With so many different Toronto event-catering companies to choose from, it can be difficult to know how to begin your search, let alone how to make a decision once the search has begun.
While it may feel like a daunting task, there are ways that you can make the process much easier for yourself. In fact, there are three things to consider when choosing a catering company that will make a significant difference.
1. Number of Years in Business
New catering companies are popping up all the time. While they may offer up good food, going with a company that hasn’t been in business for long always necessitates taking a risk. Even if the food they serve up at the taste testing is great, you must consider if they will be able to deliver upwards of a hundred dishes in a timely fashion.Converting the tasting experience to larger quantities isn’t always an easy task.
There are also so many obstacles that can occur throughout the day. When you pair with a veteran catering company with years of experience in the field, you’re investing in the assurance that you’re working with a company that knows what it’s doing—that will be able to meet any challenges that arise head-on.
Asking a Toronto event catering company how long it’s been in business is a totally valid question for this reason. If the companyhasn’t been in business long, don’t be afraid to ask for references. You should also look further afield at some of the references they don’t directly supply.
2. Ability to Accommodate
With any event where you’re serving food to a large number of people, the question of accommodation becomes crucial. Providing the best experience possible for your guests includes taking into consideration dietary restrictions that could impact what your guests will be able to eat.
Restrictions can run the gamut from the need for kosher or halal dishes, food allergies that need to be respected, or guests who follow a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. If you know upfront what dietary restrictions your guests have, working around them and with them shouldn’t be a serious issue for any good Toronto event catering company. With the number of dietary restrictions around, every catering company should be perfectly capable of working with the needs of your guests while providing great food.
Ask them during the consultation what dietary restrictions they can accommodate. Also be sure to ask them how they go about accommodating those dietary restrictions. It’s not in anyone’s best interest if the vegetarian guests are forced to snack on breadsticks and salad all night. An experienced caterer can accommodate restrictions with flavourful and unique dishes.Working with your caterer to draw up a plan of action can eliminate any of the uncertainty surrounding what your guests will special requirements will eat.
3. Experience with the Venue
This is something that not many people consider when choosing a Toronto event catering company, and yet, they absolutely should. Each venue is so different. Some venues will have full-scale kitchens and prep rooms, whereas others won’t even have anywhere to store food.Most venues have very specific rules for their catering providers that cannot be broken, and experienced caterers know how to work within these.
The task of navigating a venue can be one of the major challenges faced by catering companies. It’s not ideal for the catering company you work with to be growing accustomed to your venue for the first time when you’re holding your event. Even if they feel like they’re prepared to work in a new venue, there are so many things that could go wrong, which will have an impact on your event.
The very best thing you can do is ask the venue itself for a list of caterers that they’ve worked with and would recommend. This way, you know the caterer has worked with the venue before. Additionally, the venue coordinators aren’t going to suggest a caterer they don’t have faith in themselves—it would reflect poorly on them.
