Food

How To Choose the Right Events Caterer for You

The quality, presentation, and taste of the food and beverages you serve heavily depend on the events caterer you hire for your gathering. The meals your caterer provides to your guests will leave more of an impact, whether it’s good or not, than the décor or entertainment. The caterer you choose can also affect your occasion’s budget, especially since it’s one of the more expensive parts of the event you can spend on.

Also, choosing a caterer may seem like comparing two totally different things when their prices, the food they serve, and the other services they offer differ greatly. To help you find the right option, here is a list of criteria to look for when finding the right events caterer.

  •                   The flexibility of the catering staff

It would be easier for you and everyone else if the caterer, host, and occasion planner were flexible and could work with your given schedule. Especially with the catering, it affects the kind of food they serve, which affects the attendees’ satisfaction.

Once you’re in the process of asking different caterers, look for one that can creatively resolve problems, like alternative food options for people with allergies or preferences. This shows how flexible they can be in addressing the guests’ needs.

  •                   Valuing your personal needs and interests

Another important thing your chosen caterer should possess is the ability to listen and consider your needs and interests. Their responsiveness and attentiveness will show how they will carry out their tasks during your event. If your caterer is proactive, they can provide answers and solutions for anything they may ask of them before and during the event.

It’s often a rare quality for event caterers to be able to respond properly to emails and be open to constructive criticism. It may seem irrelevant to some, but fulfilling the ideas and suggestions you communicated to your caterer means they truly care about meeting your expectations as a client.

  •                   Providing samples and tastings

One way to find out the quality of the meals served is to taste samples. Also, doing so is useful in checking and filtering out the menu provided by the caterer, and you can try to determine which ones fit your event’s theme or occasion.

Some may feel like it’s a burden to the caterers, but it’s important to at least request and try samples of the exact food they serve before you hire them. Additionally, if your event has something niche like wine pairings or tasting, it’s important to know and try what you’re serving your guests. Having samples also allows you to see how it is presented once done.

  •                   Nearness or ease of traveling to event location

The location of your event is always important. Before hiring a catering crew, consider their proximity to where the event will occur. Try choosing an events caterer who is near or is at least familiar with the area you’re in. It would be easier for you and your chosen caterer if they knew their way around the location, especially if there’s no immediate, accessible kitchen for their chef to cook from.

It would be best if they’re prepared to go above and beyond to ensure everything lives up to or surpasses your expectations. For example, if they offer to put up a makeshift kitchen on site when your event is in a remote area, then that is already a big plus in their effort to provide for their clients.

  •                   Capacity to provide for a specific event

Numerous caterers freely acknowledge that not every catering crew is ideal for every event. Be explicit about the kind of gathering you’re planning to have and the type of cuisine and presentation you’ll want for the occasion when interviewing possible caterers. This narrows down your options and makes it easier to pick the ones that can provide what you’re looking for.  

Your guests’ experience with the food and drinks served at your event can significantly affect their opinions about it. Hiring a highly qualified and reasonably priced events caterer will provide your visitors with better overall satisfaction and make it memorable for them.

You know you’ve spent your money right when the attendees enjoyed everything the catering crew served. For your events caterer needs in Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa, reach out to Candlelight Inn.