Selecting a Caterer for Your Event — The Barn at Reynolda Village

The Barn at Reynolda Village welcomes one of our longtime friends, John Tate from Holly Tate Fine Catering, as our guest blogger for September! We know you will enjoy his article and learn from the terrific advice it contains! Bon appetit!

The most important step in selecting a caterer is to find the one that is right for you…early! The best caterers in every price point are in demand. Here’s how we suggest going about that:

1. Think about what’s important to you. Every couple has a set of priorities. For some it’s the ten-piece band from a major city. For others it’s the venue, flowers and decorations. Some couples are most concerned with the guest experience and hope to present their guests with great tasting food and service. These priorities will have a significant impact on your catering budget.

Photo courtesy of Heather Beerman Photography.

2. The absolute best way to select your caterer is to rely on your venue’s recommendations. They have had constantly good experiences with the ones they recommend and can tell you a lot about them – how expensive, how good is the value, how good the service is, etc. And you will know that your caterer is familiar working at your venue and knows how to take care of it, which can prevent some major mishaps.

Another great resource for selecting caterers are the two primary wedding sites – WeddingWire and The Knot. These websites not only present you with a wide range of possibilities, but contain meaningful reviews on past catering jobs posted by the caterer’s clients.

a. Try to determine the location of caterers whose site and reviews appeal to you. Most caterers don’t cook on-site, so if they are coming from a long distance your food will spend much time in a hot box, which doesn’t improve the food.

b. Read the reviews in detail to try and find the really passionate ones. The little things clients write can be telling.

c. Don’t be afraid to ask the caterer for client references.

3. There are caterers at many different price points. Price doesn’t necessarily mean quality, but if you are on a tight budget you really want to understand what you’re getting with the caterer you choose.

a. How will they handle the food? Do they cook on-site? If not, does the type of meal you want lend itself to traveling in hot boxes (for example – good barbeque does. Fresh asparagus and beef tenderloin do not).

b. What is the service experience you expect? Some caterers will drop and go, which means you’ll need to arrange clean up with the venue. Will they arrive early and set tables? Are they bringing sufficient staff and the quality of staff needed to execute your vision for your guests’ experience?

c. How many events do they take in a night? Are they overstretched?

4. If you are looking for bar service as well, you should evaluate the caterer’s experience and standards with bar service. Catering staffs have been known to lack knowledge of how to open wine bottles or have abandoned the bar early, leaving guests to self-serve to excess. Do they carry liquor liability insurance?

We strongly suggest that you insist on purchasing your own wine, beer and liquor. Caterers/restaurants which cater will mark up the alcohol they sell to you 3 -4 times. This is money that could be spent on better food. In the case you are willing to purchase it yourself, you should expect quality caterers to advise you on quantities you will need.

5. The Tasting. Tasting policies vary by caterer. Some will have you into their kitchen to taste a few bites of things they have pulled out of their freezer or refrigerator before even knowing what you will have for your meal. Remember that just because they could fix bites of 5 things and make them very tasty is no guarantee they can do the same for 150 of your guests. At the other end of the spectrum, the best caterers will want you to taste the most important elements of your meal in full portions to adjust things to your taste – more salad dressing/less salad dressing, meat too rare/too well done, etc. – to insure your meal is served the way you want it.

Finally, remember when you select a caterer you are not only deciding on the food experience. You are also deciding how your guests will be treated all evening. Ask questions of the venue and read the wedding site reviews not just for great food, but for how guests and the client felt about how they were cared for throughout the reception.