Last updated on December 13, 2015
Catering for large occasions can certainly be very stressful. There are quite a few things you can do in order to alleviate the stress while at the same time ensuring that your guests truly enjoy the event. If you run a catering company it is very important that you keep a few important yet crucial components in mind which should help make the process easier.
How many people are you catering for?
The numbers need to be considered very carefully. You should take into account factors like the number of guests who are invited to the buffet, and the number of people that the venue can accommodate comfortably. When arranging the seating it is important that you don’t cram too many people by ensuring that your tables are well spaced this will ensure that guests don’t need to jostle for some seating and moving space.
What is your budget?
This is probably the first thing you should think of. When it comes to buffets simplicity is the best way to go about things even if it’s a large number of people you need to please. The trick here is to remember a secret that many catering companies use. This rule states that there are certain people who will not eat while there will be others who eat very little. So, if you’re expecting a hundred guests you can easily get a catering company to arrange for food fit for eighty people. This will help to minimize waste as well as lower costs.
Choosing between DIY or hiring a professional company
The choice between hiring a professional catering company or cooking the food yourself is an important one. There are a few advantages of preparing the food yourself which includes the fact that it will be cheaper than having to order the meals. That said there are also disadvantages, you need to ensure that the food is cooked on a large scale, this can be challenging. Here too keeping things simple is important, this will make it easier for you to cope with having to cook very large meals. If you are in charge of tackling all the preparation and sourcing you need to always remember to purchase in bulk from a food warehouse as opposed to specialty stores to save money.
If you decide to use a catering company you need to properly and firmly establish your menu, guidelines as well as be clear on the number of guests you want food for. This will allow the catering company to work on assigning the required resources and staff. You also need to be clear on the amount per head which the company is charging you so that you don’t suddenly get surprised by a huge bill.
The menu should suit the occasion
You need to consider very carefully the type of event that you are hosting so that the menu properly suits the occasion. For instance, a formal meal would not suit a birth party but will be better suited for a business party.
Time of serving
You also need to consider at what time the meals should be served. This will allow you to plan and execute the required series of events that will ensure that the food is warm and fresh when the lid is taken off. You obviously want to avoid a nightmare where the curry is cold and the ice cream is too soft.
Variety in the menu
Variety is often referred to as the spice of life and it’s true for your menu too. You should aim to offer your guests with as much variety as you can. You should make sure that the food covers menu types like meat lovers and vegetarians. Ideally, select foods that are easy to prepare on a very large scale because you’re catering to many people. The easiest of these dishes are soups, grilled vegetables, roast and casseroles.
Cleaning after you’re done
Once everything is over you need to ensure that you have enough help when it comes to cleaning afterwards. You can either hire help or you can enlist the help of friends and family members. You obviously don’t want to be left behind cleaning up everything after a great party.
When it comes to food and drink Mark is the man to contact. He has over a decade of catering experience at cateringsydney.net.au and heads his own catering service.
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