Top Five Questions to Ask Your Caterer
Finding a local catering company is easy, but finding one that understands your particular needs and meets those needs is another matter altogether. Catering is a deceptively subtle art that, when done well, it looks effortless and meant to be, but if it’s done poorly...well, it can be an unmitigated disaster.
While most people have trouble remembering what they had for dinner yesterday, we all remember our best and worst meals. Its also important to understand that great catering extends beyond the taste of the food, and includes everything for presentation of the food and accompanying decor to the efficiency and demeanor of service staff. So, with this is mind here are the top five things to look for from your prospective caterer.
Track Record
Make sure that the catering company you’ve chosen is comfortable with, and has experience in handling the particulars of you’re event. While it’s not necessary that the company being considered has worked in the venue you’ve picked they must do a site inspection with you., A detailed site inspection, well in advance of the day, will give you a chance to draft a floor plan laying out food stations and bar placement. It also helps to look at the little things adequacy of power supply and proximity of electrical plugs. Coffee urns and portable convection ovens draw a huge amount of power so make sure there is access to the electrical panel incase a breaker is accidentally tripped.
Insurance
Make sure your chosen catering company has adequate insurance for any mishap. Chances are, if something does go wrong, it’ll be a relatively small thing like a burnt countertop, but will your caterer be willing and able to fix it? A good catering company should carry insurance coverage between 2 million and 5 million dollars.
You get What you Pay For
Having an accurate budget for your event can save you a lot of headache. While it goes without saying that everyone wants the best of the least, you really do get what you pay for. If, for instance, you’ve asked four companies to bid on your job and one quote is a lot lower than the others, a bell should go off. What are they not promising and what corners are being cut for them to deliver their service that still allows for profit?
All in One House
Unless you’ve hired an event planner (or you’re one yourself) it’s best to work with a caterer that does it all, from the obvious menu planning, to things like organizing rental contracts, liquor licenses, decor, and staffing.. Having one responsible point of contact for the previous items insures that nothing gets missed and there is someone assuming total responsibility
Flexibility
How much time will your caterer devote to your event? If you’re planning a large event like a wedding, the correspondence could fill a book. Everything changes, guests list go up and down, weather might affect rental lists, so is you're caterer prepared to work with you?
