Special Event Catering: Planning and Preparation Pays Off!

Putting together a large event means a lot of responsibility - which is why it's great to be able to pass off some of that responsibility to a special event catering company.

Opting for special event catering means you'll be able to focus on other tasks - but at least initially, having a catered event doesn't let you off the hook in terms of picking catering menus, etc! 

Before you embark upon your search for a leading caterers, you need to know what you want, or the special event catering company you end up picking won't be able to help you as much as you thought!

Special event catering allows you to pick exactly what you want, and have it executed for you, instead of having to worry about delivering your vision by yourself, but you need to firm up this vision before interviewing caterers. You need to nail down:

Catering prices:

If you're looking at corporate catering, you'll probably have a bigger budget that if you're looking at special event catering services for your own personal party.

The size of your budget can help narrow your caterer search considerably. For example, if you're planning a smaller, personal party, you may want to start looking at small caterers.  The bigger companies may give you more than you need, and thus force you to pay more than you want!

On the other side, if you've got a corporate budget to work with, you'll probably want all those bells and whistles offered by some special event catering businesses, and it won't put too much of a dent in your budget to pay for it, either!

Many caterers offer both smaller and larger services, so be sure to check them out as well.

Catering venue:

Before selecting a special event catering service, consider the location of the catering event.  Often, event venues have their own caterer. Sometimes you'll be required to use their caterer, as opposed to other caterers,  but even if you aren't it's worth looking into what types of services they offer.

If your venue doesn't have it's own special event catering service, you'll still need to have a location for your event picked out (or at least a few in mind) before you interview caterers. The location makes a difference in terms of how many people it can seat, what type of accommodations are available, how far the special event catering company will have to travel to set up your event, etc.

Catering Theme:

Again, having a theme picked out can help in your special event catering search because it will give you a good idea of what you want as a finished product, will help you with your catering order, and will give the caterer a place to start. If you leave everything open-ended it's a bit more difficult for them to nail down types of foods, serving suggestions, any decorations, etc.

Once you've got a good idea of the direction of your event, you're ready to make a special event catering company part of your party or get-together!