All Things Wedding Caterer
There is nothing like a good meal to bring friends and family together! Wedding guests come from far and wide to rejoice in your marriage. They spend a long day focusing on you, so make sure you take care of them! Follow this guide to feel confident in the wedding caterer you select!
This guide is divided into 3 sections:
Things to consider when researching caterers
Questions to ask prior to booking a caterer
Maximizing catering services
Things to consider when researching caterers
There is a lot of variation in catering packages.
Drop-and-go catering- The most basic catering companies will drop food off in trays for someone else to set up and serve. These tend to be the least expensive catering option, but be sure to consider the price of service staff companies which will be necessary to properly store, display, and serve your food. Once the service staff is budgeted, this option may be pushed out of your price-range.
Food trucks- Food trucks can serve food in one of two ways: 1) guests will order from their window and food is prepared to order or 2) They will set up a buffet and guests can build their own plate. Food trucks often provide basic paper plates and plasticware for guests to eat from. They will sometimes offer trash removal, but typically only take care of their own garbage.
Full service catering- Full serving catering has a few subsections within itself. A full service caterer may provide food, set up a buffet, tend to the buffet, buss the tables, and refill water. An even fuller service caterer may set up an entire kitchen (or use one onsite) to prepare the meal fresh and serve the food directly to the seated guests. There are plenty of options in between. Full service caterers may provide additional services like tables, chairs, table linens, plates, flatware, drinkware, bar services, etc.
There are 3 main food service styles.
Buffet- A buffet is a display of food that the guests will personally create their own plates from.
Pros- Buffets are a great way to allow guests to select exactly what food items they want. You also won’t have to worry about meal cards!
Cons- Buffet lines can be long and with a large number of guests, the buffet will often make dinner last a long time. Longer buffet time means that the first guests to eat will be done eating long before the last guests even get their food! There is also often a lot of food waste with buffets.
Plated- A plated meal is when the catering staff serves the food directly to the seated guests.
Pros- Guests will get a warm meal, they will get to choose what their main protein is prior to the wedding, and food waste is minimal. Plated dinners are often associated with a higher cost, but since there is less food waste, the cost can oftentimes be less than the other service styles!
Cons- You will have to manage meal cards and it makes your seating chart extra important. You will absolutely have to have adequate staff or else serving the food will take a long time and your timeline will be thrown off.
Family style- Family style service is when the food is placed in large serving dishes directly on guest tables for them to create their plates from without getting up and walking through a buffet line.
Pros- Family style really has a unique ability to encourage conversation amongst your guests. Oftentimes, your wedding guests may not know everyone at their table and family style food is a great way to break the ice! Family style also ensures everyone has access to food at the same time, so pacing dinner is very easy. Also, much like a buffet, your guests will get to choose whatever they want to eat in the moment.
Cons- Unfortunately, there is often a lot of food waste with family style. Since the food is placed directly on the tables, keeping the food warm is a challenge. If people don’t eat right away, the food will get cold. It is a less common service style, so finding a caterer to serve food family style can be difficult.
There are virtually no limits to what kind of food you can have served at your wedding. It is important to think through what foods will store well, transport easily, are easily taken from a serving tray, and will appeal to a larger audience. Consider food allergies and dietary restrictions of guests when booking your caterer. Make sure that the caterer can provide vegetarian, gluten free, diary free, and peanut free options for guests. Aside from logistics, there are no limits to what kind of food should be served at a wedding!
Pro-tip #1: A special salad can serve as the option for guests with any of the most common dietary restrictions! Ask the caterer to prepare a special salad that is particularly filling to serve to guests that may have one or more of these limitations. Make sure the caterer knows to ONLY serve this salad to the guests with dietary restrictions so they have plenty to eat!
Caterers specialize in food and service styles, be sure to play into their strengths. This is particularly important when venues require you use their preferred caterer or in-house catering. If you find yourself in this position, it is best to stay within the caterers wheelhouse. You can, of course, ask if they are willing to deviate from their menu, but if you sense any kind of hesitation, ABORT MISSION! Everyone would rather eat a common meal done well, than a more interesting meal done poorly. If you have the luxury of choosing any caterer you’d like, look for one that specializes in the kind of food and service style you prefer for your wedding. Hiring a full service American-classics caterer and requesting they prepare sushi rolls for appetizers is not setting anyone up for success. Most caterers don’t stray too far from their menus even when requested, but if you find someone willing to branch out from their norm, make sure they can do so without sacrificing quality!
Questions to ask your caterer prior to booking
The basics
Are you available on my date?
Can you work within my budget?
Do you require a deposit? How much?
When is the balance due?
What is your preferred method of payment?
What is your cancellation policy if I cancel?
What is your cancellation policy if you cancel?
What is your rescheduling policy if I need to change my date?
What is the backup plan if you are personally unable to fulfill your contract due to a last minute conflict?
Are there any additional fees such as travel fees, delivery fees, etc. that are not included in the package price?
Are you licensed? (Hint- a business license AND food handling license is needed to ensure the caterer is going to prepare food safely for your guests. Confirm with your venue PRIOR to booking your caterer that they adhere to the venue’s requirements.)
Are you insured? Does the insurance cover all of your staff and property? (Hint - confirm with your venue what kind of insurance you need from your caterer. Some venues require special insurance from Caterers [and bar] that they don’t require from other vendors!)
