Fandango Catering and Events Offers 3 Ways to Make Catering Planning Easier

If you've not worked with a caterer before and will, or may, use one this year, there are a few things to know to make the caterer's job easier and ensure that your experience is a great one. 

Try to pin down a few thoughts on the kind of food you'd like--When you first approach a caterer, have at least a couple of thoughts in mind, or better, jot down a few ideas.  For example, if you're looking for ideas for a dinner preceded by hors d'oeuvres, tell the caterer what kind of main dishes you're most interested in (chicken, beef, fish, vegetarian) or if you're interested in a particular cuisine (such as Mexican or Greek or whatever).  Increasingly caterers do not work with fixed menus anymore as more and more clients want greater freedom of choice and control over their event menus, and this is true not just for weddings but for any kind of event.  Would you go to a car dealer and say you want a car but don't know which make, model, year, or color you want? Probably not, and so you should be ready to tell your caterer your tentative ideas for your event--such as whether you want hors d'oeuvres only, hors d'oeuvres plus dinner, a dinner party, or whether you hate broccoli or cheese or can't eat seafood or whatever. 

Tell the caterer your price range or budget--Only then can they send you suggestions suited to your finances.  Sometimes a prospective client will say they don't know their budget.  But the problem then is, how does a caterer know what kind of food to suggest for an event--whether expensive or more moderate--if they don't have even a ballpark budget? Unlike restaurants, increasingly caterers don't have a fixed price menu but draw from many recipe "lists" to tailor a catering proposal to a specific client's needs and budget.

Tell the caterer what "feel" you'd like for the event--Casual or formal, fun or elegant, exotic or down home, very modern or more traditional--by sharing this with the caterer it's easier for the caterer to interpret your vision.  More and more caterers now offer a wide range of styles and presentations, serving pieces, etc., so it's much easier than it was even five years ago to get the look and feel you want at all kinds of catered events, large or small.  If the caterer insists on a certain look--often, one they've had far too long--that may not represent you vision, contact another caterer.


Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com