When it comes to hosting an event food plays an important role. Choosing the right caterer isn’t an easy job, when there are hundreds of catering companies claiming to offer the best services. It is imperative that you do enough market research to zero-in on the right catering services.
To ease the process, I have listed here the step-wise guide to choose the right caterer:
List what you want
Before venturing out in search for the best caterers, jot down what you are exactly looking for. What most of the people do? They start having discussions with catering companies before fixing on their exact requirements. This does one thing, many a time people like you looking for a catering services end up paying a lot more and closing a deal which doesn’t exactly match their taste and needs. Knowing your special requirements helps you to get the right deal within your budget.
Do market research
Next, you need to do a lot of market research which means finding out the best caterers in your city. I would specially suggest you to have a look at the companies’ websites first and fix on a few catering service providers whose offerings seem to match your taste. Sieving out top caterers is very important so that you can do a deeper research to know more about them.
Ask your friends
Now you have a list of best catering companies but that’s not the end to it. Go ahead and ask your friends who had recently or in the past (not long long time ago) had organized an event. Ask details on food, quality of services, utensils and everything that you would like to know, this would help you to fix on ‘what you can expect’ and ‘what more to ask for’ from your caterer. At best, your friends can end up giving you a reliable caterer name whose services they have actually availed and had first-hand experience.
Read reviews
When you are choosing a caterer for any of your personal or corporate events, make it a point to check out reviews on the list of caterers you have picked. Because reviews give you insights into the level of services, quality of food and other important details that can help you choose the best caterer. You should also check out their social media sites.
Check menu
Look for the menu details of the cuisine you are after. If the caterer’s official website doesn’t provide you the necessary details then contact the company and get the details mailed or faxed to you. In case, you are fine with the overall menu and wanted a few tweaks ‘ask for it’ before fixing on the deal.
Taste the food
Quality and taste of food is the single most important criteria while deciding on the right caterer. Food is the center of all celebrations, and you can’t afford to choose a bad caterer for any of your life’s important event. So check out the packages and taste the food included in your package.
Set budget & compare pricing
Do you have a budget in mind? If not, set one because without setting a budget your final bill could go ballooning. Also, don’t forget to compare pricing of other companies without of course compromising on the quality of services. Once you know price offerings of other companies, you can opt for the best catering deal.
Book early
Once you decided on the right caterer, make it a point to book at least a few months in advance. As you know, there is huge demand for the best services whether it is catering or any other services. So book early and ensure the event caterer’s availability on your important day.