Experience & quality control
How long have you been in business?
How long have you been offering catering services? (Hint- many restaurants offer catering services, but haven’t necessarily been offering these services as long as their business has been around.)
Do you have experience catering weddings and/or other large formal events? (Hint- not all catering experience is equal. The skills, attention to detail, and professionalism of a catering company with years of experience working children’s birthday parties under their belt won’t necessarily translate to a wedding.)
How do you price your services (i.e. do you offer packages, is food priced al a carte, or something in between? (Hint: Almost all caterers will fall somewhere in-between. Most will offer packages with the option to customize, however the packages offered almost always offer customization!)
What is your typical food serving style (I.e. buffet, plated, family style, etc.)? (Hint: Although a company may say they can any type of service, there are a lot of nuance details that go into service style and booking someone for a service style outside of their norm can be a bit tricky. Be sure to find a company that is confident enough in what they say they can do to put it into writing in your contract!)
Are you able to customize our wedding menu with food that you don’t typically offer? (Hint: some caterers are used to this request and are happy to accommodate special requests. If you are planning on offering an appetizer or entree that isn’t within the caterer’s typical wheelhouse, make sure you find a caterer that is used to preparing unique dishes!)
Can we do a food tasting prior to booking?
What is the cost of the food tasting? Is this cost deducted from the overall fee if we move forward with booking?
Package details
What is the average price per person?
Do you offer separate pricing for children and vendor meals?
What food will this include per person (i.e. appetizers, dinner, dessert, late night snacks, etc.)?
Do you include plates, flatware, napkins, and/or drink ware in your pricing?
Do you include anything else in your packages or am I able to add additional items onto my contract with you (i.e. tables, chairs, water stations, coffee stations, table linens, condiments, etc.)?
How much staff do you allocate for an event of my size?
What is the cost for additional service staff?
How long does the service staff stay onsite including set up and breakdown?
Does your staff take care of refilling guests beverages?
Do you provide bar services and/or bartenders?
If you provide bartenders, are we able to provide our own alcohol or will we have to use and pay for alcohol provided through your company?
Do you offer any dessert, like cake, or a specialty dessert?
Do you offer cake cutting and serving if I have purchased my cake through a separate company?
Can I see pictures of your food display from past events?
Logistics
If there is no kitchen available at the venue, where will you prepare the food?
Do you provide serving materials such as chafing dishes, serving spoons, etc.?
Will you require any supplies from the rental company?
Do you need access to water and/or power?
Do you provide bussers (people to clear and clean the tables after dinner)?
Do you take care of trash removal? (Hint: many caterers will buss tables, but removing trash from trash cans into trash receptacles is something that needs to be discussed ahead of time.)
If my venue does not have a dumpster onsite, while you take all trash with you? (Hint: many caterers will provide this service for an additional cost.)
Will you take care of arranging the place settings including setting out plates, silverware, drinkware, menus, place cards, etc?
When will you need access to the venue for set up and food preparation?
If I purchase my cake separately, will your company take care of slicing, plating, and/or serving the cake to guests?
Do you offer food options for special diets (i.e. vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, kosher, etc.)?
How long after the conclusion of dinner service will you serve dessert?
How long after the conclusion of food service will your staff stay to buss empty plates, drink ware, etc.?
When do you need the menu and head count finalized?
Maximizing the caterer’s services
Be sure to provide an accurate headcount. You pay per person for catering so providing an accurate headcount is key to making sure you have enough food and aren’t paying for extra food you don’t need. An accurate headcount will also dictate how many service staff are required to properly tend to and clean up after the guests. (Hint: most caterers will allow you to add guests after booking, but don’t allow you to remove guests from the contract. Clarify with them up front about their policy and be sure to book accordingly.)
Taste the food beforehand and select the best options for your budget. The meal served will fuel the guests for dancing throughout the evening. Remember, hungry guests will leave early so be sure to pick tasty, filling options!
Think through everything you need to comfortably eat a meal. Ask your caterer what they are providing and what you need to source separately. The basics you need for a meal are plates, silverware, napkins, cups, and water. You will also need serving utensils for a buffet or family style meal, plates for appetizers and dessert, forks for appetizers and desserts, and plenty of extra napkins! The caterer may provide more or less than this, but make sure that one way or another guests have access to these materials when dinner time rolls around!
Confirm what services they will and won’t be providing. Discuss trash removal, clearing tables, water filling, washing dishes, etc. to ensure that all of your ducks are in row prior to your wedding! If the caterer does not provide all of these services you will need to designate someone else.
Ask your caterer if there is anything you can do to make the meal experience better for your guests. Sometimes caterers that work at your venue regularly or offer limited services will notice trends of the same items or services that are often forgotten or undersupplied. Ask what these commonly overlooked aspects are so you don’t fall inline with the forgetting trend.
Ask your venue what issues they typically run into with caterers. Since your venue may or may not offer certain items or amenities for caterers, they are likely to have some insight into what is most likely to be overlooked in regards to the caterer (and any other vendor for that matter). Maybe it is water needs, kitchen needs, cleaning needs, or anything else; whatever it is that proves to be a reoccurring oversight, the venue will have noticed. Ask for their experience so you can adequately prepare.