Getting the most for your money with a catering service

There are many different options when it comes to picking a catering service, and obviously it depends on what type of event you're planning. There are as many different types of food service caterers as there are different reasons to hire a caterer - from corporate caterers to party caterers to office and corporate caterers - even airline catering!    

Within these different catering service offerings, there are many different ways to have your event or party catered, and many different catered products that may serve you well. Just a few examples:

instead of waiters serving guests, a catering service might be able to set up a banquet-style meal for guests at your party.

You can find a catering service that exclusively creates office parties, but many caterers also offer this as one of their many other services. If you're looking for corporate catering, checking out a catering service that specifically caters business functions, but don't gloss over bigger, all-inclusive catering companies.  They will often have experienced teams that can give good catering advice and options for a variety of different events.

Company picnic catering (or most any type of picnic catering!) is along the same lines as office catering, but if you want to take the party outdoors, make sure your catering service is equipped to handle less formal, more relaxing settings.

You can make entertaining even easier on yourself by asking your catering service if they include any theme party decor - if the catering service includes things like decorations, centerpieces, flowers, etc. you'll have another big section of your party or event taken care of! 

When you're looking to hire a catering service, there are several different ways you can go:

Large catering company:  As mentioned above, these types of catering service companies allow you to have access to their team of experts.They're a good source of catering tips  and resources - maybe more so than other caterers. But you should also keep in mind you won't get as specified attention, since these types of companies usually have many clients they're serving at once.

Private/small catering company: This type of catering operation has just about the converse pros and cons of the large catering company!  This type of catering service will likely be able to give you more individualized attention, but may not be as experienced, or as able to put together huge events.

Restaurant catering: going with a restaurant is sometimes the easiest bet, especially if you don't actually need an event staff or dont' want to worry about bringing a caterer into a specific venue. Having your event catered in a restaurant or catered by a restaurant means you'll know what types of foods you'll be getting and how they'll be presented. If you're renting out a large meeting space or banquet room in a restaurant, having them cater the event (which is often your only option anyway), takes the headache out of finding another specific gourmet catering service.

Whatever type of catering service you decide to go with, make sure you go in with some clear ideas about what you want - and that the company is prepared (and able!) to deliver!