From small dinner parties to large celebrations or business events, hiring the expertise and professionalism of a catering service will assure dining success. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, retirement parties as well as holiday celebrations often utilize a caterer. Most people want to be part of the social atmosphere and certainly don’t want to have to worry about serving food and beverages. Your budget for the event will determine the scope of the services provided.
Once you have decided upon the date and theme of your event you can begin to interview companies or individuals that offer catering service. Usually, you will meet with the manager or chef. They will discuss menu options and details. People commonly choose between a buffet style and sit down dinner. Many times they may offer a combination of both. For example, for a sit down dinner atmosphere you may have the salad individually served and then offer a buffet for the entree and finish with desert and coffee individually served as well. Various combinations of services will help keep within your budget and still offer an elegant presentation. Many times a caterer will offer samples of their food to allow you to select a menu that is most pleasing to your pallet.
The theme of your event is an important factor for your catering service. The chairs, tables, linens, tableware and decorations can be part of your package. If you were to choose something along the lines of a tropical theme, all of the details from the caterer would represent the tropics. They can provide every detail or you can work with them to assign specific details to them or to yourself. It should all be specified in the contract you sign before you give them a down payment for your event.
The contract you sign with your chosen catering service is based upon a per person cost factor. For events such as weddings, you can easily expect to pay $40.00 to $50.00 per person. This is subject to increase if you include an open bar for alcohol. Your contract will specify the exact figure as well as the amount of time that the numbers can be increased or decreased before your event. Once that time has passed you are responsible for the amount due on your contract. Some companies want the entire balance up front and others accept it in segments with the final bill due upon completion of the cleanup. If all the details are specified in your contract there will be no room for errors, and your event will be a great success!
