Let’s face it, one of the main reasons your guests come to your wedding to enjoy delicious free food is because they want to eat. It’s a huge incentive! You’re likely to want to compare caterers to ensure that you provide the best wedding day food. How can you ensure that your wedding day food is delicious and plentiful, while also not being overwhelmed by the logistics and costs of hiring an outside caterer?
Must Read: https://www.nicewedding.co.uk/wedding-menu/
Catering services can have many factors. These include where the food is prepared, who runs the service, how much you are willing to spend and how it will affect the flow of your wedding.
These six tips will help you choose the right outside caterer.
“I have this thing called ‘Olive Garden Rule. Although most people don’t consider the Olive Garden to be wedding-caliber food for their event, it is worth considering that an appetizer, salad and a few glasses or wine will set you back about $50 per person. If you add 100 guests to that, it will cost $5,000 to have Olive Garden at your wedding. It is possible to have a wedding on any budget. But, compare it to real life and consider how much money you spend.
Never Miss: https://www.weddingonly.co.uk/wedding-cuisine-trends/
PLUS FEES
Catering companies often charge a delivery/transportation fee for food cooked off-site. Delivery fees can easily run into the hundreds, and they may charge more if you are not within a 20-mile radius from their kitchen. You can be sure that a formal caterer will also charge you for delivery of pizzas.
PLUS, MORE FEES
Many caterers will also charge ridiculous fees, such as a cake cutting fee of $2-$14 per slice or extra for china and glassesware. You’ll need plates and forks to serve the food. Wedgewood Weddings doesn’t charge extra for these items.
Catering companies love to sell additional items to increase their bill. Food is not a big money-maker. It costs a lot of money to buy the ingredients to make food. The end product will have very small margins unless the price is too high.
RESTAURANT CATERING IS A SAVINGS OPTION BUT IT COULD BE A TOUGH CHOICE.
Olive Garden is a great example of a cost-saving option. Your favorite restaurant may be used to packing food in foil pans, plastic containers, and paper boxes. It may seem a stretch to ask them to cater your wedding. They are used to leaving the food at the restaurant in plastic bags. It’s up you to decide how to set it up, keep it warm, and serve it.
Also Read: https://www.reallywedding.com/wedding-ring/
IT COULD GET MESSY – LITERALLY
Foods transported from an off-site kitchen are at risk of not being transported successfully. Foods could spill, tip over or become mutilated. Some foods may be overcooked to preserve their heat during transport. They may not be kept warm enough and become cold when they are being served to guests. Ew.
“Back in the days when off-site catering was my bread & butter, no matter how well-organized we were, there is always something missing from a catering drive. It could be a side sauce, salad dressing or garnishes, or, if lucky, the signature entree. If time allows, there is a mad rush to get the item back to the restaurant/kitchen or to go without it and hope the client doesn’t notice.
A ON-SITE KITCHEN IS NICE BUT…
Sometimes an outside caterer can use the on-site kitchen at the venue. This eliminates any delivery fees or transporting problems mentioned earlier. But have you ever cooked a complete meal in someone else’s kitchen? It can be difficult to know what you are doing, and it could make things more complicated when the caterer tries to prepare all your wedding food in another kitchen. There is always room for mistakes and things to go wrong. What if the caterer doesn’t have all the equipment they need?
Most Popular: https://www.eventwedding.us/reception-only-elebrations/
A FINAL WALK-THROUGH IS A MUST
Full-service caterers are more than just food. They also have a team of servers that may not be familiar with the function of the event. It can be difficult to communicate with your caterer about timelines, seating arrangements, and other details, especially if you are serving a plated dinner with assigned entrees.
