Food is often times one of the main aspects that define whether an event is successful or not. Availability of great food in sufficient quantities will keep guests happy for the duration of the entire event, while the opposite happens whenever you find out that the food you just served isn’t too well received.
To be able to serve good food, you need to make sure that you find a good catering service, which is something that is easier said than done. In fact, just searching around for a few local caterers at the last moment isn’t ideal, as you will likely not find somebody up to standard when in a rush. Just as you take your time when choosing a good cocktail bar for a exclusive cocktail party, you should do the same when searching for a catering service.Before you start searching, it is a good idea that you get informed a little about catering services in general, so as to be able to make better choices. Below are some things to take into consideration whenever you go selecting a caterer:
- Get Some References – Ask a few people you know about catering services, whether they have recently hired one and whether they were satisfied with their services. You might not be able to find much information, but it is always worth a try since you never know whether you will be able to get in touch with a great caterer.
- Check a Caterer’s Details – Whenever you find a caterer that seems to satisfy your demands, try to gather more information about that company, including its past service history, some pictures of the events where they served food, clients who were happy with their services and a list of facilities they may be able to offer to you.
- Sample Food Yourself – The best way to check whether a caterer’s food offerings are good or not is to test sample the dishes yourself. Most chefs will be happy to assist you, including making a few changes to the servicing methods or food itself, as well giving you some advice on selecting a menu for your event.
- Inquire with Your Venue Receptionist – Although this is not always the case, many private dining rooms Melbourne do offer catering services of their own, thus saving you a lot of time in the process. Most of these in-house services are pretty decent, and while some may carry too much of a price premium, they can come in useful whenever you are short on time and cannot afford to spend more to search for a caterer separately. Remember to specify that you will be using the venue’s catering service, as otherwise they won’t include it in your list of selected services.
- Are they Well Prepared? – Offering food to a large gathering of people comes with all sorts of challenges, including catering to people with dietary restrictions due to health issues, allergies, etc. Any good catering service worth its name should be able to respond to all sorts of problems like these, and need to have backup plans in face of unexpected changes to the schedule. Make sure to inquire whether they can help in all of these scenarios that are likely to occur at most events and parties.