If you are getting married or hosting a party at your place, the only thing you expect is that your event will be successful after spending a hefty amount of money and effort. But at the end of the day, people go home disappointed, and you feel bad about it. The reason is not that you couldn’t host an exciting party, but the problem was with the catering.
The food you serve at your party is going to out its impact on the guests. At the end of the day, it is the food that decides the success of your party. Apart from the occasion you are celebrating, people usually come for the food, and when it does not match their expectations, it leaves a bad impression on the hosts.
One way to deal with this problem is by hiring a good party planner like Planned to Perfection Events Planning and Catering. These party planners help you decide everything best for your event and take the burden of arranging everything off your shoulders.
But if you are still planning to arrange your party on your own, then there are some tips for hiring the best caterer for your party.
Decide Your Cuisine
The first and the most important step in choosing a caterer is to decide the cuisine; without deciding the cuisine for your party, it’s like you are searching for something without knowing what you are searching for.
The choice of cuisine will narrow down your option and help you look for the best caterers that are experts in the cuisine you are deciding on for your party. For example, you don’t want your party to be catered by someone who is an expert in Chinese cuisine, but you are serving Italian.
If you want to serve an authentic and genuine taste of the selected cuisine, then it is better to hire the expert only,
Trust The Experiences of Others
When you host a party, you look for advice and ideas from others, mostly friends and family. It is equally important to ask for references from your friends and family of caterers with whom they have had a good experience.
If you have shortlisted a few caterers for your event, it is a good idea to look for the reviews on their pages. Business owners often post fake reviews on their pages, asking their family and friends to post reviews. In that case, always check the comments on their social media accounts. People often leave angry and disappointed comments on social media accounts, and that’s where you see the real face of the business.
Check The Potential Caterer’s Kitchen
It is good to check the pitch before the match. Visiting the caterer’s kitchen and inspecting the way they work and the way they handle food is essential. The kitchen’s condition shows a caterer’s dedication to its job. If the kitchen is messy and dirty, it’s time to drop the idea of hiring that caterer.
Another thing to check when visiting a caterer’s kitchen is to look for the staff’s behavior and attention. The more attentive the staff is, the more you will likely get a good service.
Decide Your Budget
Budget is the deciding factor for many things when hosting an event, and catering gets one of the most significant shares of the whole event. Deciding your cuisine as per your budget is essential. Before deciding on one caterer, meet with different caterers and task estimation of your menu. Decide about drinks, dessert, and the number of courses beforehand so that you know what you are looking for when getting an estimation.
Go for the caterer who provides you with a breakdown of the estimated cost. The more transparency, the better. Once you get the budget breakdown from the caterer, you can make changes to your menu.
Do The Testing
Catering is one of those services where you can check the product before booking the service provider. You should do the testing after deciding your cuisine and menu and narrowing it down to 3-4 caterers. The fewer the number of caterers, the better.
You can book an appointment with the caterer to taste the samples or invite the caterer to your home with the samples. If the caterer hesitates to provide the samples, he is not confident enough to handle your event.
Don’t leave space for improvements or don’t give a chance over one bad dish. Choose the caterer with everything perfect in taste. Don’t just look for taste; look for quality raw material and food presentation. You don’t want your guest to get food poisoning from bad quality raw material.
Make A Contract
A contract saves you from the troubles of the future. You must have seen people fighting and quarreling over petty issues, and if you don’t want that, you need to make a contract with your caterer as soon as possible.
After finalizing your caterer, make a contract. The contract must define everything that has been decided between both parties. You must cover the cost of service, food, and damages in the contract. In case of event cancellation or delay, Both parties must mutually decide on a pre-defined system of reimbursements and returns in case of any mishap.
Conclusion
People remember the food, and if the food at your event is not up to the mark, that means your event was a failure. To save yourself from such embarrassments, a good idea is to take help from event planning services like Planned to Perfection Events Planning and Catering. Services like Planned to Perfection help you organize and arrange everything perfectly without making a mess.
Do not compromise on one of the most prominent features of an event: food. And the food includes everything, from drinks to starters, to desserts; everything needs to be perfect in taste. And to save yourself from bad food and haphazard catering services, use the tips mentioned above and see how your event can go from being a boring party to a remarkable memory in your guest’s mind.