One of the most important parts of a wedding is the menu. Learn how to choose the best caterer service with the 10 essential questions in our caterer checklist!
On your big day, you want everything to go as smoothly as possible. That’s why you’re spending a ton of time, energy, and money planning the most perfect wedding you can imagine.
When it comes to hiring your caterer, don’t cut corners. It’s crucial to get all the details straightened out ahead of time. That way, you aren’t in for an unfortunate surprise when it’s crunch time!
The good news, though, is that you’ve come to the right article. Below is a detailed caterer checklist of the ten questions you need to remember to ask.
After all, consider the following statistic about the wedding industry throughout the United States. It indicates that already in the year 2019, wedding services have generated $76 billion in revenue!
For that reason, take the following catering guidelines seriously. Then, you can trust that your guests – and their stomachs – will be impressed on your special day.
1. First, What Is This Catering Service Going to Cost?
Of course, the first thing for you to consider when catering your wedding should be the cost. After all, on average, wedding catering costs $68 per guest.
For that reason, don’t be afraid to ask for itemized details of what your catering service is going to cost. For one thing, this will also help you get a good idea of what the service will actually provide on the big day, too.
2. Are There Any Previous Customer Reviews You Can Research?
One good practice when hiring a caterer is to seek out reviews from previous customers. Doing so will give you great insight as to whether you can trust your potential catering service to provide what you need on your special day. If you can, check out their website for customer testimonials, or just do a quick Google search for online reviews.
3. Is It Possible to Schedule a Food Tasting Ahead of Time?
For wedding catering services, it’s common practice for the business to host a tasting in advance. That way, the couple can determine which options they think will best suit the theme of their event.
If you want a particularly thorough menu tasting, it might be worthwhile to rent one of the restaurant’s party rooms at that time. That way, you can take your time and have a large variety of options for your big day.
4. Does Your Potential Catering Service Have Availability on Your Big Day?
Don’t forget to ask about their availability, by the way! You certainly don’t want to waste a ton of time tasting and scheduling with a potential catering service to find that they’re unavailable.
A lot of times, though, a catering company will be willing to find temporary service staff to assist them in case they’re previously booked on your wedding day. It’s up to you, though, to ensure they can meet your wedding expectations well in advance.
5. Can You See a Copy of Their Licensing and Insurance Policy?
If a catering service is going to provide alcohol, they’ll need a liquor license. Plus, it’s in their best interest to have a liability insurance policy, too. For that reason, ask to see these credentials before signing the paperwork when hiring a caterer.
6. What Kind of Experience Does Your Potential Catering Service Have?
Not only should you research reviews from previous customers, by the way. It’s also smart to ask the catering service directly what kind of experience they have in the industry.
For instance, you might learn that they tend to focus on weddings for their catering provisions. This is great news for you, then, since they’ll have plenty of practice working with a couple to make the most of their special day.
7. How Will They Handle Dietary Restrictions?
These days, it’s all too common for wedding guests to have certain dietary needs. For that reason, it’s wise to ask your potential catering company how they would handle such a situation.
For instance, will they bring additional gluten-free or vegan options automatically? Or, rather, will they work with guests and their dietary needs on the day of?
8. Will They Provide Their Own Waitstaff and Bartender?
As mentioned above, it’s up to you to ensure your catering service can provide exactly what you need on your wedding day. You don’t want to be expecting a full waitstaff and find out last minute that the catering service only hired a bartender for you. For that reason, get a detailed count of who will be on hand on your special day.
9. Who Will Be Your Point of Contact on the Big Day?
In particular, you’re going to want a specific point of contact on your actual wedding day. It’s also smart to connect this person with your own wedding planner if you’ve hired one. That way, if anything goes wrong or is missing, you’ll know that someone from the catering company is there to help you solve the problem.
10. Does Their Overall Customer Service Impress You?
At the end of the day, you want to be able to rely on your catering service. Fro your very first interaction with them, is it clear that you’re their top priority? If it’s obvious that they emphasize high-quality customer service, you can trust that they’ll maintain that level of service on your wedding day, too.
Make the Most of Your Wedding Caterer Checklist Today
By now, you’re well-armed with the ideal questions to ask before hiring your wedding caterer. This is supposed to be the most important day in your relationship with your beloved, so make the most of it. That’s why the above caterer checklist is worth your consideration.
After all, your wedding is no cheap even. For that reason, you want to make the most of every penny you spend on it. When it comes to ensuring you have the best catering service possible, there’s no exception.
In fact, that’s where we can help you. We have a sophisticated catering experience that can impress your guests on your big day. That’s why we encourage you to check out our food menu and talk to someone on our staff about catering your wedding today.