One critical element of arranging a party is the catering; if you’re in charge of catering, you need to make sure there is enough food for everyone, the food is in keeping with the theme of the party, and the food is of high quality, amongst other things. In this article, we take a look at several tips for choosing catering for a party.
There are catering companies all over the world; choosing one that’s local to your venue will make things much easier and will help reduce the costs for your party. In addition, many catering companies will only provide food and catering services to venues within a certain distance. When deciding between a cater, first start by assessing the ones local to the area; this will form the basis of your initial list, which you can narrow down with the other tips listed in this article.
Reviews and recommendations are really important when it comes to choosing the right caters. Caters that come with a personal recommendation are more likely to surpass your expectations and provide excellent food and service for your party. If you don’t have anyone that can be recommended personally, you can look online for reviews and recommendations. People that have had a great experience with caterers will happily write a review online to help their business grow. In addition, those that have had a poor experience with caters will share their issues online. You can learn from these poor reviews and avoid caterers with significant problems. If the caters in your area don’t have review pages consider asking a local Facebook community group for recommendations.
Sample menus can give you an insight into the type of food the caterer provides, whether this is luxurious food or more basic food. You can use these menus to narrow down your decision; many caterers focus on a particular type of cuisine, such as Italian, Indian, Japanese or Mexican. When you view a sample menu, you will get an idea of whether that particular food type would work for your party. Many caters will even provide sample menus online that you can view without needing to contact them first. Taking a look at several sample menus will stop you from wasting time with caterers that don’t produce food that appeals to your needs.
Many party planners have specific requirements when it comes to catering; this could include things such as dietary requirements or needing to source a specific cultural dessert, such as Rosewood mooncakes. Some caterers will be happy to oblige, source and serve these things for you, while others might only be happy to serve them and will expect you to source them and pay for them separately. If you have specific dietary requirements for certain guests, you should mention them to the caterers during the planning process; they can advise if they can cater for your specific dietary needs. Some catering companies will have more options than others which might help you when making this decision.
Your budget will determine the level of catering you can afford for your party. If you have a modest budget, you might want to get the food made by someone else and serve it yourself. For those with a larger budget, you can go all out and get top-level service which includes wait staff. The important thing is to set yourself a budget for catering before going to speak to different caterers; this will allow you to see if you can afford the level of service they offer. Spending too much money on caters could impact your finances or other areas of the party.
Choosing the right caterer for your party is an important decision. Following the tips in this article, you can narrow your options and find a caterer that meets your needs and budget. Here are the key points to remember: choose a local caterer, read reviews and recommendations, ask for sample menus, ask about specific requirements, assess your budget, get quotes from multiple caterers, schedule a tasting, be clear about your expectations, and get everything in writing. By following these tips, you can be sure to have a successful party with great food.