When it comes to the arrangement of an event, you always look forward to having tasty food, and an alluring ambiance for your guests. To achieve all of these things, you need to find an adequate catering service, in conformity with, the event theme. This article is providing you with some fundamental qualities you can look for when you are choosing a catering service for your event;
- know the headcount and accordingly choose from the Budget packages of the caterer
When you are planning for hosting an event be it formal, or informal the main thing is to know how many people are attending the event. Sharing the headcount attending the event, with the caterer is a great idea to start the conversation.
Another important aspect is to know the budget packages caterers are offering. When a caterer can offer a plan according to your budget, this is a nice start to deal and discuss other aspects of the event.
- Experience and distinction of the caterer
Catering is a competitive business, you can easily find many catering services in your area of small or big sizes. You can choose the best caterer by researching the experience they have. For example how many and which types of events the caterer has served?
Additionally, you can check on their distinctive qualities like whether they are offering any additional services like decoration or photography. Try to hire a caterer who has good experience in catering and also offers additional services. This can save you time and money.
- Tasting appointment and Quality and variety of food
One of the most important things about an event is the food, if the food is good then all is good. So you need to visit the catering services to get a tasting appointment for the selective menu you are offering in your event. You need to check the quality of their food by tasting it. A visit to their kitchen space can also give you an idea about the hygiene and types of raw materials they are using for different dishes.
A major concern is how many food dishes they can offer for your event. There should be a variety of cuisines(Thai, Japanese and American, etc) and dishes you can choose from like starters, salads, main course, and different drinks.
- Always opt for Professionalism and Excellent customer service
Professionalism and Customer service are the core of the success of any business. Have a conversation with your caterer to know how is their customer service? how do they deal with their guests? Professional attitude towards the guests is an important attribute of any catering service.
You can also check reviews online, or talk to a few people who have chosen them as their caterer.
- Flexibility in the behavior of the caterer and services
Events don’t always go as planned for that matter, your caterer should be flexible in their behaviour and services. If there are any guests with some specific food allergies or preferences, you can discuss with your caterer to serve them specific food and they can know their names and where they are seated so they can serve properly.
If there is an outdoor event always make sure that your caterer has a backup plan in case it rains or there is heavy wind outside. Flexibility is the key to dealing with the unknown circumstances of the event.
- Collaborative Nature of the caterer
The caterer you are choosing should be collaborative. So, as a host, you can have open discussions about different parameters of the event. The catering service should always be connected with you about other aspects of the event. If the caterer is also decorating then he should be able to help you to select a theme and manage all the decorations along with other stuff.
If the decorator of the event is other than the catering team then the catering team should have a cordial and good working relationship with other task managers. After the event ends the caterer should be able to clean and clear up the space.
- Give preference to a Certified catering company
A registered and certified catering company is a good choice for any event. As they comply with government standards and rules and regulations. They can take care of the taking permit for an outdoor event and you can be focused on other aspects of the event. A certified company will have a professional attitude towards managing and catering to any type of event.
- Number of servers, waiters, and cooks required for your event
Depending on the type of event whether it is a buffet or a sit-down meal you can take a specific number of staff. If it’s a buffet of 30 people you will need 3 to 4 servers along with other staff for clearing the table and refilling the dishes.
For sit-down meals, you can take 1 server per table For the drinks corner, there should be two people serving the drinks. For a live kitchen, you can hire professional and trained chefs. You can choose the number of staff according to your events headcount and personnel preference.
- Caterer with additional services can save you a lot of time
You can always choose a caterer who offers additional services or who can manage all the aspects of an event like decoration, photography, and food. It is a great idea because you only have to discuss it with one or two managerial staff and they can make sure to arrange it all for you.
- A catering service that offers a live kitchen and chef performances is always a good idea
You can opt for a live kitchen and can discuss it with the caterer. Because it’s a new trend that people enjoy watching their food cooking in front of them. So you can choose a caterer who is offering you a live kitchen with chefs performing different food-making arts, like drumming and tossing of food.