BBB in order to find someone that cares about their clients.
Event catering plan should be fixed on budget. Should I ask them for particular extra like extra dishes and chair before hiring them? Will they provide those extras within my budget? Or do I have to pay more?
I like that you mention how it’s important to know what you want when hiring a food catering service. My sister is looking to hire a caterer but doesn’t know what kind of food. I’ll be sure to talk to her about figuring out what she wants before hiring.
Corporate party catering can be one of the hardest things to get right, so I really like your suggestions here, especially about asking for people with special dietary needs. You don’t want to discriminate against those people; they should be allowed to eat at the party too. You can always try to look for food that takes their allergies into account, but it is just much easier to ask if the caterer will make an exception.