Whether you’re planning a conference, a wedding or run a business where you need to provide food to your clients on a daily basis, choosing the right caterer is essential.
Food is one of those tricky things to get right, when so much of it comes down to personal preference. But get it right and you’re going to make a big impression on those guests or clients. While food is a basic of life, it’s an important one and great food really makes a difference. In this guide we’re taking a look at how to choose a caterer that turns the basics into greatness.
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Your Event
Let’s start with the idea that what you need is a caterer for a one-off business event. Whether that’s a conference or a team building away day, you’re catering for people you want to impress. But it’s not just the food that you’re looking at. You’re also looking at your catering company: the expense, the ease of communication and the overall level of service they provide both in the negotiations and on the day itself.
From your side, there are several things you can do to make the process easier when choosing a catering company. First be very clear what it is you want. It might sound simple but it’s almost impossible for anyone to make good decisions based on very little information. You’ll need to approach companies knowing how many they’re catering for, what kind of food they’d be expected to provide eg, pastries and cakes, a buffet or three-course meal and so on.
You’ll need to know how many of your guests have specific dietary needs and what they are, from gluten-free to vegan, this is all information that will help your catering company provide you with exactly the service you need.
What to Look For
When it comes down to what look out for, there are several factors that you can bear in mind to help make a right decision. Take a look at the company’s testimonials first and don’t be afraid to follow them up with a phone call for a recommendation straight from the horse’s mouth.
You’ll want to see that all the basic hygiene certificates and insurance documents are in place and up to date. Then you can move on to the more specifics. How flexible can the company be? Often there will be a something of standard menu but can you add or remove elements of that menu or even ask them to create something entirely from scratch? How many options are there for people with allergies, if you’re offered a one-size-fits-all option you may want to reconsider that particular company.
You want to know you’re getting value for money so see how far your budget will stretch with different menu options and make sure that any quote includes waiting staff, should you need them.
Then comes the fun part, taking your taste buds on a test drive. Don’t even think about signing on the dotted line until you’ve sampled the offerings and made sure that their cooking skills are everything that you’ve been promised.
If your catering needs extend beyond a one day event then much of the above will apply to you too. Though you have the additional duty to make sure your catering company is one that can provide a continuous high standard of food and produces a varied and interesting day-to-day, week-to-week menu. This is particularly important if you’re hiring in a team for your hotel or if you work in the care sector, where firms like Caterplus feature.
Whether you’re looking for a long term relationship or a one off, there are basics that are important to both needs. Alongside the obvious need for high quality food, you want a catering company that offers variety, the promise of the best ingredients and cleanliness standards that are second to none. You want to make sure that your communication with your appointed liaison is clear, timely and easy. When you’re trying to impress, the last thing you want to worry about is your email languishing unread in someone’s inbox or ringing a phone that never seems to get answered.
Protect yourself with a contract that states your expectations clearly and that of the catering team, to protect both parties.
Then all you have to do is work up an appetite and tuck in, knowing that you’ve chosen a company with the customer at the heart of everything they cook and serve.
- This post has been written by an outside source – See disclosure policy
