subject: what to ask when choosing a catering service [print this page] Catering Services San Rafael CA Catering Services San Rafael CA
Questions to Ask When Hiring Your Caterer
Besides your location the food and drink for your wedding bash will probably consume the largest portion of your catering services budget. Food catering costs are usually presented as per-person charges sometimes abbreviated in wedding brochures as pp after the amount. But be aware the per-person charge for catering services often does not include everything- Tax and gratuities sometimes called service charge might be extra and there may also be separate per-person charges for the meal drinks horsdoeuvres and even setup from a caterer. So your actual per-person charge might end up being considerably more than you expect. Bring your calculator along when meeting with potential catering services to help you arrive at the real bottom line for food catering.
There is more to consider. Nowadays many catering services offer a range of options in addition to catering. Some are actual event producers providing props special effects in other words complete event design. They might also be able to assist in finding a location coordinating your affair or lining up vendors. One thing a caterer ca not do however is cook up a 5-course Beef Wellington dinner for $20 per person. When planning your catering menu be realistic about what you can serve given your budget and the size of your guest list.
A lot of factors come into play when selecting a caterer so do not be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. You can refer to the following list whether your potential caterer works at your event facility or you are hiring them independently.
The Basics
1. Do you have my date open?
2. How much wedding catering do you cater per year and how long have you been in the catering services business?
3. Have you catered events at the location of my event? TIP- If you have not chosen your location yet ask the caterer if they can help you select one.
4. Are you licensed by the state of California? Are you licensed to serve alcohol with your food catering?
5. Will I need any permits for my catering services event? If so will you handle obtaining them?
6. Will you provide a banquet manager to coordinate the catering service or an on-site coordinator who will run the entire event?
7. Can you assist with other aspects of the catering like selecting other vendor event design e.g. specialty lighting elaborate theme events etc.?
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