The Advantages of a Smaller Caterer
Several months back I met with a woman who was in the early planning stages of a small backyard wedding reception for her daughter. She told me that she had called a couple of the bigger “household name” caterers in town. Although one had given her an estimate over the phone, “frankly” she confided, “I just got the impression they didn’t want to bother with me.” Another prospective client planning a smaller party told me she asked a caterer she called if her chef would be coming to work the party. The caterer responded it would be one of several party chefs, and she could not tell her for sure which one it would be. I am proud to say that the woman’s daughter had a small, but truly lovely wedding reception in June. "It was more than we ever expected", she told me the afterwards, which is one of the greatest compliments she could have given me. I was able to give her the attention she deserved in planning her special day. And as with all of my parties, while I had a great support crew, I attended and worked the party in the capacity of chef. If you’re planning a special occasion, here are some question you may want to ask your caterer. Will they be attending the party, or sending a surrogate? If they are planning to send a surrogate, is it someone you have met during the planning stages? How well versed are they in the particular needs of your party- did they receive a page of notes sent out with the party, or have they actually had a meeting with the caterer to discuss the details?...
read moreLife’s Special Events and Corporate vs. Private Caterers
In looking over my calendar for last month, I saw that I had a wedding, a graduation party and a memorial service on the books. I couldn’t help but being struck by the cycle of life events that a caterer is witness to, and even more than witness, partner in. All I needed, I thought was a baptism, bris or baby shower to complete things. That’s a big attraction, for me, to this business, and why I am much more drawn to private catering than to say, corporate catering. I know caterers who prefer corporate catering- they don’t care for the “hand holding” that’s part of the job when dealing with private clients. And it’s true -with corporate clients there’s a lot less of that required on the part of the caterer. I had a corporate catering job a few years back when once the menu was selected (over the phone) and the deposit paid, I didn’t hear from the client again until I met him on the day of the event. Don’t get me wrong-that’s not bad either, but it’s quite a different experience than dealing with an anxious bride or mother. But as I said in my last post, I love being a part of those special moments in others lives, and creating those great memories. So I make this suggestion to those of you who may be out there looking for a caterer- find out what percentage of your potential caterer’s business is private as opposed to corporate. Ah, and as I look to my calendar next month, I do have a bay shower on the books. Completion! Ciao,...
read moreSpecial Event Catering- Why I Do It
Why do catering? For the moments you know you’ve helped to create a special moment in someone’s life.
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