5 Questions to Ask a Wedding Caterer Before You Hire One

The wedding day is undoubtedly the opportunity to shout out loud about the affection and the bond between you and your partner. Such auspicious occasion comes with a load of daunting tasks that need to be taken care of as smoothly as possible. Finding efficient Wedding Catering Services remains a challenging task. The availability of hundreds of catering solutions available online makes it a job to agonize over. Well, here are 5 questions that shed some light on what to ask to the edding Caterers to be hired.

1. Basic Questions - 5W and 1H

The basic questions, that you should ask your wedding caterer before going into any further details, involve 5W and 1H. You should start with ‘when’ i.e. if the caterer is available on the date of your wedding. If yes, the next question that comes up right away is ‘how’ many weddings are being served by the caterer on the same day. On getting a satisfactory answer, the rest 3Ws are about to come in: what the service is inclusive of, what the signature fare is and what the specialization of the caterer is.

2. Knowing What You’re Paying For

Since losing money or wasting time is not the right thing to do before the big day, it is mandatory that you are aware of the services that the wedding caterers are willing to offer. You must check whether is worth of what you are paying. You are certainly paying for the food. But you must make sure whether you are paying for the tray-passed appetizers or wine pouring. Having a look at the breakdown of the cost certainly helps. It is often found that services like cutting and serving the cake, taking care of setup, so on and so forth are not included in the service. Perhaps you would also like to know whether your caterer provides the glasses and dinnerware. So, it is always wise to know what is included and what is not.

3. Source of the Ingredients

If you are looking for premium quality ingredients, you should discuss about it when you meet the caterers. Even though the local and seasonal ingredients are not very expensive, you should always go with the caterers who are willing to go an extra mile to offer the best quality ingredients. What must be kept in mind here is the extra cost that these ingredients are going to cost you. Making a comparative study of the prices can lead you to the right path.

4. Catering Packages and Server-to-Guest Ratio

This is the most important question for you and your caterer as well. Before delving deep into this question, you should make your mind regarding whether you want a preset menu or you want to work with your caterer for a custom menu. The questions to ask to caterers of wedding that must be answered by your caterer are inclusive of whether he can accommodate special dishes if requested by you, whether everything is a la carte or included in package, etc. You should also ask about the price difference between buffet and sit-down meal, stations and family style. Server to guest ratio is another thing that you should not forget asking to the caterer. It is also a wise idea to ask about the cancellation and refund policy at this stage.

5. Previous Experience at Your Venue

Nothing can be better if your caterer has worked at your venue while his or her venture of catering service for weddings. This often helps you to create a space-saving set-up. In case they haven’t yet, you should ask your caterer to make a plan that can be executed well.