Choosing a catering company is a lot of work; from going through all the options to initial interviews to tastings. But there’s another thing you should be doing before you hire a caterer: researching its history!
How Long Have They Been in Business?
The more experience a catering company has, the better. While this doesn’t mean that you can’t give the company a chance if it’s only been in business for a short time, it’s important that you’re familiar with how many years of experience it does have. The longer a company has been operating, the more familiar its staff will be with the challenges that can arise in advance or during the day of the event and the better equipped they will be to help you deal with issues you may be working through as you plan the food for your party.
Have They Worked with Your Venue?
Each venue is different and presents its own unique set of challenges that must be faced by the catering company you’ve chosen. When researching the history of the company, find out if the caterer has ever worked with your venue before. A company that has already catered events at your chosen venue is more likely to understand the demands imposed by the event space. For example, not all venues have commercial facilities for preparing food. If the catering company is aware of this, its staff will be able to make the necessary preparations seamlessly.
Have They Catered Larger Parties?
This is one of the most important questions to ask your caterer before booking. The size of the guest list has a huge impact on the catering services. Providing food for a group of fifty compared to a group of two hundred and fifty is a completely different ball game, and it’s important to have assurance that the catering company you’ve chosen can adapt to any size of party. A company that’s only ever catered small events might not be the best option if you’re planning a large party. Things like speed of service and quality of food could be affected if the company is struggling to meet the high demand on the day and its staff doesn’t have any previous experiences with parties that large. If the company hasn’t worked larger parties but you’re keen on working with them, make sure they take you through their step-by-step process for how they will cater such a large event.
Do They Have Experience with Specialty Food?
Speciality food has become an increasingly big trend in event planning, with themed dishes and foods from different parts of the world becoming a larger part of the catering business. If you’re looking to get a speciality food experience at your event, it’s important to research the history your caterer has with providing speciality meals. Many companies may be eager to take on the challenge without actually having direct experience preparing the kind of food you’re looking for.
Because food is such an integral part of any event, you may feel more comfortable working with a catering company that has extensive experience making speciality food, ensuring everything will go off without a hitch on the day.
Reading Customer Testimonials
One of the most common mistakes people make when researching caterers is restricting their search to the information provided by the caterers themselves. Most catering companies will have a section on their websites that provides customer testimonials, and while it’s fine to look these over, you should look for testimonials in other places as well.
It’s in a company’s best interest to only include the testimonials that make them look good, but for some caterers, a simple search will provide you with a host of testimonials that don’t exactly corroborate these experiences. It’s important to expand your scope when researching caterers for a more accurate idea of their service levels.
