Catering is an important detail for any event, whether it’s a meal served during a multi-day conference, dinner served during a wedding reception or another special event. When it’s time to eat everyone wants to know what’s being served! So what are the ingredients to ensure the success of a catered event? Let the experts at the Roberts Centre fill you in.
What are the ingredients to ensure the success of a catered event?
The Food– A Main Ingredient
People talk about food. The mark of an excellent venue will be long remembered for the catering services, what was delicious, what ran out, or interesting selections on the buffet. When considering a venue, the quality of the catering services can break or seal the deal of booking an event.
We advise you to inquire if the catering service is able to handle diverse dining options such as vegetarian, gluten-free, or other restrictions such as medical, religious or cultural. The caterer may also be able to customize a menu based on the event, so plan ahead.
Feeding the Multitudes – Know your Numbers
Be upfront and honest about your catering budget.
Be sure to have a good estimate of the number of people that will need to be served. This number will factor into the overall budget of the event. While most catering services typically prepare for up to 10 percent more than expected, going over that amount may be costly for the event host, going under will be embarrassing if there is not enough food.
Sticking to a budget is important so make sure to give caterers accurate information so they can work to find the best selections in season to provide more for your dollar. It adds up!
Service
When working to plan a conference, the goal is to make the venue as accessible and comfortable for all attendees. It’s a good idea to work closely with the staff from the planning stage to the wrap-up to ensure every detail is addressed. The staff will need work with your conference itinerary so they are ready to serve meals, change seating arrangements if needed or other special details and make it appear effortless. Service should be a priority with the venue staff. Little things like a friendly greeting from the staff upon arrival, like demonstrating our Midwestern hospitality by handing out famous Max & Erma’s cookies from the hotel’s onsite restaurant can earn big points.
Our event planning team at the Roberts Center is well accustomed to working with a variety of options to ensure a successful catered event.
Timing Is an Important Detail
Have a good idea of when meals will need to be served. For instance, if planning a conference, you may add a snack area to the requested catering services if attendees will have breakout sessions. This is an easy and affordable way to keep everyone engaged.
The Food
If your event is a wedding, we recommend requesting heavy hors-d’oeuvres, so guests aren’t starving while waiting for the newlyweds to take pictures and greet guests before dinner.
Discuss your budget first with your caterer. Most will gladly work within your financial constraints.
Most catering services will offer either a buffet style or a sit-down plated meal. Of course there may be a cost difference here since a buffet is more self-service and can be casual while a more formal plated meal calls for more wait staff to serve each table.
These details will make a difference when putting together a catering plan so we recommend planning this detail as much in advance as possible.
Need help? Our event planning team at the Roberts Center is well accustomed to working with a variety of options to ensure a successful catered event. Contact our professional staff at 937-283-3275 to get started.
