As we all know, the holiday season is fast approaching and
this is the time of year when most people entertain. It
doesn't matter the size of your holiday or dinner party;
what matters is the importance of assembling a team of
experts to support you and make you look like a star. Your
selection should include the right party caterer to help
you produce your event with style, taste and great food.
Most people will remember your special event by the
décor and the food served, and thus it is crucial
for you to maintain a list of good party caterers.
Therefore, when selecting the caterer or private chef
consider and research your choice wisely before hiring him
or her.
One of the aspects of a special event I discuss in Budget
Bash is when hiring the caterer or private chef for your
event it is important to first interview him or her.
Research what type of food they prepare, who their client
base is and what type of food they are passionate about.
Also with party caterers consider what they charge in terms
of catering your party and how they present their food.
Ask for sample menus and check to see if you can watch them
in action. It may be difficult to observe them at a small
event, but many times prior to a special event starting, I
will be "backstage" observing the party caterer, the
kitchen and service staff and how the present the food at
the special event.
Also, check references, and more importantly CALL THOSE
REFERENCES. It amazes me how often people don't follow up
on a reference and then they are disappointed when the
service or the caterer doesn't meet their expectations. It
is also important, especially if you are serving a
particular type of food at your party, that you use a party
caterer or private chef that specializes in the type of
food genre you choose to serve at your special event. Of
course, any trained or experienced chef can prepare and
cook any type of food but I believe that if you are looking
to create a specific themed dinner such as an Eco-Friendly
dinner, you need to hire party caterers who specialize in
macrobiotic vegan food preparation and green practices and
presentation.
Determine your food and service budget prior to meeting
with your chef or the caterer. When you meet with them, be
honest and realistic. Don't present them with a pasta and
hamburger budget and expect to eat Kobe beef and Maine
lobster. Remember, service is a secondary component of the
catering budget and with workman's compensation insurance,
business insurance and other business costs your food
budget most often is higher than you first estimated.
In addition, many catering companies include a service fee
that may range from 10% on up to 22% or higher. This fee
may cover operating costs such as transportation,
refrigerator trucks (if it is a large event), commercial
kitchen fees, trays and service items, tips for the staff
or prep staff to name a few. When you are presented with a
bill and it simply states staff with a price, don't
hesitate to ask what the breakdown of staff is. How many
servers, kitchen help, scullery crew or prep personnel does
this fee include? After all, it is your special event and
you are paying for a service; you need to know what you are
paying for.
All party caterers or private chefs and their staff usually
clean-up their kitchen area when they finish the job. If
their kitchen is set-up in an area other than in your
house, then it is best to cover the ground with Astroturf
or another type of non-skid carpet to prevent an accident
from occurring. It also makes clean-up more efficient
since the Astroturf is taken away after the special event
is over.
Therefore, when selecting a party caterer or private chef
for your next special event, consider the helpful tips I
suggested here in this article. Don't be afraid to ask
questions whether it is a food or price item. Give the
caterer or private chef an accurate guest count to prevent
them from an embarrassing situation such as running out of
food. Remember, you are the host, make sure the team
behind you supports you and makes you look like a star host
or hostess and don't forget to be a guest at your own event.
----------------------------------------------------
Andrea Wyn is a special event planner with over 15 years of
industry experience. She has been the Awards Event
Supervisor for the Screen Actors Guild Awards(R) since
2000. Her book, Budget Bash-Simply Fabulous Events on a
Budget, is available at http://www.budgetbashbook.com . She
has an MBA from the University of Chicago & a BA from UCLA.
To learn more about Budget Bash & events go to
http://www.awynningevent.com
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